Call for cheaper beer

I think that’s something we could all agree on. Who wouldn’t want cheaper beer?

But this article isn’t what it first appears to be. It’s not si much a call for cheaper beer as weaker beer. I’ll explain why after.

“CALL FOR A CHEAPER BEER
At a special meeting yesterday the board of the Licensed Victuallers’ Central Protection Society of London was agreed to recommend to the brewers the brewing of standard 6d. mild ale instead of a 7d. beer, which it was felt would generally beyond the reach of the working man.

In those areas where a lower-price beer was in demand it was recommended that Beer should brewed for sale at 5d. per pint.”
Portsmouth Evening News - Wednesday 16 September 1931, page 3.

You have to understand the context. This is just after the disastrous Snowden emergency budget of 1931. It put the price of beer up by about 1d a pint,. The strongest type of Mild Ale, which sold for 6d a pint, went up to 7d. Or would have, if brewers hadn’t cut the strength so they could still charge the old price.

Do I have any evidence of this? Of course I do. Lots of it.

This is how Milds looked in 1930:

Mild Ale in 1930
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1930	Leney & Co	L.A.	4d	1025	1007.4	2.28	70.40%
1930	Buddon Bigg	Ale	4d	1026.5
1930	Mackeson	L.A.	4d	1027	1005.4	2.80	80.00%
1930	Portsmouth & Brighton Breweries	L.A.	4d	1027	1001.9	3.27	92.96%
1930	Whitbread	LA	4d	1027.2	1010.0	2.28	63.27%
1930	Style & Winch	Ale	4d	1028.2
1930	Shepherd Neame	Ale	4d	1028.5
1929	Barclay Perkins	A	4d	1028.7	1007.5	2.80	73.83%
1930	Mason	Ale	4d	1030.4
1930	Tamplin	L.A.	4d	1031	1007.4	3.06	76.13%
1930	Isleworth Brewery	RA	4d	1032	1011.2	2.69	65.00%
1930	Kemp Town	L.A.	4d	1034	1006.7	3.55	80.29%
1930	Fremlin	Ale	4d	1035.7
average 4d				1029.3	1007.2	2.84	75.24%
1930	Hammerton	Ale	5d	1033.7
1930	Wells Watford	Ale	5d	1033.7
1930	Courage	X	5d	1035	1009.5	3.30	72.86%
1930	Wenlock	Ale	5d	1036.1
1930	Cannon	Ale	5d	1039.7
average 5d				1035.6	1009.5	3.30	72.86%
1930	Truman	X	6d	1042	1008.9	4.30	78.81%
1930	Whitbread	X	6d	1042.4	1010.0	4.28	76.40%
1929	Barclay Perkins	X	6d	1042.6	1012.5	3.98	70.65%
1930	Mann Crossman	X	6d	1044	1007.2	4.80	83.64%
1930	Taylor Walker	X	6d	1044	1013.3	3.98	69.77%
1930	Watney	X	6d	1044	1011	4.28	75.00%
1930	Hoare	X	6d	1046	1014.4	4.09	68.70%
average 6d				1043.6	1011.0	4.25	74.71%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numberLMA/4453/D/01/096.
Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252
Barclay Perkins brewing records

And this is what they were like in 1932:

Mild Ale in 1930
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1932	Wells Watford	Ale	4.5d	1028.7
1932	Truman	Ale	4d	1029.07
1932	Whitbread	LA	5d	1026.0	1006.5	2.58	75.00%
1932	Watney	Ale	5d	1028.8
1932	Fullers	Ale	5d	1030.1
1932	Ind Coope	Ale	5d	1030.7
1932	Young & Co	Ale	5d	1032.8
average 5d				1029.6	1006.5	2.58	75.00%
1932	Hammerton	Ale	6.5d	1032	1006.4	3.32	80.00%
1932	Whitbread	X	6d	1032.6	1009.0	3.12	72.39%
1932	Cannon Brewery	X	6d	1034	1012.2	2.82	64.12%
1932	Taylor Walker	X	6d	1034	1013.4	2.66	60.59%
1932	Watney	X	6d	1034	1010.2	3.08	70.00%
1932	Charrington	X	6d	1035	1011	3.11	68.57%
1932	Courage	X	6d	1035	1012.2	2.95	65.14%
1932	Mann Crossman	X	6d	1035	1009.6	3.29	72.57%
1932	Meux	X	6d	1035.5
1932	Barclay Perkins	X	6d	1036	1009.3	3.46	74.17%
1932	Truman	X	6d	1036	1008.8	3.53	75.56%
1932	Hoare	X	6d	1038	1008.9	3.78	76.58%
1932	Wenlock	X	6d	1038	1012.2	3.34	67.89%
1932	Mann Crossman	X	6d	1041	1010.4	3.97	74.63%
average 6d				1035.4	1010.3	3.26	70.94%
1932	Whitbread	XX	7d	1039.0	1012.5	3.51	67.95%
1932	Taylor Walker	XXX	9d	1048	1015.4	4.22	67.92%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numberLMA/4453/D/01/098.
Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252

You can see that in 1932 the average gravity of 5d Milds was virtually identical to the average gravity of 4d Milds in 1930. And a 1932 6d Mild was the same as a 1930 5d Mild.

Note how few examples there are of 7d Mild – just one. Though top marks to Taylor Walker for having a Mild almost of pre-EWW I strength.