Friday 11 May 2012

British beer production and average OG 1900 - 1933

It seems like there's something I've not done for a while. Something that used to be very important. (No, it's not humour or entertainment.) I remember - a big fat juicy table, dripping with number grease. Best put that right.

My weekend was great fun. I spent it scanning 1920's and 1930's editions of the Brewers' Journal. "What are you doing with those stinky books, dad?" Lexie asked. "Harvesting numbers." "Dad, that sounds really boring."

It's not exactly my idea of fun, either. But the information I grab is. There was some really useful stuff, hidden away in the old Journals. That's filled a few holes in my Brewers' Almanack derived tables. Like the one below. The larger set of data has revealed some intriguing points.

The first thing I'd like to point out is the disparity in average OG in the different parts of the UK on the eve of WW I. The average OG in Scotland was four points lower than in England and a massive 18 points lower than in Ireland. You can blame Guinness for the high figure in Ireland. Their flagship Extra Stout had an OG of 1075º.

But what I find really fascinating is the difference in the gravity dropped caused by WW I. Between 1914 and 1921, the average OG in Scotland only dropped 5 points. While in England it dropped by 10 points. That's a fall in gravity of 19.3% in England and just 11.2% in Scotland. I wonder why that was.

I've a possible explanation. Exports. The proportion of beer exported was much higher in Scotland. And what was the difference between export and domestic beer between the wars? Export beer continued to be brewed at pre-WW I strengths.

I've sort of got figures for Scottish exports in the 1920's and 1930's. Sort of. I've figures for the number of barrels upon which no duty was charges. The usual reason for that is that the beer was exported. But that's not the only one. The figures for duty-free barrels is about 10% higher than the figures for beer exported. I'll be returning to these figures in detail later, but one point is very significant: after 1927 Scotland was exporting more beer than England.


Beer produced by brewers for sale and average OG 1900 - 1933

England Scotland Ireland United Kingdom
Year bulk barrels average OG bulk barrels average OG bulk barrels average OG bulk barrels average OG
1900 32,146,769 2,289,048 2,669,225 37,105,042 1054.93
1905 30,594,189 1052.54 2,021,374 1049.6 2,799,960 1063.49 35,415,523 1053.23
1910 29,284,045 1052.3 1,956,659 1048.48 3,059,210 1064.78 34,299,914 1053.2
1911 29,679,204 1052.03 2,028,710 1048.18 3,215,374 1065.22 34,923,288 1053.02
1912 30,991,776 1051.76 2,153,569 1048.11 3,330,174 1065.43 36,475,519 1052.72
1913 30,758,800 1051.52 2,119,666 1047.85 3,417,851 1065.73 36,296,317 1052.64
1914 31,737,384 1051.69 2,288,481 1047.67 3,532,902 1065.93 37,558,767 1052.80
1915 29,310,783 1051.16 2,042,477 1046.85 3,412,520 1065.93 34,765,780 1052.35
1916 26,914,428 1050.49 1,917,148 1046.45 3,279,032 1066.43 32,110,608 1051.88
1917 25,497,825 1047.01 1,816,003 1043.16 2,850,170 1065.69 30,163,998 1048.54
1918 16,340,250 1038.25 1,141,114 1036.74 1,603,679 1057.89 19,085,043 1039.81
1919 20,133,048 1029.35 1,325,439 1029.77 1,806,046 1044.43 23,264,533 1030.55
1920 29,891,845 1038.57 2,186,604 1038.83 2,969,498 1043.35 35,047,947 1039.41
1921 28,927,178 1041.72 2,096,080 1042.31 3,481,312 1050.18 34,504,570 1042.61
1922 25,468,663 1042.21 1,770,175 1041.68 2,939,893 1049.44 30,178,731 1042.88
1923 22,334,328 1042.82 1,598,339 1041.36 15,984 1037.5 23,948,651 1042.72
1924 23,609,228 1043.18 1,800,687 1041.27 15,102 1037.69 25,425,017 1043.04
1925 24,827,074 1043.24 1,895,535 1041.53 12,216 1038.4 26,734,825 1043.12
1926 24,871,187 1043.34 1,884,933 1041.87 9,490 1036.91 26,765,610 1043.23
1927 23,418,640 1043.35 1,673,576 1042.3 8,245 1038.11 25,100,461 1043.28

England & N. Ireland Scotland

United Kingdom
1924 23,624,330 1043.17 1,800,687 1041.27

25,425,017 1043.04
1925 24,839,290 1043.24 1,895,535 1041.53

26,734,825 1043.12
1926 24,880,677 1043.34 1,884,933 1041.87

26,765,610 1043.23
1927 23,426,885 1043.35 1,673,576 1042.30

25,100,461 1043.28
1928 23,610,029 1043.34 1,749,725 1042.95

25,359,754 1043.31
1929 22,803,003 1043.20 1,727,152 1043.47

24,530,155 1043.21
1930 23,180,543 1043.01 1,803,625 1043.55

24,984,168 1043.05
1931 22,129,205 1042.68 1,651,579 1042.84

23,780,784 1042.69
1932 19,277,230 1041.14 1,398,153 1041.86

20,675,383 1041.19
1933 16,639,123 1039.59 1,204,456 1041.07

17,843,579 1039.69
Sources:
Brewers' Journal 1920, page 345.
Brewers' Journal 1921, page 246.
Brewers' Almanack 1928, page 110.
Brewers' Journal 1934, page 11.

Wondering why beer production fell so much in 1932 and 1933? A disastrous increase in beer tax which caused output to fall so much that, in fact, less tax was collected. There's a lesson there.

I'll be returning to numbers soon. I've neglected them for far too long.

2 comments:

Bailey said...

Don't suppose you feel like hitting the "insert line chart" button in Excel and posted the result alongside the numbers, do you?

Ron Pattinson said...

When I get chance. Need to master this new-fangled technology. You could give it a try. I've been enjoying your diagrams. Feel free to use my numbers.