The birth of Keg

The Brewers' Guardian is a gift that just keeps giving. I'm only halfway through 1970 and it's had articles - or even whole features - on exactly the topics I wanted either more information or references. As well as subjects I didn't know I needed to know more about. Like continuous fermentation.

Then I come across an article that references the title of my book on the 1970s: Evolution of the British keg system.

It kicks off with a bit of history. Some of it a little dodgy:

Mr Davidson continued with a brief look at the progress of the U.K. brewing industry over the past 100 years. Facts and figures given in this outline showed that from over 5,000 individual brewers in 1870, there are now seven large brewing groups and approximately 100 smaller and medium sized independent breweries. A great reduction in the number of public houses had taken place in the same period. Other changes had been alterations in the specific gravities of beers often averaging 1100º prior to 1870, these now averaged between 1030º and 1040º. There had also been a transition from naturally conditioned beer in wooden container (with fining taking place in the public house) to beer chilled and filtered in the brewery.
Brewers' Guardian, Volume 99, May 1970, page 68.

That 1100º is way off. Average OG in 1870 was more like half that. Then he mentions evil keg replacing proper beer. The bastard.

He continues with a justification for keg. And how this cancer started.

"With bottled beer in widespread use by the mid 1930’s, the next natural logical development,” Mr. Davidson went on, "was bright beer in cask.”

"It can be said that the first step towards the keg system as we know it today was taken by Watneys, who purchased in 1929 a Bergendorfer bulk pasteuriser, which had been exhibited that year. With this pasteuriser it was hoped to overcome problems of conservation of beer exported to the Far East. In 1930 Watneys were the first to export a filtered, pasteurised beer, known as Watney Container Bitter, in stainless steel five-gallon drums.

In the following two to three years the brewery launched this container beer throughout the U.K., using stainless steel drums with a Baines neck. You will be familiar with this neck, which became virtually standard throughout the U.K. To seal the container, a snap valve was used and dispensing was by means of a Barnes syphon tube and CO2. Watneys continued to use this system until as late as 1959.
Brewers' Guardian, Volume 99, May 1970, page 68.

I'm hoping this bit of history is better. Mr Davidson was sales director, Grundygroup Export Ltd., manufacturers of things like kegs. And, er Grundy tanks. Start of the 1930s. That's earlier than keg is normally supposed to have started its deadly rise. End of the decade is usually quoted. Interesting that Keg Bitter started as an export beer. That sort of makes sense.

I'm just not sure how much I should trust a salesman. I'd be more committed to it if it were coming from a brewer at Watney. Rather than the man selling them kegs. Still, it was in the Brewers' Guardian. Let's see if anyone from Watney commented on the article in a later edition.