The numbers cover a really crucial period. That is when Germany first passed the UK to become the largest producer of beer in Europe. The odd war year excepted, I'm sure that's been the case ever since.It's symbolic of the emergence of Germany as both an economic and political force in the last decades of the 19th century. This is also when German industrial production outstripped Britain's.
There's one really weird feature of 19th-century British beer statistics. And it explains why the figures for UK output only begin in 1881. It also demonstrates the usual source of these numbers. Between 1830 and 1880 there are no accurate figures on British beer production, just guesses. The reason is simple: because there was no tax on beer in that period. As the government wasn't recording it for tax purposes, the number wasn't recorded. It's a bit of a bummer for me as it leaves a big hole in my tables. The best you can do is make an estimate from the quantity of malt used in brewing. You see that was recorded as malt was taxed. Number of quarters times 4 is the usual formula.
On with the tables. First ones showing the number of hectolitres brewed and the percentage change from the previous year:
Change in German beer production 1872 - 1900 (hl) | |||||
year | production | % change | year | production | % change |
1872 | 32,945,000 | 1887 | 47,100,000 | 4.51% | |
1873 | 36,989,000 | 12.28% | 1888 | 47,696,000 | 1.27% |
1874 | 38,194,000 | 3.26% | 1889 | 54,420,000 | 14.10% |
1875 | 38,936,000 | 1.94% | 1890 | 52,830,000 | -2.92% |
1876 | 38,857,000 | -0.20% | 1891 | 53,205,000 | 0.71% |
1877 | 38,269,000 | -1.51% | 1892 | 54,780,000 | 2.96% |
1878 | 37,425,000 | -2.21% | 1893 | 55,623,000 | 1.54% |
1879 | 37,184,000 | -0.64% | 1894 | 55,369,000 | -0.46% |
1880 | 38,497,000 | 3.53% | 1895 | 60,695,000 | 9.62% |
1881 | 39,109,000 | 1.59% | 1896 | 61,621,000 | 1.53% |
1882 | 39,324,000 | 0.55% | 1897 | 66,378,000 | 7.72% |
1883 | 40,873,000 | 3.94% | 1898 | 67,968,000 | 2.40% |
1884 | 42,374,000 | 3.67% | 1899 | 69,500,000 | 2.25% |
1885 | 41,857,000 | -1.22% | 1900 | 70,857,000 | 1.95% |
1886 | 45,068,000 | 7.67% | 1881 - 1899 | 77.71% | |
Source: | |||||
"European Statistics 1750-1970" by B. R. Mitchell, 1978, pages 283 and 285. |
Change in UK beer production 1872 - 1900 (hl) | |||||
year | production | % change | year | production | % change |
1881 | 44,955,000 | 1891 | 52,757,000 | 1.26% | |
1882 | 45,057,000 | 0.23% | 1892 | 52,470,000 | -0.54% |
1883 | 44,784,000 | -0.61% | 1893 | 52,520,000 | 0.10% |
1884 | 46,036,000 | 2.80% | 1894 | 52,743,000 | 0.42% |
1885 | 45,176,000 | -1.87% | 1895 | 53,574,000 | 1.58% |
1886 | 45,239,000 | 0.14% | 1896 | 56,284,000 | 5.06% |
1887 | 46,216,000 | 2.16% | 1897 | 57,791,000 | 2.68% |
1888 | 46,507,000 | 0.63% | 1898 | 59,218,000 | 2.47% |
1889 | 49,755,000 | 6.98% | 1899 | 61,214,000 | 3.37% |
1890 | 52,100,000 | 4.71% | 1881 - 1899 | 36.17% | |
Source: | |||||
"European Statistics 1750-1970" by B. R. Mitchell, 1978, page 284. |
1887. That's the year German beer production outstripped the UK's. It's nice to pinpoint that. In the period 1881 to 1899 German production increased by more than double the amount of the UK's. There are some other fascinating points. Like 1885 being a year of negative growth in both countries. And 1889 being a particularly good year in both. Also there were only three years between 1881 and 1899 in both countries when beer output fell.
Here's a graph of the same information:
The next set of tables show beer production per head of population:
German beer output per head 1872 - 1900 | |||
year | population | output (hl) | litres per head |
1872 | 41,058,800 | 32,945,000 | 80.24 |
1874 | 42,000,000 | 38,194,000 | 90.94 |
1877 | 43,610,000 | 38,269,000 | 87.75 |
c1880 | 45,234,100 | 38,497,000 | 85.11 |
c1885 | 46,840,600 | 41,857,000 | 89.36 |
1888 | 48,170,000 | 47,696,000 | 99.02 |
1890 | 49,428,100 | 52,830,000 | 106.88 |
1893 | 50,760,000 | 55,623,000 | 109.58 |
1896 | 52,750,000 | 61,621,000 | 116.82 |
1900 | 56,356,200 | 70,857,000 | 125.73 |
2000 | 82,797,400 | 110,429,000 | 133.37 |
Sources: | |||
European Statistics 1750-1970 by B. R. Mitchell, 1978, pages 283 and 285. | |||
Deutscher Brauer-Bund Bonn | |||
http://www.populstat.info/ |
UK beer output per head 1881 - 1900 | |||
year | population | output (hl) | litres per head |
1881 | 34,934,476 | 44,955,000 | 128.68 |
1885 | 36,015,601 | 45,176,000 | 125.43 |
1891 | 37,802,381 | 52,757,000 | 139.56 |
1895 | 39,220,114 | 53,574,000 | 136.60 |
1900 | 41,154,646 | 60,726,112 | 147.56 |
2000 | 59,511,500 | 55,279,000 | 92.89 |
Sources: | |||
Brewers' Almanack 1928, p. 110 | |||
European Statistics 1750-1970 by B. R. Mitchell, 1978, page 284. | |||
Statistical Handbook of the British Beer & Pub Association 2005, p. 7 | |||
http://www.populstat.info/ |
The UK figure was about 50% higher in 1881, but by 1900 Germany was closing in fast. It's interesting to see that Germany's output per head was higher in 2000 than 1900, while the UK's was lower.
I've just about squeezed the last dropd of fun juice out of these numbers. I'll have to find some new ones.
2 comments:
Any idea when Germany passed UK in liters/head?
Rob,
not the precise year. I don't have a complete set of German production figures. Probably in the 1920's
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