More India Porter

Time for the third instalment of India Porter. This time in the form of a pair of fairly random quotes.

I've timed this to coincide with an event I've awaiting with eager anticipation: the launch in New York City of Pretty Things East India Porter. I'm probably sitting on a train somewhere between Washington and New York as you read this. Getting my thirst all worked up for an evening of fun.

You might notice a recurring theme about the army and Porter. It was pushed as the healthy alternative to rum.

Whilst referring recently to the various systems adopted in the 2nd European Light Infantry to prevent intemperance amongst the men, or rather to keep them from running about outside of the barracks looking for liquor, we omitted to mention a practice that was introduced by Major W. Hands, while he commanded the regiment, and which was attended with the very best effects, which was this :—there were no spirits whatever sold, or allowed to be taken within the barrack square, but at the coffee-room (no canteen) there was always plenty of ale and porter, and at a moderate price; these the men used to go there and drink, but latterly Major Hands issued an order allow ing men to purchase ale or porter, and carry it to their barrack rooms, and drink it there. This was considered a great indulgence, and many who used before to go outside and spend their money on spirits, now laid it out on those more wholesome beverages, and drank them sitting comfortably in their barracks; then, at the dinner hour, half a score of tin tankards might be seen on the table of each mess foaming over with beer or porter, and the men enjoying themselves in a most homely style. Such little indulgences us these are much more beneficial to our European soldiery, than sheets of written rules and vexatious enactments, which only annoy the men, and do them no good whatever.
"Allen's Indian mail and register of intelligence for British and foreign India", 1845, page 186.

This gives an indication of the value of Porter in India:

The Bombay Steamer.— The Bombay Steam Navigation Company's steamer Bombay, which left Bombay, on the morning of the 28th for Kurrachee, with a large number of passengers and a full cargo, experienced such heavy weather on the night of the 28th, the sea making a clean breach over her, that Capt. Haselwood felt it necessary to put back into this port, the pumps, from their having been choked with coals, being found insufficient to keep her clear of water, which made its way into the vessel in all directions. With the exception of the serious loss which the steamer's failure to perform the voyage will entail on the Steam Navigation Company and the passengers, little harm has been done. It was found necessary to ease the vessel by throwing overboard some of the heavy baggage and cargo, but the loss will not be great, as the goods consisted principally of some heavy lumbersome casks of Government porter. — Telegraph, May 31.
"Allen's Indian mail and register of intelligence for British and foreign India, vol. 9", 1851, page 421.

"Government porter" surely refers to Porter bought by the East India Company under contract. The way it's described, it appears to be a bothersome, bulky but not particularly prized commodity. Probably some class considerations coming in again there. It's for the ordinary troops, so it can't be worth much.

How Allsopp got into the Pale Ale business

 You guessed it. We're back with Allsopp. And the story of his first IPA.

 This is by no means the most obscure text. The story has been repeated in pretty much everything ever written about IPA. But that doesn't make it any less important, nor unworthy of our attention. I'm trying to tell the total tale and this is a vital part of it.

"Mr. Allsopp, though a man of high courage, and with a spirit as stanch as ever warmed the breast of a true English gentleman, felt, nevertheless, somewhat daunted by the sudden obstacles that had risen in his path. While in this frame of mind he went to London early in the year 1822, intent, as we have before mentioned, on the advancement of his trade in the metropolitan districts, and with the object of introducing the new ale which he was then contemplating, first in the northern districts, and afterwards generally throughout England.

It happened at this time, that dining with an East Indian Director, Mr. Marjoribanks, in the course of conversation he happened to make some remark on the late occurrences in Russia, the neglect of his remonstrances by the government, and the gloomy prospects of his house from the loss of their European trade.

"But why not, Allsopp," observed Mr. Marjoribanks, " leave the cold climates, and try the warmer regions of the earth? Why do you not make an attempt on the Indian market?"

"I never heard of it."

"There are 5,000 hogsheads of English beer sent to Madras and Bengal every year; and, what is more to your purpose, it is a trade that can never be lost; for the climate is too hot for brewing, unless at a distance so great that the carriage must eat up all the profits; and no tariff can ever affect you. We are all now dependent upon Hodgson, who has given offence to most of our merchants in India. But your Burton ale, so strong and sweet, will not suit our market."

Here Mr. Marjoribanks rang the bell, and directed his butler to bring in a bottle of Hodgson's ale, that had been to India and back. The butler poured out a glass for Mr. Allsopp, who held it up to the light, and then, tasting it, exclaimed, "Is this the Indian Beer? I can brew it."

"If you can, it will be a fortune to you," was Mr. Marjoribank's reply.

On Mr. Allsopp's return to Burton-on-Trent, sitting one morning in his counting-house, one of the men came to tell him, "There's a hamper for you, sir, just come down by the mail from London." On opening this it was found to contain a dozen of ale; and with some joke about " coals to Newcastle" —" a present of ale to Samuel Allsopp at Burton!"—he took up a bottle on which was written "Hodgson's Indian beer." Little did Mr. Allsopp imagine that he had at that moment in his hand the key to a colossal business, and the foundation of the future great prosperity of Burton-uponTrent.

Mr. Marjoribanks' recommendation, and the evident importance which that gentleman attached to it, by forwarding this sample, forcibly impressed the mind of the great brewer; so, setting aside the sample of malt which he was then carefully examining, he directed " Job Goodhead" to be summoned.

Now this Job Goodhead was the maltster of the house; and though apprenticed to Mr. Benjamin Wilson, in 1803, is still alive, as if to laugh to scorn what some have endeavoured to make out—the fatal consequences of drinking much Burton ale. Job Goodhead, too, is as hearty a fellow as any in Messrs. Allsopp's employ, where he still fills his old post; and as he delights to tell the story:—

"Job," said Mr. Allsopp, holding oat to him a glass of the Indian beer, "can you dry your malt that colour?"

"Yes, sir," answered Job, at the same time tasting the beer, and sputtering it out fast, for Job was of the old school, and preferred his ale strong and sweet. "But, sir,"—

"Never mind the taste, Job. Can you dry your malt to this colour ?—are you sure?"

"Quite sure, sir."

"Then do so." The great brewer and his hereditary maltster set to work at once; and the first specimen of the great pale ale and bitter beer trade of Burton, now extending to so many thousand hogsheads, was brewed in a teapot. "
"Burton and its bitter beer" by John Stevenson Bushnan, 1853, pages 100 - 102.

The bare bones of the story - Alllsopp meeting someone from the East India Company, being sent a bottle of Hogdgson's beer, trying to brew something similar - are probably true. The stuff about the maltster spitting out the beer and the first brew in a teapot, I'm not so sure about. Someone could well have embellished the story later.

Now showing a maltster beer and asking him if he could dry his malt to that colour sounds a bit weird to me. Wouldn't he ask one of his brewers? Or does this imply that Pale Ale was noticeably paler than other beers of the day. It's important to remember that in the 1820's, just about everything but Porter and Stout was brewed from 100% pale malt. Which would mean that getting a beer paler in colour would require paler malt.

5,000 hogsheads (7,500 barrels) doesn't sound like a load of beer to me. The five largest London brewers were bashing out more than 100,000 barrels a year. Those 7,500 barrels were about the equivalent of a week's production at Barclay Perkins.As you can see here:

Largest London brewers (output in barrels)
	1822	1823	1824
Barclay Perkins (Thrale)	310,300	351,474	356,192
Whitbread	191,000	213,841	206,082
Truman, Hanbury	207,900	219,127	215,317
John Calvert	93,300	107,838	108,669
Meux, Reid (Reid and Co)	171,000	190,078	190,615
Hammond-Gyfford-Shum-Coombe -Delafield	126,300	140,200	131,925
Parsons-Goodwyn-Hoare	64,300	72,076	70,059
Sources: “The Brewing Industry in England 1700-1830”, Peter Mathias, 1959, p 551-552 Whitbread brewing log, document LMA/4453/D/09/016 Whitbread brewing log, document LMA/4453/D/09/017

Hereditary maltster. Sound like a great job.

Allsopp attacks Bass

Time for a change of pace. Slightly. We're moving away from Bass and Allsopp arguing with the medical press. To them arguing with each other. They certainly weren't shy of writing to the press.

But before we get stuck into the letter, I'd like to share some important background information.

Currency, for a start. When you see Rs. below, it stands for rupees, the currency of India. In this case, East India Company rupees. People go on about modern multinational companies having too much power. It's nothing compared to the clout wielded by the East India Company (or the VOC, Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, its Dutch equivalent) in the 18th and early 19th century. They were much more than just a trading organisation. They had their own army and minted their own coins.

Allow me one small digression. There's one book which I've found particularly useful when analysing old documents. It's called "Compendium der Münz-, Maass-, Gewichts- und Wechselcours-Verhältnisse" by Gustav Wagnerand Fr. A. Strackerjan, 1855, page 294. Why's it so handy? Because it does what it says on the cover: catalogues the relationship between the different currencies and systems of weights and measures.

The modern world is a piece of piss. You've got metric and you've got imperial. That's it. In the mid 19th century, most German towns had their own system. It's a nightmare. Or was, until I found this book. It covers the whole world. So when I needed to know the value of an East India Company rupee, I had the answer in a trice. Two shillings sterling. That's the value of one rupee. Remember that when reading Allsopp's letter.

The price of a barrel of IPA. That's next. In "Scottish Ale Brewer" (by W.H Roberts, 1847, pages 171 and 173) the prices are given of a variety of export IPA's brewed between 1844 and 1846. They range from 60 shillings to 90 shillings for a hogshead. That's 30 to 45 rupees.

ALLSOPP'S PALE ALE.

MESSRS. ALLSOPP and SONS regret the necessity of again alluding to a statement put forth by Messrs. Bass and Co., purporting to be a correct representation of the current prices and shipments of Pale Ale to the East-Indies. The incorrectness of the returns alluded to has been fully shewn In a former advertisement, notwithstanding which, Messrs. Bass have pertinaciously refused to withdraw the same, thus rendering it incumbent upon Messrs. Allsopp to lay before the public the following detailed account of the actual transactions in Pale Ale shipped by themselves and Messrs. Bass respectively. In order to avoid the possibility of mistake, the most careful examination of the official reports of the Indian markets, during a period extending over the months of November, December, and January last, has been made, and Messrs. Allsopp confidently submit the result as a proof of the superior estimation in which their Ale is held throughout the three presidencies.

CALCUTTA.

The overland "Bengal Hurkaru" (Nov. 17) says:—

"Of Allsopp's Ale 430 hhds. have been sold at Company's rupees 67 to 77 per hhd.; and of Bass's 300 hhds., at from 65 to 67 rupees."

The "Review of the Calcutta Market" (Nov. 14) gives this quotation:—
Allsopp 68 to 70 rs. per hbd. | Bass 65 to 67 rs. per hhd.

On the 14th of Dec. the same price current quotes sales of 400 hhds. of Allsopp's Ale, at 72 to 75 rupees ; and Bass's ditto at 70.

The "Bengal Hurkaru " (Dec. 19) quotes the following sales:—

	Hhds.	Rs. Ans.		Hhds.	Rs. Ans.
Allsopp	300	72 8	Bass	100	68 0
Ditto	300	75 0	Ditto	100	70 0 to 72

Messrs. Gladstone's reports of the market for Ale (Nov. 13) were:
Allsopp Rs. 68 to 70 ; Bass Rs. 65 to 66

On the 14th of December, the same firm quote the prices of Ale as nominal, except Allsopp's, which had been sold at Rs. 75, and on the 17th of January, at Rs. 85 (50 hhds.).

On the 14th of December, Messrs. Lyall, Matheson, and Co., say, " No sales of Bass's Ale have been made for some time past; we cannot, therefore, give an actual quotation; but Rs. 67 to 76 may be considered its value, or Rs. 5 below your own brewing."

Under the head of Calcutta, Messrs. Allsopp have only to add that Messrs. Bass and Co. have quoted sales of their own Beer at that place at Rs. 80. and Messrs. Allsopp's at Rs. 75 per hhd.; and on the 17th of January they even quote actual sales at Rs. 90. Messrs. Allsopp have taken some pains to ascertain the truth of these statements, and find that the ground for these quotations is a shipment of 10 butts by the "Tecumseh," 8 of which, having been consumed on board the vessel, were charged to the owners at 90 rupees per hhd. as by account sales rendered* 17th January, 1844, the remaining two being landed at Calcutta and sold, one by private sale, at Rs. 80 per. hbd., and the other (ullaged) at 70. The actual sale alluded to by Messrs. Bass and Co., on the 22nd December,* at Rs. 80, turns out to be the identical parcel quoted above, and Messrs. Mackey, Holt, and Co., by request of Messrs. Allsopp, having applied to Messrs. Bass and Co. for account sales confirmatory of this statement, are informed by them that "there are no account aales corresponding therewith."

MADRAS.

The last recorded sates of Beer on the spot (Oct. 18) stood thus:
Allsopp Rs. 70 per hbd. | Bass Rs. 65 per hhd.

Messrs. Bass and Co. state, under this bead, that some of their Beer had been sold at 68 rupees 8 annas. This, however, as it appears from the statement of Messrs, Haviside and Co., was for ale of the present season to arrive; while, at the same period. Messrs. Hall and Co., of Madras, had refused that price for 400 hhds. of Allsopp's. The attention of the public is requested to the ingenuity of Messrs. Bass and Co.'s representation in this instance.

BOMBAY,

The sales of Ale at this place, as per Price Current (Nov. 1), were:
Allsopp 200 hhds. at 65 rupees. | Bass 60 rupees to 61 rupees.

The same Price Current (Dec. 1) says, "We have been apprized of a sale of 50 hhds. of Allsopp and Co. at Rs. 65 per hhd.; of Bass's, two sales have been reported to us, one of 53 hhds. at Rs. 61, and the other, of 35 hhds. at Rs. 60."

Another Price Current (Dec. 1) remarks: "We have heard mention of 200 hhds. of Allsopp's having been sold, since the despatch of the last mail, at Rs. 65 per hhd., which cleared the market for the time. A further supply of 300 hhds. has since come in, of which some had been previously sold at the above price to arrive. The demand for this brew has been brisk throughout the month, arising, as we understand, from the very favourable reports received from the country of the quality of the last season's brew."

SHIPMENTS OF ALE TO INDIA.

Under this head Messrs. Bass have attempted to take an advantage in publishing the exports of Messrs. Allsopp from the 1st of October to the 1st of February last. The returns are, however, grossly untrue, inasmuch as they have understated the shipments of Messrs. Allsopp in that time to the extent of six hundred hhds. to Calcutta alone! It is true that Messrs. Allsopp's shipments at this period were unusually small, and that, with the exception of about 100 hhds., their shipping season did not commence till late in November, in consequence of very extensive alterations and enlargements in their brewery which increased business obliged them to make. It is necessary to observe, however, that there is great possibility of error in arriving at the correct account of exports ot Beer, and on this account Messrs. Allsopp have not ventured to publish the shipments from 1842 to 1843, lest they should not lie strictly correct, but from October, 1841, to October, 1842, they were as follows, as admitted by Messrs. Bass:

	Bombay.	Madras and Calcutta.	Total Hhds.
Allsopp	3,916	5,583	9,499
Bass	2,073	2,727	4,800

Messrs. Allsopp have only to remark, that the shipments of the subsequent year have been, as nearly as possible, in the same proportion, notwithstanding Messrs. Bass and Co.'s four months' statements, when their brewery was not at work.

In closing the above exposition of the advertisement put forth by Messrs. Bass, it is necessary to state that, as a private representation of its gross incorrectness being made to that firm by Messrs. Allsopp, a reply was in which the admission was made that, by a typographical error, some statement had occurred. In that letter in alleged "corrected form" was inclosed, containing the same glaring inaccuracies which Messrs. Allsopp have been thus compelled to expose. Messrs. Bass and Co. were the first to adopt a system of advertising: their intention to assume a position in India with regard to the consumption of their Beer, to which they have no claim, cannot be misunderstood; and, however repugnant to their own feelings, Messrs. Allsopp consider it due to themselves and the public to expose the misrepresentations which have been so industriously circulated, and defend the preeminent position which Ale of their manufacture has invariably held both in the Indian and the home markets. Burton-upon-Trent, March 28, 1844.

* It will be observed, an a curious fact, that these quotations of sales are represented by two casks landed in Calcutta, one by private sale at Rs. 80 and the other (ullaged) at Rs. 70 ; whilst, on the same day (17th Jan ), Messrs. Gladstone and Co. notice a wholesale sale of 50 hhds. of Allsopp's at 85 rupees.
"The Indian mail, vol 1, 1843-1844", 1844, page 381.

Given the modest quantities of beer - fewer than 15,000 hogsheads (22,500 barrels) for the two breweries combined - it makes you wonder why Allsopp got so worked up. Maybe it was just a prestige thing, being market leader in India. To put those sales into context, in 1842 Barclay Perkins brewed 395,871 barrels, Whitbread 185,895, Truman 327,939 and Meux 186,672 (Source: "The British Brewing Industry, 1830-1980" T. R. Gourvish & R.G. Wilson, pages 610-611).

The price or the beers mentions above ranges from 60 to 90 rupees (120 to 180 shillings) for a hogshead. Which, funnily enough, is exactly double the price range found in Roberts. And it isn't the cost price, but retail price, that he quotes. I think it's fair to assume that brewers were making a pretty respectable profit on IPA. I must try and find out what the shipping costs were.

Next: Bass fights back.