Monday 11 August 2014

German Beer Production 1872 - 1881

If you haven't realised my love for numbers yet you're either a new reader or a dozy twat. I'd like to think none of you are in the latter category.

That should warn you that we're headed for a very number-heavy post. All kicked off by some statistics I stumbled upon in a 19th-century German technical publication, the unputdownable "Jahresbericht über die Leistungen der chemischen Technologie 1882". It had me literally in stitches*.

The numbers cover the first years of the newly-founded German Empire. It was a very dynamic time in Germany. Political union brought all sorts of economic advantages with it and the German economy boomed. Rapid industrialisation was accompanied by a surge in population, which grew from 41 million in 1871 to 56 million in 1900. And, it being Germany, those extra 15 million souls drank beer. Any guesses as to what the trend in German beer output might be over these years?  It doesn't take a genius to work that one out.

Let's get the barrel rolling with the initial set of numbers that kicked my mind off working. But first a little explanation. The German Empire was a complicated place. It wasn't a centralised state the way modern countries are. As a leftover from the way the country was nailed together in the 1870's, there were anomalies in various areas. Like beer tax. Several systems of beer taxation were in use in different parts.

That's why this table is split up in such a weird way. It's divided by beer tax district, which isn't the same as the administrative divisions - the equivalent of modern Germany's states. There was a standard system in much of the country - basically the bits the Prussians had controlled before unification. That's the Reichssteuergebiet (also called the Brausteuergebiet) - the Empire Tax Area. Then there were the traditional brewing regions of the South: Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden who retained their own system of taxing beer. Finally the newly-annexed territory of Alsace-Lorraine.

One last point. The way it's divided up tells us the source of these figures: tax authorities.

Ah, just found some numbers that continue from the first set, neatly doubling the size of the table. How brilliant is that?

Beer production in the German customs area 1872 - 1881 (hl)
Year Reichssteuergebiet Bayern Württemberg Baden Alsace-Lorraine Total
1872 16,102,179 10,905,836 4,197,274 926,957 812,454 32,944,700
1873 19,654,903 11,256,208 3,995,056 1,094,634 987,752 36,988,553
1874 20,494,914 12,079,760 3,596,144 1,133,865 889,191 38,193,874
1875 21,358,228 12,084,910 3,662,418 1,066,661 763,313 38,935,530
1876 20,873,379 12,347,153 3,879,006 1,050,841 706,694 38,857,073
1877/78 20,360,491 12,205,377 3,801,519 1,098,500 803,136 38,269,023
1878/79 20,371,925 12,122,483 3,067,305 1,085,020 787,905 37,434,638
1879/80 19,984,613 12,152,532 3,172,634 1,085,655 788,542 37,183,976
1880/81 21,136,031 11,821,915 3,396,292 1,155,450 982,659 38,492,347
Average 1872 - 1881 20,037,407 11,886,242 3,640,850 1,077,509 835,738 37,477,746
per head of population 62 285 192 71 54 88
1881/1882  19,244,000 11,826,000 3,396,000 1,155,000 932,000 36,663,000
1885/86  22,105,000 12,655,000 2,879,000 1,244,000 691,000 39,822,000
1890/91  29,374,000 14,427,000 3,508,000 1,679,000 837,000 49,925,000
1891/92  29,695,000 14,490,000 3,454,000 1,643,000 875,000 50,268,000
1892/93  30,186,000 15,104,000 3,749,000 1,714,000 912,000 51,795,000
1893/94  31,290,000 15,025,000 3,478,000 1,710,000 907,000 52,528,000
1894/95  30,916,000 15,186,000 3,493,000 1,728,000 869,000 52,311,000
1895/96  34,337,000 16,034,000 3,885,000 1,914,000 997,000 57,299,000
1896/97  34,904,000 16,206,000 3,796,000 2,192,000 937,000 48,169,000
1897/98  37,707,000 16,982,000 4,100,000 2,741,000 964,000 62,649,000
1898/99  38,465,000 17,455,000 4,069,000 2,947,000 1,058,000 64,164,000
1899/1900  39,320,000 17,739,000 4,128,000 3,095,000 1,128,000 65,621,000
Source:
"Jahrbuch der Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin, 1911", p.585-589
Jahresbericht über die Leistungen der chemischen Technologie 1882, 1883, page 871.
https://archive.org/stream/jahresberichtbe02gottgoog#page/n900/mode/2up


In terms of per capita production, Bavaria and Württemberg are way out in front. Wondering why Baden is so far behind the other southern regions in terms of beer output? The answer is simple: it's more wine country.

Now let's look at that in terms of percentage of total output. (These are derived from the figures in the first table.)

Beer production in the German customs area 1872 - 1881 (%)
Year Reichssteuergebiet Bayern Württemberg Baden Alsace-Lorraine
1872 48.88% 33.10% 12.74% 2.81% 2.47%
1873 53.14% 30.43% 10.80% 2.96% 2.67%
1874 53.66% 31.63% 9.42% 2.97% 2.33%
1875 54.86% 31.04% 9.41% 2.74% 1.96%
1876 53.72% 31.78% 9.98% 2.70% 1.82%
1877/78 53.20% 31.89% 9.93% 2.87% 2.10%
1878/79 54.42% 32.38% 8.19% 2.90% 2.10%
1879/80 53.75% 32.68% 8.53% 2.92% 2.12%
1880/81 54.91% 30.71% 8.82% 3.00% 2.55%
Average 1872 - 1881 53.46% 31.72% 9.71% 2.88% 2.23%
1881/1882  52.49% 32.26% 9.26% 3.15% 2.54%
1885/86  55.51% 31.78% 7.23% 3.12% 1.74%
1890/91  58.84% 28.90% 7.03% 3.36% 1.68%
1891/92  59.07% 28.83% 6.87% 3.27% 1.74%
1892/93  58.28% 29.16% 7.24% 3.31% 1.76%
1893/94  59.57% 28.60% 6.62% 3.26% 1.73%
1894/95  59.10% 29.03% 6.68% 3.30% 1.66%
1895/96  59.93% 27.98% 6.78% 3.34% 1.74%
1896/97  72.46% 33.64% 7.88% 4.55% 1.95%
1897/98  60.19% 27.11% 6.54% 4.38% 1.54%
1898/99  59.95% 27.20% 6.34% 4.59% 1.65%
1899/1900  59.92% 27.03% 6.29% 4.72% 1.72%

Isn't that fascinating? It shows a long-term trend of the North of Germany producing a large percentage of the total at the expense of Bavaria and even more so from Württemberg. That can easily be explained. It was in the North where most of the industrialisation was taking place. And where large, modern, bottom-fermenting breweries were starting to appear, replacing small, old-fashioned top-fermenting breweries.

I'll be doing some more playing around with these numbers. I like to make statistics dance for their tea.





* I fell asleep while reading it and fell onto a glass, slashing my palm open.

1 comment:

BryanB said...

Fascinating! This must explain why so many German breweries have 18-something on the label as their legendary founding date. It also makes it more likely that any beer with such a date on it is bottom-fermented, I guess.