Shut up about Barclay Perkins: London bottled beers in the late 1930s

Monday, 8 June 2026

London bottled beers in the late 1930s

Now we’ve finished with the draught beers, let’s have a look at the bottled ones.

Before we start, you may notice that there are no Strong Ales in the table. Not because they didn’t exist, but because Whitbread and Truman didn’t analyse them. Or just the odd example. Too few, in any case, to be meaningful.

Another note, bottled beers were 1d per pint more expensive than the equivalent draught beer. At least, when sold in pint bottles. A 7d draught beer cost 8d per pint bottle, 15d per quart bottle and 4.5d per half-pint bottle.

Starting at the top, there are three classes of Brown Ale, around half the breweries made a 7d version and half an 8d version. Note that Mann Crossman, the originator of the style, made a beer in the 8d class. Watney had both 7d and 8d beers.

The only beer in the 9d class was Whitbread Double Brown. They also had Forest Brown, a beer in the 7d class. Eventually, after WW II, that would become the only Brown Ale Whitbread brewed.

Pale Ales come in four price classes, 6d, 7d, 8d and 9d. Though the overwhelming majority are 7d beers. With only two 6d beers, and one each of 8d and 9d ones. I’m not sure what this tells us. Though many would be selling a 10d bottled Pale Ale that they didn’t brew themselves. We’ll come to that later.

Interesting that the most popular category of both draught and bottled Pale Ales was the 7d one. Though a bottled 7d Pale Ale was the same strength as a 6d draught one.

The Stouts come in the largest number of price categories, five in total. Though only Whitbread’s Pioneer Stout was in the 6d category. By far the most common was 8d Stout, produced by everyone but Wenlock.

Half the brewers made both a 7d and an 8d Stout. Which is a testament to the popularity of bottled Stout. While Barclay Perkins had Stouts in three different price categories. And Whitbread in four. Though not the same ones.

Whitbread’s Stout in the 9d class was Mackeson Milk Stout. Which obviously sold at a premium as, despite having a gravity in the mid-1050ºs, a pint bottle cost 10d. As we’ll see later, pretty well everyone was selling a bottled Stout that cost 10d per pint. Just not one they brewed themselves.

The one beer in the most expensive class is Imperial Russian Stout.

What does all this tell us? That each brewery had a bottled Brown Ale, a Pale Ale, and a couple of Stouts in their range.