German beers in Holland during WW II

There's loads of dead handy Heineken material in the Amsterdam archives. Not just their brewing records. They also had their own version of a gravity book, containing analyses of all sorts of Dutch and foreign beers.

What makes it particularly interesting is that it covers WW II. A period where various unpleasantness made both brewing and moving beer about rather problematic. Plus the fact that the authorities weren't always keen on drinkers finding out what was happening to their beer.

For example, at one point in WW II the Dutch brewers organisation reduced the strength of beer without informing the public. No doubt fearing what their reaction would be.

Holland was quite fortunate is being just about self-sufficient in malting barley. Which allowed beer of a reasonable strength to be brewed much longer than in other places under Nazi control. In 1942, you could still get a Pils over 3% ABV.

It seems as if German beer was imported into Holland up until 1942. When I presume there was no longer enough beer to let it leave the country.

The beers in the table, though lower in gravity than pre-war, are at least still intoxicating, with only a couple below 3% ABV. And are stronger than the beers the general public were getting back home in Germany. As beers like these, intended for German servicemen, were stronger.

Unsurprisingly, most come from North Germany: Dortmund, Bremen and Hamburg. No surprise with the first of those, Dortmund producing the most beer of any German city and being relatively close to Holland. 

German beers in Holland during WW II
Year	Brewer	town	Beer	Style	package	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	colour
1941	Dortmunder Kronen	Dortmund	Dortmunder	Dortmunder	bottled	1039.3	1009.5	3.79	75.78%	0.52
1941	Dortmunder Union	Dortmund	Dortmunder	Dortmunder	draught	1046.3	1012.3	4.35	73.35%	0.52
1941	Dortmunder Union	Dortmund	Dortmunder	Dortmunder	bottled	1040.2	1008.5	4.06	78.78%	0.48
1942	Bavaria Brauerei	Altona	Export Bier	Export	bottled	1031.6	1006.9	3.18	78.18%	0.35
1942	Bavaria Brauerei	Altona	Export Bier	Export	bottled	1031.8	1006.4	3.25	79.73%	0.45
1942	Beck	Bremen	Export Bier	Export	bottled	1034.2	1008.7	3.26	74.67%	0.30
1942	DAB	Dortmund	Export Bier	Export	bottled	1028.8	1008.0	2.70	72.41%	0.58
1942	Dressla	Bremen	Export	Export	draught	1033.1	1007.1	3.35	78.65%	0.28
1942	Dünckler & Rüppert		Export Bier	Export	bottled	1028.7	1007.1	2.75	75.10%	0.38
1942	Holsten	Bremen	Export Bier	Export	bottled	1040.0	1008.8	4.03	77.99%	0.30
1942	Janssen	Hamburg	Export Tafelbier	Export	draught	1045.3	1012.1	4.24	73.30%	0.40
1942	Schloss-Cabinet	Berlin	Export Bier	Export	bottled	1032.3	1008.6	3.04	73.44%	0.30
1942	Tijger?		Export	Export	draught	1037.2	1010.4	3.44	71.99%	0.40
1941	Paulaner	Munich	Helles	Helles	bottled	1039.3	1009.5	3.83	75.78%	0.52
1942	Schultheiss	Berlin	Helles	Helles	draught	1032.6	1009.9	2.90	69.63%	0.40
1942	Bavaria Brauerei	Altona	Pils	Pils	draught	1039.9	1007.8	4.11	80.46%	0.40
1941	Dortmunder Union	Dortmund	Pilsener	Pilsener	draught	1040.0	1011.0	3.73	72.59%	0.48
1941	Schultheiss-Patzenhofer	Berlin	Patz	Pilsener	draught	1042.6	1009.2	3.76	78.31%	0.50
Source:
Rapporten van laboratoriumonderzoeken naar producten van Heinekenbrouwerijen in binnen- en buitenland en naar producten van andere brouwerijen held at the Amsterdamse Stadsarchief, document number 834 - 1794.