Upton and Curtain's Brewery

Upton and Curtain's Brewery

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History
Town	Ballarat
Street	Ripon Street
Known dates	1869-1871
Other names	Black Eagle Brewery

Upton and Curtain's Brewery was a brewery in Ballarat, Victoria, <1870-1871>.

Site

The brewery was in Ripon Street, although in 1889 it is described as being in Ascot Street.

Background

The brewery had opened in 1859 as the Black Eagle Brewery and operated by W. and J. Martin, then J. Martin and Brooking, then J. Martin and W. Robertson, then W. Watson and Thorn. Watson operated the brewery and sold it to Upton. The brewery was described as "long gone" in 1889.

History

Liquid waste from the brewery was being emptied into the street drains in October 1869:

Dr Bunce, the borough health-officer, reported that at the request of several of the residents of Talbot street he had paid a visit to the street, and now recommended that as the nuisance arose from the fluid matter from Messrs Upton's brewery, that Mr Upton should receive notice that unless he discontinued to allow the brewing drainage to go into the public street he would be proceeded against by the council.—Adopted.

The brewery was described in an article in the Ballarat Star on local breweries in November 1870:

Upton and Curtain’s Brewery, in Ripon street, is one of the oldest in Ballarat. The cellar holds about 100 hhds, and the boiler about 14 hhds. The liquor is cooled over a patent refrigerator. A great deal of bottling is done at this brewery, and the liquor bottled is known as “quinine bitter ale,” and contains; we were informed by Mr. Curtain, a small proportion of quinine. The ale is bottled with a very ingenious bottling machine, which prevents all waste, and can be left at any moment. With this apparatus one man can fill 100 dozen bottles per hour, and with a patent corking machine on the premises 60 dozen bottles can be corked in an hour by one man.

In June 1871 the council's Water Supply Committee received a letter concerning the brewery:

Received. From R. S. Mitchell, complaining of the accumulation of arrears at Mr Upton's brewery, and asking the committee to remit the amount paid by him on the previous bill, less the dividends in the estate. Referred to the finance committee.