Lager arrives after WW II

It may not look like at the start of the article, but it does eventually get around to the topic of Lager. Of damned foreign Lager invading our shores.

You need to understand the context of the article. In 1947 there were still restrictions on brewing, specifically on the gravity of beer produced. There was some relaxation in 1947, allowing brewers to make slightly stronger beer. Of course, these restrictions didn't apply to continental brewers, which is why some feared foreigners would gain an unfair advantage. The solution was to limit imported beer to a maximum OG of 1036º*.

"Derby To Get Stronger Beer After Whitsun
SUPPLIES NOW "IN BREW"
Supplies of the stronger beer, already "in brew" at Ind, Coope and Allsopp's Burton breweries, will reach the firm's houses in Derby and Burton a week after Whitsun.

BASS brewers in the town are also preparing some stronger bitter, but at Marston's breweries an official stated that the gravity increase would hardly affect the strength of any of their beers.

A "Telegraph" representative was officially informed at Ind Coope and Allsopp's to-day that the old prices applying up to July, 1946, would be restored for the stronger beer.

8d. A HALF

This will mean a return to 8d. a half pint for best bitter (the present price for bitter is 7.5d. in Burton) and several other qualities of the firm's beer will be affected.

It was pointed out that the quality was not being restored in every type of beer brewed.

"We have still got to have quantity as well as quality," an official stated, "and this means that supplies of ordinary beer will have be maintained."

He added that Ind Coope houses in Derby and Burton would receive the bulk of the supply of stronger beer.

In the meantime, supplies of ordinary beer to public houses in the district from all the Burton breweries are gradually increasing each week.

QUOTA INCREASED

Many houses have received nearly double their reduced quota this week for the Whitsun holidays.

Main reaction of Burton brewers to the news of Continental beer—mainly lager at about 1s. a half-pint—arriving in this country shortly, was to ask how it is intended to send it.

They assert that bulk supply is out of the question as the acute bottle shortage in this country would make it impossible to deal with the bottling here.

If as they anticipate It is sent over already bottled, they forecast heavy losses through the non-return of bottles.
Derby Daily Telegraph - Friday 23 May 1947, page 6.

Bottled beer is pretty costly to export in comparison with bulk beer. All those bottles take up space, increase the weight and have to be returned or discarded, both expensive options.

Which foreign Lagers were imported? Glad you asked that, as it gives me a good excuse to produce another table.

You can see that most of the beers below were clearly trying to stick to the rules, though a few are a gravity point or two too high. The usual versions of beers like Tuborg, Carlsberg, Amstel and ZHB were much stronger, at or around 5% ABV. They were obviously brewing special versions just for the UK.

During the 1950's Heineken produced three versions of their Pils, one for domestic consumption, one for the UK and one for the USA.

Here they are:

Heineken's Pilsners
Year	Beer	FG	OG	colour	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1957	Pils	1012.5	1051	3.7	4.8	75.49%
1957	Pils (UK)	1007.5	1030.5	3.1	2.9	75.41%
1957	Pils (USA)	1012	1049	3.7	4.6	75.51%
Source:
Heineken (Rotterdam) brewing record held at the Amsterdam Stadsarchief, document number 834 - 1770.

Note how much weaker the UK version was. Not sure why the US version was slightly weaker. It hardly looks worth the trouble of brewing a different version.

A note on the colours. The ones from the Whitbread Gravity Book below use a large cell than the modern EBC numbers and are approximately double the modern EBC number.

Foreign Lagers 1947 - 1950
Year	Brewer	country	Beer	Style	Price	size	package	Acidity	FG	OG	colour	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1947	Carlsberg	Denmark	Lager	Lager		pint	bottled		1008	1033		3.24	75.76%
1947	Carlsberg	Denmark	Pilsner	Pils		half	bottled	0.05	1008.5	1035.6	13.5	3.52	76.12%
1947	S. Holland Brewery	Holland	Z.H.B. Lager	Lager	1/3d	half	bottled	0.06	1008.2	1032.4	11.5	3.14	71.91%
1947	Tuborg	Denmark	Pilsner	Pils		half	bottled	0.05	1009.1	1036.6	11.5	3.57	75.14%
1947	Tuborg	Denmark	Pilsner	Pils		pint	bottled		1009.5	1035.5		3.37	73.24%
1950	Amstel	Holland	Lager	Lager		half	bottled	0.06	1008.1	1033.6	15.5 B	3.31	75.89%
1950	Breda	Holland	Lager (light)	Lager		half	bottled	0.06	1007.8	1036.9	13.5 B	3.78	78.86%
1950	Carlsberg	Denmark	Lager	Lager		half	bottled	0.06	1010.9	1031.8	13 B	2.70	65.72%
1950	Ekla (Brussels)	Belgium	Lager	Lager		half	bottled	0.06	1009.6	1037.5	10 B	3.62	74.40%
1950	Lamot	Belgium	Lux Lager	Lager			bottled	0.07	1009	1048.9	7 B	5.20	81.60%
1950	Lamot	Belgium	Lager	Lager		half	bottled	0.06	1010.2	1037.4	6 B	3.53	72.73%
1950	Pilsner Urquell	Czechoslovakia	Lager	Lager			bottled	0.08	1013.5	1049	10.5 B	4.61	72.45%
1950	Pilsner Urquell	Czechoslovakia	Lager	Lager		half	bottled	0.05	1010.3	1038.9	11 B	3.71	73.52%
1950	Tuborg	Denmark	Lager	Lager		half	bottled	0.06	1006.1	1032.9	11.5 B	3.48	81.46%
1950	Tucher Brauerei	Germany	Tucher Pils Lager	Pils			bottled	0.06	1014.4	1055.1	15 B	5.29	73.87%
1950	Z.H.B.	Holland	Lager	Lager		half	bottled	0.07	1008.4	1033.7	12 B	3.28	75.07%
1950	Lowenbrau	Germany	Atomator	Bock			bottled	0.14	1025.7	1076.6	40 + 12	6.60	66.45%
1950	Lowenbrau	Germany	Pale Bock Beer	Bock		half	bottled	0.06	1013.9	1067.9	7.5 B	7.06	79.53%
1950	Spatenbrau	Germany	Doppel Spaten	Bock			bottled	0.31	1029.6	1076.7	40 + 10	6.09	61.41%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002
Thomas Usher Gravity Book held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document TU/6/11

* "The Brewing Trade Review 1947" page 367.