Tuesday 25 June 2019

Carlsberg quick off the mark

We saw a few days ago how in March 1947 the government announced that it was going to allow the importation of Lager into the UK. Carlsberg didn't hang around in making a return to the the British market.

A new company was set p that same month solely for the purpose of importing Carlsberg into the UK:

"NEW SCOTTISH COMPANIES
. . .
Carlsberg Scottish Importers Ltd., to set up agency in Scotland for the distribution of Carlsberg beer throughout tho United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Subscribers —Alex. A. Willis, sales manager, Ermouth Road, Bromley. Kent, and R. C Martin, company director, Abney Court, Bourne End, Bucks. Capital £5000 in shares of £1 each."
Dundee Evening Telegraph - Friday 21 March 1947, page 7.
And just a couple of months later Carlsberg was already on the shelves. Though the retailer seemed a little uncertain about its origin, claiming in the advert below that it came from Holland:

"DOMINIC THE WINE SHIPPERS For HAYSEL THIRSTS—!
Order NOW because bottled BEER is none TOO plentiful yet — we JUST manage to SCRAPE ALONG from week to week; BUT we have all the best BEERS from all the best BREWERS— Barclays, TRUMANS, Watneys, MANNS, Fremlins, HAMMERTONS, Kenwards, WHITBREADS, George Beer and Rigdens, and OTHERS too, at 2/1 to 2/3 per QUART and 1/- to 1/2 per pint. Barclays LAGER, Grahams GOLDEN, and RED TOWER, all at 11/6 per dozen half-pints. "Z.H.B." and CARLSBERG (Dutch) Lagers at 17/- per dozen half-pints. PILSNER URQUELL Original Czech LAGER at 24/- dozen large bottles. ALES & STOUTS from any Brewer in SMALL CASKS - 4.5 gals. or 9 gals.--at 3 days' notice for PERFECT CONDITION. Please try and let us know YOUR needs well in ADVANCE. For a really REFRESHING drink on a HOT day in the HAYFIELD try our famous DEVON-CREAM Cider—STILL, sweet, DELICIOUS - at 1/9 per quart flagon; or in 6 gallon CASKS at 37/6. KENTISH KOB medium sweet DRAUGHT Cider at 1/4.5 per QUART flagon; or 27/6 per 6 gallon CASK SPARKLING sweet Cider at 1/6 per quart flagon. Bottles, cases and cadre CHARGED extra and ALLOWED in full on RETURN. Pure FRUIT SQUASH — Orange, Lemon, Utile Juice, Grapefruit — at 2/6 per bottle — and PLENTY in stock; ONE bottle diluted with water makes NEARLY A GALLON of still lemonade. ALGERIAN BURGUNDY at 7/9 per bottle is EXCELLENT value, and CAN be DILUTED with double the quantity of water or LEMONADE to make a VERY refreshing and invigorating drink. We DELIVER any quantity — small or large — and our VANS cover ALL WEST SUSSEX down to Brighton, Worthing and Chichester, EVERY week. Send us a CARD, Or 'PHONE Horsham 1023.
PETER DOMINIC & CO LTD WINE & CIGAR SHIPPERS - BEER & CIDER BOTTLERS
PHONE HORSHAM 1023."
West Sussex County Times - Friday 18 July 1947, page 5.
Not that the imported ZHB and Carlsberg Lager were considerablt more expensive that domestically brewed dversions such as Barclays, Grahams and Red Tower. Though neither was particularly cheap, the domestic version being 11.5d per half pint and the imported ones 17d. For 13d you could have bought yourself a full pint of Mild Ale, which would have been a simialr strength.

 As I always say on such occasions: drink Mild!

5 comments:

Chris Pickles said...

That Algerian Burgundy sounds a bit dodgy.

qq said...

People don't realise just how huge the North African wine industry was in the mid-20th century, before it largely disappeared after independence thanks to increased tariffs and a feeling that alcohol production was un-Islamic.

Their "Burgundy" was a blend of varieties like Carignan and Cinsaut, a lot was blended into more famous French wines that needed a bit of an alcohol/colour/flavour boost.

Mike in NSW said...

Until the late 1960s Algeria was the world's biggest wine exporter, mostly to France. The industry was set up to rescue France when phylloxeria ravaged their own crops. Then the French banned the blending of foreign wines, in 1970.
The Algerian industry collapsed but they still do a nice drop.

Chris Pickles said...

Cinsault and Carignan though... thats like making porter from pale malt and caramel.

qq said...

Well some Burgundy can be pretty big and tannic and back then more so as so much was adulterated with North African wine. Also back then "Burgundy" was a pretty common style indicator for red wine from the New World, in the same way that "champagne" was used for any sparkling wine - for instance Vivino has a 1970 label for "Lindemans Bin 50 Burgundy", which is now a supermarket staple Aussie shiraz.

You can see why Brussels makes such a big deal of protecting geographical indications.