The price of Porter and Stout 1860 - 1880

The final few years before the Free Mash Tun Act were notable for the decline in popularity of aged beers. That had the most effect on standard Porter, where aged versions completely disappeared. It also affected the weaker Stouts, which tended to be sold young.

I’m sticking with the categorisation into Single, Double and Treble Stout. Though the waters are starting to be muddied by vaguer terms such as Nourishing Stout.

Beer prices had fallen since the 1850s. There was a simple reason for this: in the mid-1850s the malt tax increased from 2s 7d (31d) + 5% per bushel to 4s (48d).  What followed was a period of incredible price stability which lasted right up until WW I. Which must have made the rapid price increases during the Great War quite a shock.

Once again, for reference purposes, here are the prices for standard Porter:

London Porter prices 1860 - 1880
year	Brewery	beer	price per barrel (s)	price per gallon (d)
1861	Overton	Porter	36	12
1863	John Murton	Porter	36	12
1874	Eltham Brewery	Porter	36	12
1873	L. Davis & Son	Porter	36	12
1879	Collier Brothers	Porter	36	12
1878	Crystal Palace Steam Brewery	Porter	38	12.67
1876	Santer and Collingwood	Porter	38	12.67
1877	Waltham Brothers	Porter	38	12.67
1871	Overton & Gibbon	Porter	40	13.33
1871	Barclay Perkins	Porter	40	13.33
1874	Whitbread & Co.	Porter	40	13.33
	Average		37.6	12.55
Sources:
Gray & Warren’s 1861–2 Directory of Croydon
Croydon Chronicle and East Surrey Advertiser - Saturday 31 October 1863, page 4.
Post Office Directory of Middlesex, 1874
Woolwich Gazette - Saturday 12 July 1873, page 1.
Tottenham and Edmonton Weekly Herald - Saturday 24 May 1879, page 8.
Norwood News - Saturday 09 November 1878, page 8.
Islington Gazette - Friday 04 February 1876, page 1.
Croydon Guardian and Surrey County Gazette - Saturday 08 December 1877, page 3.
Surrey Comet - Saturday 07 October 1871, page 8.
Edmund Oxborrow price list
"The Medical Times and Gazette", 1874, page 652

The average price is almost 2.5 shillings per barrel cheaper than in the 1840s and 1850s.

A similar pattern is repeated by the Stouts:

London Stout prices 1860 - 1880
year	Brewery	beer	price per barrel (s)	price per gallon (d)
1876	Santer and Collingwood	Single Stout	44	14.67
1871	Overton & Gibbon	Single Stout	44	14.67
1861	Overton	Stout	48	16
1863	John Murton	Single Stout	48	16
1874	Eltham Brewery	Single Stout	48	16
1878	Crystal Palace Steam Brewery	Nourishing Stout	50	16.67
1871	Barclay Perkins	Brown Stout	50	16.67
1874	Whitbread & Co.	Stout	50	16.67
1877	Waltham Brothers	Single Stout	50	16.67
	Average		48	16.00
1876	Santer and Collingwood	Double Stout	50	16.67
1861	Overton	Double Stout	54	18
1871	Overton & Gibbon	Double Stout	54	18
1874	Eltham Brewery	Double Stout	54	18
1863	John Murton	Double Stout	60	20
1871	Barclay Perkins	Double Brown Stout	60	20
1874	Whitbread & Co.	Double Stout	60	20.00
1873	L. Davis & Son	Double Stout	60	20
1879	Collier Brothers	Double Stout	60	20
1878	Crystal Palace Steam Brewery	Nourishing Stout	62	20.67
1877	Waltham Brothers	Double Stout	62	20.67
	Average		57.8	19.27
1874	Eltham Brewery	Treble Stout	60	20
Sources:
Islington Gazette - Friday 04 February 1876, page 1.
Gray & Warren’s 1861–2 Directory of Croydon
Surrey Comet - Saturday 07 October 1871, page 8.
Post Office Directory of Middlesex, 1874
Croydon Chronicle and East Surrey Advertiser - Saturday 31 October 1863, page 4.
Edmund Oxborrow price list
"The Medical Times and Gazette", 1874, page 652
Woolwich Gazette - Saturday 12 July 1873, page 1.
Tottenham and Edmonton Weekly Herald - Saturday 24 May 1879, page 8.
Norwood News - Saturday 09 November 1878, page 8.
Croydon Guardian and Surrey County Gazette - Saturday 08 December 1877, page 3.

               
Single Stout is more than 5 shillings per barrel cheaper on average. While Double Stout is 4 shillings cheaper. Happy days for Stout drinkers.

Though you can see that there’s considerable variation in prices between breweries. For Single Stout from 44 shillings to 50 shillings per barrel. And Double Stout from 50 shillings to 62 shillings.