UK Beer exports to Asia in 1898

In earlier posts I was asking: where were Scottish exports going? That question is answered today. It was going to India.

More than double the amount that was exported from England. Which may have you scratching your head and asking: but wasn't IPA from Burton sent to India? Well, that's the usual story. Though, if you've been paying attention to this blog, you'll know that far more Porter than IPA was sent to India. And that was brewed in London.

So what were the Scots shipping to India? The obvious guess would be IPA. As I know lots of it was brewed in Scotland. This is where it's dead handy that the value of the beer is included as well as the volume. The average price was 58s 5.5d. Which is one of lowest of any export market. It's also lower than the wholesale price of IPA, which was usually 60 shillings a barrel. Some of the beer must have been something other than IPA.

What the hell was it then? I've no idea. It certainly wasn't Porter. Because at this point they weren't brewing any in Scotland. The other big export beers from Scotland were Stout and Scotch Ale. Both of which would have been more expensive than 60 shillings a barrel. Perhaps it was a lower-gravity Pale Ale. That's about all that's left.

The next biggest export market in Asia was Straits Settlements. Which means Singapore and Malacca. I'm guessing another region with a large British military presence. Ditto Hong Kong and number 3. Aden, too. I can't imagine much beer being drunk by the locals there.

Non-British possessions took only minimal quantities of British beer. The largest of these, China, only imported 842 barrels. An insignificant amount. 

UK Beer exports to Asia in 1898
Destination	From England.		From Scotland.		From the U.K.
	Quantity.	Declared Value.	Quantity.	Declared Value.	Quantity.	Declared Value.
	Barrels	£	Barrels	£	Barrels	£
Turkey, Asiatic	260	899	6	27	266	926
Aden	3,578	11,611	-	-	3,578	11,511
Persia	12	67	4	19	16	86
British East Indies:
Continental Territories.	23,343	69,196	48,072	139,567	71,415	208,763
Straits Settlements	4,759	19,122	4,569	13,582	9,328	32,704
Ceylon	5,418	16,632	985	4,920	6,403	21,552
India: Dutch Possessions:
Java	322	1,492	-	-	322	1,492
Other Possessions	8	41	-	-	8	41
Spanish Possessions, Philippine Islands	146	599	9	60	155	659
British Possessions:
Borneo	-	-	14	63	14	63
Labuan	13	40	-	-	13	40
Siam	-	-	35	151	35	151
French Indo-China	8	38	8	37	16	75
China	812	3,299	30	145	842	3,444
Hong Kong	5,714	16,721	3,491	9,977	9,208	26,698
Japan	556	3,112	-	-	656	3,112
Total	44,949	142,869	57,223	168,548	102,275	311,317
Source:
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, June 15th 1899, page 344.
Note:
Year ending 30th September 1898.