Friday 20 May 2022

Barley 1880 - 1914

Britain had become dependent on the import of foreign grain. Approximately a third of the barley consumed was imported. The price of barley was falling right up until the outbreak of WW I.

The types of barley grown fell into three groups:

Barley types
Latin name type
Hordeum hexastichum six-row barley
Hordeum vulgare
Hordeum distichum  two-row barley
Hordeum zeocriton
Hordeum coeleste  naked barley
Hordeum nudum
Source:
"The Brewing Industry" by Julian L. Baker, 1905, page 14.


Large quantities of foreign barley were imported into Britain for malting. California and the Mediterranean were the main sources of cheaper malt. Top-quality, very pale malt, was made from barley imported from central Europe, usually Bohemia, Moravia or the Saale district. The latter were mostly used in the best Pale Ales, such as Bass.

Mediterranean barley, often given the generic name of Smyrna, was extremely popular because of its price and adaptability. It was widely used in Light Pale Ales, though not the poshest examples. According to Barnard, beers benefitted from its use:

“all beers are cleaner, sounder and more brilliant when a portion of Smyrna malt is blended with the heavier English grain.”

In addition, Smyrna malt was the most economical available.

Home production and imports of barley 1880 - 1914
      Average Price per Cwt.      
Year Acreage Estimated Produce Cwts. s. d. Imports Cwts. Import % Total cwts.
1880 2,695,000 19,315,629 9 3 11,705,290 37.73% 31,020,919
1885 2,446,868 38,268,586 8 5 15,366,160 28.65% 53,634,746
1890 2,300,994 36,068,538 8 0 16,677,988 31.62% 52,746,526
1895 2,346,367 38,268,586 6 2 28,618,867 42.79% 66,887,453
1900 2,172,129 30,600,842 7 0 17,189,358 35.97% 47,790,200
1904 2,002,854 27,881,018 6 3 27,173,455 49.36% 55,054,473
1905 1,872,305 29,019,446 6 10 21,458,960 42.51% 50,478,406
1906 1,931,651 30,124,861 6 9 19,934,500 39.82% 50,059,361
1907 1,885,359 29,951,882 7 0 19,627,620 39.59% 49,579,502
1908 1,824,410 27,486,114 7 3 18,137,200 39.75% 45,623,314
1909 1,829,933 30,778,907 7 6 21,556,470 41.19% 52,335,377
1910 1,899,130 28,144,864 6 6 18,281,500 39.38% 46,426,364
1911 1,756,000 25,000,000 - - -   -
1914 1,871,166 32,262,712 7 7 16,944,422 34.43% 49,207,134
Sources:
Brewers' Almanack 1912, page 158.
Brewers' Almanack 1922, page 118.
Brewers' Almanack 1955, page 66.


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It looks like acreage seems to have dropped in greater proportion than production. It would be interesting to know how they apparently squeezed out more per acre -- to what degree it was mechanization versus fertilization, higher yielding varieties, changing land use, etc. Although it's also possible annual weather is a big factor too.