UK Beer production in the 1970s

Between 1970 and 1979, consumption of beer rose by just shy of 20%. Not just that, it rose every single year. Even in the really bad years of the middle of the decade, when you had things like the three-day week. Which reduced earnings, obviously. But doesn’t seem to have dried up drinkers’ thirst for beer.

Things were looking very rosy for UK brewing. In the period covered by the table, production rose by 18%, consumption by 16% and exports by almost 3%. The only area that was in decline were exports.

One thing that didn’t change really at all was average OG. It increased by just 0.07% between 1971 and 1980. It had been around 1037º since the early 1950s.

Before WW I, UK beer exports were amazingly consistent.at around half a million barrels per year. The war interrupted that trade and between the wars exports pootled along at around 250,000 barrels. After WW II, exports remained at a similar level until the 1960s, when they began to rise, the peak being in 1975.  Only in the period 1906 to 1913 had exports been greater.  

UK production, imports, exports and average OG 1971 - 1980 (barrels)
Year	production	average OG	imports	exports	consumption
1971	34,360,000	1036.90	2,011,980	445,669	35,926,311
1972	34,969,310	1036.90	2,056,116	430,873	36,594,553
1973	35,338,345	1037.00	2,357,628	450,789	37,245,184
1974	37,893,753	1037.10	1,834,025	444,019	39,283,759
1975	38,238,657	1037.30	1,807,125	537,892	39,507,890
1976	39,200,556	1037.50	1,878,853	523,926	40,555,483
1977	40,404,025	1037.50	1,564,733	528,634	41,440,124
1978	40,279,059	1037.60	1,562,993	490,379	41,351,673
1979	40,595,574	1037.60	1,678,406	478,677	41,795,303
1980	40,595,574	1037.60	1,575,906	458,550	41,712,930
% change	18.15%	0.07%	-21.67%	2.89%	16.11%
Sources:
“The Brewers' Society Statistical Handbook 1988” page 7.
Statistical Handbook of the British Beer & Pub Association 2005, p. 7