Sunday 3 May 2015

Imported bottled Lager in the 1950's

Mmm. I’ve already written this once, but somehow managed to lose the text. I hate doing that.

Continuing with my look at the beers on sale in Britain in the 1950’s, I’ve come to imported Lager. Back then there were only two types of beer imports: Stout from Ireland and Lager from the Continent. Lager brewing was still in its infancy in Britain, at least outside of a few specialists like Tennent’s, Barclay Perkins and the Welsh Lager Brewery. Only towards the end of the decade did other brewers start dipping their toes in the Lager pool.

Once again, I’ve arbitrarily divided the beers into random groups, this time with highly scientific names: watery stuff (1030-1035º), not quite to watery stuff (1035-1040º), normal-strength stuff  (1040-1050º) and strong stuff  (>1050º).  The groups are just for my own convenience and have no real significance.

The origins of the beers is revealing. Holland delivered the most samples, but almost a third came from Scandinavia. Germany scores quite poorly, though that could be a lingering effect of the war. I don’t believe the American samples were on general sale. The lack of a price is a sign. The one which did have a price was listed as being sold on a US base.

Here’s that information in a handy table form:

Country no. samples %
Australia 2 4.00%
Belgium 7 14.00%
Canada 3 6.00%
Czechoslovakia 2 4.00%
Denmark 7 14.00%
Germany 6 12.00%
Holland 10 20.00%
New Zealand 1 2.00%
Norway 7 14.00%
Sweden 1 2.00%
USA  4 8.00%
Total 50

Let’s start with the watery stuff. These all look like beers specifically brewed for the UK market. The Dutch ones for sure, as all domestic Dutch Pilsners were 5% ABV. Carlsberg and Tuborg were both over 4% in Denmark. Foreign brewers weren’t always that keen on making such weak beer, but it was largely what the UK market demanded. Partly because Continental-strength beers would be too expensive.

Even these watery beers were eye-wateringly expensive, averaging over 3 bob a pint. A pint of draught Mild – about the same in terms of strength - would cost just 12-14d. The high rate of attenuation of some of the lowest-gravity examples seems designed to wring as much alcohol out as possible.

Imported bottled Lager in the 1950's - watery stuff
Year Brewer country Beer Price per pint (d) Acidity OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation colour
1957 Tuborg Denmark Lager 40 0.05 1030.7 1005.8 3.23 81.11% 10
1959 Tuborg Denmark Tuborg Lager 42 0.05 1030.7 1005.8 3.23 81.11% 13
1959 St. Pauli\ Germany B.B. Lager 0.02 1030.7 1010.3 2.64 66.45% 7
1957 Amstel Holland Lager 42 0.02 1030.8 1007.2 3.06 76.62% 9.5
1957 Carlsberg Denmark Danish Pilsner 0.02 1030.9 1009.7 2.74 68.61% 10
1957 Carlings Canada Black Label 42 0.05 1031 1006 3.25 80.65% 4.5
1959 Bierbrouwerij "De Wereld" Holland Piraat King Size Ale 27.5 0.02 1031.1 1005.6 3.31 81.99% 10
1959 Vanderheuvel Belgium Ekla Lager 32 0.02 1031.2 1006.1 3.26 80.45% 10
1957 Tuborg Denmark Tuborg Lager 0.04 1031.2 1007.4 3.09 76.28% 13
1957 Carlsberg Denmark Danish Pilsner 40 0.04 1031.5 1008.4 2.99 73.33% 9
1957 Z.H.B. Holland Export Pilsner Lager 42 0.02 1031.6 1006.2 3.30 80.38% 10
1957 Amstel Holland Amstel Lager 0.04 1031.9 1006.9 3.24 78.37% 12
1957 Z.H.B. Holland Export Pilsner Lager 0.05 1032.3 1005.8 3.44 82.04% 13
1957 Bierbrouwerij De Wereld Holland Piraat Lager Beer 30 0.04 1032.8 1005.7 3.52 82.62% 9
1956 NV Bierbrouwerij Holland Breda Lager 48 0.04 1033.2 1005.3 3.63 84.04% 7
1957 Oranjeboom Holland Dutch Pilsener 42 0.02 1033.3 1007.8 3.31 76.58% 9
1956 Frydenlund Norway Peak Lager 30 0.04 1034.3 1005.7 3.72 83.38% 12
Average 38.13 0.03 1031.7 1006.8 3.23 78.47% 9.88
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.

Moving on to the slightly less watery, the next group also looks like beers solely for the UK market. With the exception of Pilsner Urquell. That beer looks like the 10º version. Something that would have been on sale back home, unlike the others. That so many foreign brewers were prepared to brew something just for the British market a demonstration of the money to be made.

I’m surprised Heineken is in this group. Because I know from their brewing records of the early 1950’s that the version for the UK was brewed to 8º Plato, or 1032. They must have beefed it up during the decade.

A few of these beers – Heineken, Carling and Stella – are currently big players in the UK Lager market.

The price is even more scary for this set – 4 shillings a pint for Carling and Urquell. You’d need plenty of cash to get pissed at that price. They must have been fairly exclusive drinks. Lager continues to be more expensive than Ale in Britain, though the price differential has become much smaller. Price was one of the reasons I never drank Lager. It seemed like just throwing money away for no good reason.

I have my doubts about the colour given for Black Label. It wasn’t ever a Dark Lager, was it?


Imported bottled Lager in the 1950's - not quite so watery stuff
Year Brewer country Beer Price per pint (d) Acidity OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation colour
1957 Oranjeboom Holland Dutch Lager 0.04 1035.4 1007.5 3.62 78.81% 10
1957 Carlings Canada Black Label 48 0.05 1036.3 1007.7 3.71 78.79% 75
1957 Pilsner Urquell Czechoslovakia Pilsener 48 0.04 1036.3 1010 3.41 72.45% 9
1957 Pilsner Urquell Czechoslovakia Pilsener 0.04 1036.4 1010.1 3.41 72.25% 12
1959 Frydenlund Norway Peak? Lager 0.02 1036.6 1007.5 3.78 79.51% 17
1957 Carlings Canada Black Label 0.04 1037.5 1007.8 3.86 79.20% 10
1957 Heineken Holland Lager 42 0.04 1038.7 1009 3.86 76.74% 5
1957 Artois Belgium Stella Lager 0.05 1039.7 1006.5 4.32 83.63% 9
Average 46.00 0.04 1037.1 1008.3 3.75 77.67% 18.38
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.


We now get to beers which do look like standard domestic versions, what I’ve called normal-strength stuff. Again, there are a couple of familiar beers: Stella, Fosters, Holsten, Miller and Pabst.

You’ll notice that prices are fairly random. Some beers in this set are the same price or cheaper than ones in the watery group. It’s a trick that’s easy to pull when drinkers have no idea of your beer’s strength. It seems any strength of Lager cost 3 to 4 shillings a pint. There’s a simple explanation why Miller High Life is an exception: that was sold on a US base .

Note the very high degree of attenuation of these samples. Only a couple are under 80%.

Imported bottled Lager in the 1950's - normal-strength stuff
Year Brewer country Beer Price per pint (d) Acidity OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation colour
1959 Schous Brewery Norway Norwegian Beer 36 0.03 1041.2 1005.5 4.66 86.65% 8.5
1957 Schous Brewery Norway Norwegian Beer 0.05 1042.2 1006.6 4.64 84.36% 12
1957 Dortmunder Union Germany Pilsener 42 0.04 1042.8 1007.4 4.61 82.71% 8
1959 Pilsor Belgium Lamot Lager 42 0.04 1043.8 1003.2 5.31 92.69% 7.5
1957 Artois Breweries Belgium Stella Lager 40 0.06 1044.3 1007.6 4.78 82.84% 8
1957 Holsten Germany Pilsner 0.05 1044.7 1007.4 4.86 83.45% 8
1957 Holsten Germany Pilsner 42 0.04 1044.7 1008.2 4.75 81.66% 8
1959 Vanderheuvel Belgium Ekla Lager 42 0.04 1045.6 1009.6 4.68 78.95% 10
1956 Miller USA High Life 20 0.04 1045.7 1012.3 4.33 73.09% 6
1957 Carlton United Australia Fosters Export Lager 48 0.05 1046 1005.8 5.25 87.39% 8.5
1956 Carlton United Australia Export Lager 48 0.05 1046.2 1004.5 5.45 90.26% 8
1957 Vanderheuvel Belgium Ekla 42 0.05 1046.3 1008.2 4.96 82.29% 7
1955 Pabst USA Blue Ribbon 0.05 1048.9 1011.7 4.84 76.07% 9
1958 New Zealand Breweries New Zealand Steinecker Lager 0.04 1049.1 1006.5 5.57 86.76% 85
1955 Liebmann USA Rheingold Extra Dry Lager 0.04 1049.8 1011.6 4.97 76.71% 6
Average 40.20 0.04 1045.4 1007.7 4.91 83.06% 13.30
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.


The final group would have been pretty strong by UK standards in the 1950’s. These, too, look like Continental-strength beers. Though the Löwenbräu Bock looks a bit weak. I thought Bock had to have a gravity of at least 16º Plato by German law. That’s about 1064º.

Tuborg are most confusing. They were selling both a watered down version and a full-strength one. And the stronger one was actually cheaper. Weird. How would drinkers have been able to work out what was good and what was bad value? Impossible, unless you had the beers analysed.

Imported bottled Lager in the 1950's - strong stuff
Year Brewer country Beer Price per pint (d) Acidity OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation colour
1955 National Brewery USA Beer 0.04 1050.9 1011 5.19 78.39% 10
1957 Tuborg Denmark Export Beer 40 0.06 1052.3 1011.5 5.31 78.01% 7
1957 ????brau Germany Light Beer 60 0.04 1052.3 1014.4 4.92 72.47% 9
1957 Tuborg Denmark Export Tuborg Beer 0.06 1052.4 1006.9 5.95 86.83% 7
1957 Ringnes Norway Export Lager Beer 0.05 1052.5 1006.9 5.96 86.86% 13
1955 Swedish Beer Export Co. Gothenburg Sweden Three Towns Beer (Lager) 30 0.05 1052.9 1008.7 5.77 83.55% 9
1956 Artois Breweries Belgium Sparta Special Lager 0.06 1053.2 1015.2 4.93 71.43% 20
1955 Ringnes Norway Export Pilsener 48 0.04 1053.8 1010.9 5.59 79.74% 11
1957 Ringnes Norway Export Lager 48 0.05 1054.5 1008.8 5.97 83.85% 9.5
1957 Löwenbräu Germany Pale Bock 52 0.05 1061.9 1014.3 6.20 76.90% 6
Average 46.33 0.05 1053.7 1010.9 5.58 79.80% 10.15
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.


Maybe Brown Ale next. But it’s a long set and I’m very lazy.

3 comments:

J. Karanka said...

Is this the same Breda lager? Sounds like some of these brands have survived a surprisingly long time, specially if you think about al the great historic ales that haven't survived

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randalls_Brewery

Anonymous said...

I can't wait for the new BJCP style classification, Watery.

Ron Pattinson said...

J. Karanka,

pretty sure that is the same Breda Lager. Some brands just refuse to die.