The Beer Substitute

Daily Eagle
Traverse City
8 Sept 1905 pg 2

THE BEER SUBSTITUE

The State Fair grounds at Detroit are located within less than 1,000 yards of a cemetery, and there is an old law upon the statute books that prohibits the sale of intoxicants within that distance of the resting place of the dead. And, while there was little danger of a protest being entered by the occupants of the place to the selling of liquors in their immediate vicinity, some of the live business men of Detroit took it upon themselves to see to it that the rights of the dead men should be carefully maintained. The prospect was that the man who wanted to take a drink of beer when he visited the fair to take in its sights would be compelled to go dry. and there was a good deal of mourning over the outlook.

But it sees, that a way has been found to beat the law, and no visitor will need to go dry. Somebody has discovered that malt mean, a brewed de-coction, resembles beer so closely after it has been frozen that it is very difficult for even an expert to tell the difference in taste. The meal is practically non-alcoholic, and it is said the law cannot stop its sale. This will be sold under the name of beer across the street from the fair, and with the beers signs that will be used about the place, it is believed that the thirsty buyer will never know when he calls for beer that he is not being served with the real article that made Milwaukee famous.

If the managers of the State Fair can work with this kind of a gag successfully upon the confirmed beer-drinks they are sharper then we give them credit it for.