Bottled beer in the 1840's

Northern Liberator, Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.

I been done me some thinking again. It was that article of Lott about bottled beer. The types of Ale that he said were bottled. "I've got a spreadsheet of details taken form price lists. Let's see what bottled beers are in there." That was my thought. Nothing that's going to rewrite human history. But it's mine.

The spreadsheet has over 3,500 entries. Best I cut it down into more digestible chunks by limiting it by date. So we're going to start with the first bottled beers I have, from the 1840's. And what a fascinating bunch they are. That tell quite a story.

I don't have a huge number of examples, only 50-odd in total. And quite a large number of those are for a single brewery, Aitchison. Though that in itself tells a story.  It's no coincidence that a Scottish brewery should feature so prominently in the table. Because Scotland was the part of Britain where bottled beer became common the earliest.

Surprisingly, much Scottish was already being packaged in bottled form in the 18th century. More than 100 years before the rise in popularity of bottled beer in England.

But my mean reason for putting together the table below was to see which styles were being bottled. It provides some confirmation of Lott's assertion that the only Ales bottled were IPA, Mild Ale and Strong Ale.

First, I need to explain a little about the styles I've assigned to the beers, in particular those of Aitchison. I've ended up calling most of them "Edinburgh Ale", though some could equally well be classified as Strong Ale and others as Mild Ale. The problem is that it's not always possible to tell which group a beer belongs in by the description. Is "Superior Ale" a Mild Ale or a Strong Ale? I've no idea. Of course, it could be both.

 Newcastle Courant, Friday 17 April 1840, page 1

You can see that there was still a certain fluidity in the name given to IPA, with Pale India Ale, Pale Export India Beer and India Ale being used as well as the later standard India Pale Ale and East India Pale Ale. There's an intriguing set of brewers for the IPA's - Bass and Allsopp from Burton, Hodgson & Abbott of London, plus the Scottish brewers Aitchison and Tennent. It's an indication of just how quickly some Scottish brewers started brewing IPA.

There are, indeed, quite a few Strong Ales in the table. Especially when you consider many of the ones I've classified as Edinburgh Ales are also Strong Ales. Even more confusingly, the only beers identified as Mild Ales are also pretty strong, as shown by the prices of 5 and 7 guineas per hogshead. That makes them 105 shillings and 147 shillings respectively. In 1847, William Younger's 100/- had an OG of 1090º and their 140/- one of 1112º*. I assume Aitchison's Mild Ales were of a similar strength.

As I would have expected, there are several Stouts, including Guinness. Their beers were mostly sold in bottled form in England. By the 1840's, Guinness was already selling over 40,000 barrels of Stout annually in England. Sales grew exponentially in the second half of the 19th century, as this table shows.

Guinness Extra Stout sales 1840 - 1890 (barrels)
	1840	1850	1860	1870	1880	1890	1900
GB	42,209	44,410	82,690	178,556	207,695	352,109	458,630
Ireland	25,021	26,979	52,594	93,854	201,348	261,359	437,613
Total	67,230	71,389	135,284	272,410	409,043	613,468	896,243
Source:
A Bottle of Guinness, Please by David Hughes, pages 276-279.

The most unexpected beers are the Scottish Table Ale and Dinner Ale. These would have been very low gravity beers for the period. William Younger's Table Ale was between 1033º and 1037º in 1847*. I would be surprised if Aichison's were over 1040º. Scottish brewers had a good reputation for Table Ale and sold quite a lot of it in England. Part of the description probably explains why such a weak beer could be bottled successfully: "highly hopped."

I think that's me all explained out. There's nothing left for me but to leave you with the table:

Bottled beers in the 1840's
Brewery	Place	year	beer	style	price per dozen	size	source
S. Bloxsome & Company	Bristol	1849	Alloa Scotch Dinner Ale	Dinner Ale	2s 6d		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1840	Edinburgh Ale, strongest and best made	Edinburgh Ale	8s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1840	Strong Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	6s	reputed quart?	Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1840	Superior Ale	Edinburgh Ale	4s 6d	reputed quart?	Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1842	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	4s	quart	Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1842	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	6s	quart	Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1842	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	8s	quart	Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1843	Splendid Edinburgh Ale, Strongest	Edinburgh Ale	6s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Journal - Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1843	Fine Pale Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	4s 6d	reputed quart?	Newcastle Journal - Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1843	Splendid Ale	Edinburgh Ale	4s 6d	reputed quart?	Newcastle Journal - Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1843	Strongest Ale	Edinburgh Ale	6s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Journal - Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1843	Prime Strong Ale (Old Bottle 1)	Edinburgh Ale	6s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1843	Prime Strong Ale (Old Bottle 1)	Edinburgh Ale	4s 6d	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1844	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	3s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1844	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	4s 6d	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1844	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	6s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1846	Rich Flavoured Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	4s 6d	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1846	Strongest and Best Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	6s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1848	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	3s 6d	pint	Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1848	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	6s	quart	Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1840	Highly hopped and attenuated India Ale	IPA	3s	reputed quart?	Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1842	Pale India Beer	IPA	4s	quart	Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1843	India Pale Ale, much esteemed	IPA	3s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Journal - Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1843	Superior India Pale Ale	IPA	3s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Journal - Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1843	Pale India Ale	IPA	3s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
Allsopp	Burton	1845	India Pale Ale	IPA	5s	quart	Glasgow Herald - Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.
Allsopp	Burton	1845	India Pale Ale	IPA	2s 6d	pint	Glasgow Herald - Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1845	Pale Export India Beer	IPA	3s	quart	Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1846	Pale Export India Beer	IPA	3s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1848	Pale India Ale	IPA	3s 6d	pint	Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1848	Pale India Ale	IPA	6s	quart	Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
S. Bloxsome & Company	Bristol	1849	East India Pale Ale	IPA	3s 6d		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Bass	Burton	1849	East India Pale Ale	IPA	4s		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Hodgson & Abbott	London	1849	India Ale	IPA	4s 6d		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Tennent	Glasgow	1849	India Pale Ale	IPA	4s	quart	Glasgow Herald - Friday 22 June 1849, page 3.
Tennent	Glasgow	1849	India Pale Ale	IPA	2s 6d	pint	Glasgow Herald - Friday 22 June 1849, page 3.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1845	Mild Ale (5 guineas a hogshead)	Mild Ale	4s 6d	quart	Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1845	Mild Ale (7 guineas a hogshead)	Mild Ale	6s	quart	Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
S. Bloxsome & Company	Bristol	1849	Dursley Pale Ale	Pale Ale	2s 6d		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Unknown	Dublin	1845	XX Dublin Porter	Porter	4s	quart	Glasgow Herald - Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.
Unknown	Dublin	1845	XX Dublin Porter	Porter	2s	pint	Glasgow Herald - Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.
Unknown	London	1849	Brown Stout Porter	Porter	2s 9d		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Georges	Bristol	1849	Strong Old Porter	Porter	4s		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Guinness	Dublin	1845	Extra Stout	Stout	5s	quart	Glasgow Herald - Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.
Guinness	Dublin	1845	Extra Stout	Stout	2s 6d	pint	Glasgow Herald - Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.
Unknown	London	1849	Extra Brown Stout	Stout	4s		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Unknown	Dublin	1849	Extra Stout	Stout	3s 4d		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Allsopp	Burton	1845	Burton Strong Ale	Strong Ale	6s	quart	Glasgow Herald - Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.
Allsopp	Burton	1845	Burton Strong Ale	Strong Ale	3s	pint	Glasgow Herald - Monday 20 October 1845, page 2.
S. Bloxsome & Company	Bristol	1849	Strong October Beer	Strong Ale	4s 6d		"Chilcott's descriptive history of Bristol", by John Chilcott, 1849
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1840	Edinburgh Table Ale, highly Hopped, an excellent Stomachic	Table Ale	3s	reputed quart?	Newcastle Courant - Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.
Aitchison	Edinburgh	1840	High hopped Table Ale	Table Ale	3s	reputed quart?	Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.

* William Younger brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document number WY/6/1/2/3.