Birch Beer (1873)

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   "Birch beer" is in the OED from 1883.  Both "birch beer" and "root beer" supposedly date from the American Revolution, but I sure didn't see them in the full text PENNSYLVANIA GAZETTE or in GODEY'S LADY'S BOOK in ACCCESSIBLE ARCHIVES.  The LOC's AMERICAN MEMORY database doesn't even have "birch beer" at all, at any time.
   I expected a much larger antedating, but whatever.


   9 July 1873, NEW YORK TIMES, pg. 5:
   A keg of birch beer exploded on a Jersey City fruit-stand, yesterday, doing damage to the amount of $25.


   26 May 1877, SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN (American Periodical Series online), pg. 331:
   (7) T. B. asks: (...) 2. What are the quantities necessary to the gallon of carbonic-charged birch beer, to prevent it from souring?  A. Unless the salt were very pure it would be liable to give a somewhat disagreeable flavor to such beer.  About 5 or 10 grains to the gallon would perhaps suffice.