"CORRESPONDENCE.
To the Editor of The Brewers' Journal.
Brewing in Belgium.
Dear Sir,—Perhaps a short account of a brewer's "holiday" may interest some of your readers. Being in Ostend the idea arose to take a run round the neighbouring country and see how the brewers of the district were rebuilding their concerns. Dixmude, which remained in memory as one of the most shattered towns of Flanders, seemed a suitable place to make a start, and as the town was entered there appeared a new building, just now perhaps the most notable achievement of reconstruction in a place whose monuments —church and town hall—are merely heaps of ruins. This turned out to be a brewery, and inside was a model of compactness—a little mash-tun of about six quarters capacity commanding a vessel of the Wooldridge system of about 50 barrels, served by a Worthington pump and ejector to produce the vacuum, and alongside a fermenting room with two squares lined with white glazed tiles. Just the system it would appear to suit these small concerns who wish to re-erect a brewery in as small space as possible and with the greatest economy of building, and, as was later proved at a similar brewery in Ostend, capable of turning out most excellent light-top fermentation beers of 1035 deg. gravity or pale ales of 1065 deg. and stouts of 1070 deg.

Little breweries restarted on their old systems did not interest so much, but gave rise to a certain amount of amusement. One produced a beer—which by its slight acidity pleased its clientele—with a yeast that would not ferment unless pitched at 86 deg. Fahr., and no wonder. It consisted of quite as many bacteria and wild yeast as of the more desirable species. This had recently been pointed out to the owner, who thereupon tried a change, and pitched as usual at 86 deg. Fahr. in his wort receiver, running down direct into trade casks to ferment, when to his great alarm the yeast refused to come out through the bung hole, but settled to the bottom. This change from a true top to bottom habit through change of pitching temperature was most interesting to the enquiring visitor, but not to the suffering brewer, although the beer was good. He, like the great majority of his confreres, had no idea of fermentation temperatures in cask and the niceties of his art left him cold ; but why worry when trade was good?

Passing on, the glorious town of Bruges was reached, and here just beside the ramparts a stately old Flemish structure gave not the slightest hint that many of the brewers of the neighbourhood had combined, and in it, erected a plant to produce in co-operation the beer they needed. But such was the case, and inside was a Nathan plant complete seven fermenting vessels of about 120 barrels each with a yeast vessel, all of steel, varnished inside, with double jackets for the brine cooling and concrete outer structure—a plant fitted with the latest devices and capable of about 20,000 barrels a year, constituting a monument of enterprise. Refrigeration was conducted in a room supplied with filtered air and connected with the new Nathan device for settling the worts before running to fermenting vessel, and the writer noticed all needful plant for collecting the C02 for use or liquefying it for sale. Although this brewery had only been running for a fortnight, a delightful glass of cold filtered beer was presented and the decision made to go and taste some more at a cafe in the town. It was bottom fermentation beer produced and finished in ten days from mashing, bright and sparkling, but hardly with the flavour of true lager. But that would not seem to matter in a country that drinks top fermentation beers so largely.

Thus in a delightful run of fifty miles, examples of the two types of breweries which are arising to take the place of those destroyed in war were visited — the one a type of what should be the aim of the little brewer who wishes economically to set himself up again, and the other an example of what co-operation can achieve. Which will prove the more suitable to the country and the more profitable to the owners is a point yet to be decided.

Many corporations of brewers are now being formed, as may be instanced by the prospectuses just issued by eight brewers of Ypres who, with the remaining dozen or so brewers of that town, intend to erect a brewery with an output of about 30,000 barrels a year to take the place of the 20 or so little breweries that used to exist there.

At present it is not known what system this "Brasserie centrale yproise, Société Co-operative" will adopt. But, probably, it will be a top fermentation brewery as are all the smaller concerns.

Yours faithfully,
A London Brewer.
Ostend,
July 2nd, 1921."
Brewers Journal 1921, page 296.

***

"THE Estates of ROBERT PATERSON PATTISON, sometimes called ROBERT PATTISON, Distiller and Wine Merchant. Leith, were Sequestrated on the 9th day of March 1899, by the Court of Session.

The first Deliverance is dated the 9th day of March 1899.

The Meeting to elect a Trustee and Commissioners is to be held at twelve o'clock noon, on Saturday the 18th day of March 1899, within Dowell's Rooms, No. 18 George Street, Edinburgh.

A Composition may be offered at this Meeting ; and to entitle Creditors to the first Dividend, their oaths and grounds of debt must be lodged on or before the 10th day of July 1899.

The Sequestration has been remitted to the Sheriff of the Lothians and Peebles at Edinburgh.

All future Advertisements relating to this Sequestration will be published in the Edinburgh Gazette alone.
DAVIDSON & SYME, W.S.,
28 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, Agents."
THE EDINBURGH GAZETTE, MARCH 10, 1899, page 267.

"PATTISON'S WHISKY FAILURE.
NEW SCHEME.
Considerable interest has been excited, during the course of the past week by what may be called a boom in the preference shares of Pattison's, Limited. Since the 6th March, when the preference shares stood at 14s, the price has steadily gone up. This week the top quotation at which business was done is 48s 6d, and at present they stand a few shillings under that figure. The explanation of this boom. is the rumour of a proposed reconstruction scheme which a London syndicate is said to have initiated. The scheme is understood to take the form of a new company, with a capital of £400,000, which it is said is already underwritten. In consideration of the purchase of the entire business the syndicate propose to pay the secured creditors in full, to give the unsecured creditors 13s 4d in the £, and to allot to the shareholders £6 5s of scrip in the new concern for every £10 shares held at present. The liquidators will require the consent of the Court before any scheme of this kind could be adopted, and while it is stated that a number of wealthy men are interested in it, the scheme is received with some hesitation in commercial circles."
Belfast News-Letter - Wednesday 15 March 1899, page 8.

"GLASGOW STOCK EXCHANGE.
EXCITEMENT IN PATTISONS.
WHY THEY FELL AND WHY THEY RALLIED.
Glasgow, Wednesday Evening. Pattisons Preference shares furnished a sensation at the opening to-day, business being done down to 16s, as against 47s. The reason set forth was that the syndicate, which was asked by the Court to lodge £50,000 as a guarantee of good faith, had failed to do so, and had offered only half that amount. Everybody was a seller, Edinburgh quoting even as low as 13s 9d. However, the price rapidly rallied to 28s 3d, and closed at 23s 3d. It would, therefore, look as if the necessary money will be forthcoming to push on the reconstruction. London got some of the shares to-day."
Dundee Courier - Thursday 23 March 1899, page 2.

"PATTISON'S BUSINESS.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE SYNDICATE.
Mr. James Craig, chartered accountant, on behalf of the London syndicate who propose acquiring the business of Pattison's Limited, lodged in the Bank of Scotland yesterday afternoon, in the names of the liquidators and himself, the £50,000 stipulated by Lord Darling as necessary that he might give the liquidators authority to allow the syndicate to examine the books of the firm. On Tuesday the syndicate offered £25,000, but the Judge declined permission at this figure. It is understood that, as the result of this new development, the negotiations for the acquisition of the business will be continued."
Leeds Mercury - Thursday 23 March 1899, page 7.

"Pattison Preference shares, which, by the way, have been to-day deleted from the Stock Exchange Official Share List, have changed hands from 38s to 42s 6d, closing about the latter quotation. The books of the Company will be closed finally on the 15th prox,, and all dealings now will be settled for special settlement, which has been fixed for the 10th prox."
Dundee Courier - Tuesday 28 March 1899, page 2.