[WT Sharpe]

.....There are thousands of people in New York who seem to have quite forgotten the use of plain water as a beverage. In certain quarters of the city, 'lager' is the main staple of life, being for sale in almost every house, and the drink and even the food, of all the men, women and children. Lager is king! Lager is one of our most modern institutions. Ten years ago it was only a vulgar German word of unknown import; then it was looked upon as an insipid Dutch beer; but finally, a majority, perhaps, will vote that it is 'the people’s nectar.' Certain witnesses have testified and courts have decided that lager is not intoxicating; but in view of the fact that a pint of lager contains as much alcohol as an ordinary glass of brandy, it might be suspected that those witnesses had indeed been indulging in lager just at the time they needed their sober judgment.
..........— Scientific American, July 1860, "Lager Bier." Although ownership has changed hands more than once over the years, Scientific American has been published continously since its founding in 1845.