Bass answers Allsopp

I love these public spats. Both Bass and Allsopp appear to have been very keen to preserve the reputation of their beer.

The detail with which they described the fate of a few odd hogsheads seems odd. But I suppose both breweries were keen to show themselves as kings of the Indian Pale Ale trade. In a word, a form of vanity.

BASS'S PALE ALE.

MESSRS. BASS and Co., with every wish to avoid whatever may serve to prolonga dispute, of which they are fully sensible of the indignity, conceive that they are called on to make a brief reply to Messrs. Allsopp's advertisement of the 29th ult., as far only as is necessary to vindicate the accuracy of their own statements.

It will have been observed that, with the exception of their returns of the shipments of the current season, Messrs. Allsopp have not attempted to contradict a single statement advanced by Messrs. Bass and Co., neither do they deny that their references are of the highest authority. They resort for quotations favourable to themselves to nameless prices, current and to the letters of their own agents, and they go back to dates extending over October, November, December, and January, while the quotations of Messrs. Bass and Co. referred specifically to the latest reports of prices in December, which reached here by the Overland Mail in February. Messrs. Bass and Co. quoted an actual sale of that date la Calcutta at 80 rupees. A plain account of this transaction will shew in what manner Messrs. Allsopp, who had learnt its true nature from the documents Messrs. Bass and Co. placed within their reach, have perverted the facts relating to it. On the 22nd of December, Messrs. I. Mackey and Co. sold ten butts, equal to twenty hhds. of beer, daily expected to arrive per "Tecumseh," half at 75 and half at 89 rupees. On the arrival of the vessel, it was found that, having fallen short of provisions, the troops on board had consumed sixteen hhds. In the mean time the market had advanced, and the sixteen Hhds. were charged and paid for at the current market price, 90 rupees; two hhds. were delivered at the origina1 price, and two, being ullaged (not full;, 70 rupees; yet Messrs. Allsopp, notwithtstanding they had seen the letters of advice, of the sale of the twenty hhds., have represented this as a sale of two casks only. Messrs. Allsopp insist that Messrs. Bass and Co.'s returns of shipments for the present season are "grossly untrue." Those returns were collected from the customary public sources of information—to which, indeed, Messrs. Allsopp refer when it suits their purpose—and, as far as relates to their own shipments, Messrs. Base and Co. know them to be accurate, while Messrs. Allsopp's contradiction rests upon their own unsupported assertion. Their home trade for Pale Ale having quadrupled within the last four years, Messrs. Bass and Co. have been compelled to limit their foreign trade, and to decline large orders from their most valued correspondents; but a recent addition to their Brewery, though not fully in work until January, and still incomplete, has enabled them to ship within the last six months, as may be seen by the excise entries and subsequent clearances,

To the three Presidencies of India 9,080 To other settlements east of the Cape 1,750 Total 10,830 hhds

It will also have been remarked that this dispute originated in Messrs. Allsopp publishing returns of shipments for 1841-43 in such a manner has led to the inference that they were those of last year. In endeavouring to excuse themselves for producing an erroneous impression by means of the quivocal words  "for one year past," they now assert that the exports of the two houses last yeare "were nearly as possible in the same proportion" as those of 1841-43, which they published; whereas the truth is, that the excise returns, which are obviously of equal authority for both years, shew that, so far from being in the same proportion, the exports of Messrs. Allsopp fell off last year 611 hhds., while those of Messrs. Bass and Co. increased 2,177 hhds. Bass and Co. are content to leave the fact just stated to bear its own comment; and, in retiring from this unseemly altercation, they trust it will be apparent to all who have made themselves acquainted with its character from the beginning, that they have been forced reluctantly to intrude on the public attention in a manner which they are quite sensible would, under other circumstances, have been altogether without excuse."
Burton-upon-Trent, 10th April, 1944.
"The Indian mail, vol 1, 1843-1844", 1844, page 415.

Let's pull the plums out of that pudding.

"Their home trade for Pale Ale having quadrupled within the last four years, Messrs. Bass and Co. have been compelled to limit their foreign trade". This implies that the export trade to India had become of secondary importance to Bass. This is the period when Pale Ale' was first becoming popular in Britain.

I liked the tale of the Tecumseh. Where troops on the ship drank 16 of 20 hogsheads of Bass. And partly consumed two others. Must have been one long party, that voyage.

Unsurprisingly, Bass claim to have sold more beer in India than Allsopp had calculated. Almost double the amount. But it's still only 9,000 hogshead (13,500 barrels). Not a huge quantity of beer. Or money, for that matter. Even at 80 rupees (eight quid) a hogshead, that's only £72,000.

William Younger's Abbey Brewery in 1861

Remember me mentioning the other day that I thought Edinburgh water was similar to Burton's. I though you probably hadn't. But I have. Which is why I'm treating to you to this description of William Younger's Abbey Brewery in Edinburgh.

Bit of an odd source for this: a railway guide. Younger's isn't the only brewery featured in the book. There's Tennant's of Sheffield and other less well-known breweries, too.

The Abbey Brewery, The Property Of Messrs. William Younger and Co.,

is situated in the parish of Cannon-gate, and in the immediate vicinity of Holyrood Palace. The fame of Edinburgh ale, (of which this firm are by far the largest makers,) is well known. This trade has been a steadily increasing one. The superiority of their ale is partly owing to the adoption of all mechanical and other improvements, and also to the chemical properties of the water, of which, by sinking to an immense depth, they get an abundant supply. Professor Dr. George Wilson and Dr. Maclagan, having made several analyses of the water, found it free from colour, taste, and odour, and after having subjected it to the most rigid chemical tests, scarcely discovered a single trace of organic matter. Its most abundant properties are carbonate of lime and magnesia, sulphate of lime and soda, and chloride of sodium. Messrs. Y. and Co. export their Ales to almost all parts of the world, where they have established agencies, and to this branch of their trade extensive premises are entirely devoted, situated at a short distance from their Brewery. They have, besides, large maltings in other parts of the city. The Pale, or India Ale, so strongly recommended by the medical faculty, is extensively brewed here, precisely on the same principles as at Burton; and, as it is rising daily in reputation, this ale has every likelihood, also, of gaining a world-wide fame.

The business was established in 1749. The present proprietors are William and Henry Younger, and Andrew Smith, Esquires; Mr. A. Thomson is the head brewer, being assisted in his labours by his son, Mr. John Thomson.

These enormous premises are entered from the Horse-wynd. Passing through the large quadrangle, and under the bridge that connects "the maltings" and malt-bins, we ascend to the Mash-house, containing Steele's patent mashing apparatus, and two large mash-tubs, each holding 50 quarters, having above them the gigantic hopper.

"We observe the two wort coppers, one holding 116 barrels, and also the liquor copper containing 220 barrels, and ascend to the great hopstores, each containing 600 pockets of hops. We return to the Mashhouse, and proceed to the tun and fermenting rooms, each having 80 fermenting tuns, and beneath them 12 settling squares.

The visitor who is permitted to inspect these premises should not fail to glance at Reiley's cooling apparatus. Returning to the quadrangle, we ascend to the large flats called "the maltings :" this department is very spacious. We finally return to the quadrangle, to inspect the two powerful centrifugal machines, one employed in drying the hops, the other for drying yeast. We are now close to the enormous stores or cellars, above which are the Vat-rooms. The firm are owners of the adjoining premises known as the Cannon Mills, covering upwards of three acres of land; here are to be seen a convenient cooperage, large kilns, engine houses, &c. Here, too,are several saw-mills, hoop-bending and other machines. Nine large malt-houses are upon these premises. Upon the whole, we feel justified in saying that The Abbey Brewery and the Cannon Mills are, in allrespects.admirablyadapted for the large and continually increasing business of this very first-rate establishment.
"The official illustrated guide to the Great Northern Railway" by George S. Measom, 1861, pages 217 - 219.

The brewery, of course, has been demolished. Its site is now occupied by the pretentious and incoherent Scottish Parliament.

The principal minerals in Younger's water were "carbonate of lime and magnesia, sulphate of lime and soda, and chloride of sodium". That sounds very similar to the contents of Burton water. In case you've forgotten, they were Sulphate of Lime, Carbonate of Lime, Carbonate of Magnesia, Sulphate of Magnesia, Sulphate of Soda, Chloride of Sodium. Only the Sulphate of Magnesia is missing from Edinburgh water. It's a shame no quantities are given.

Interesting to learn that they were already using a Steele's masher in the early 1860's. That's the external screw type, which mixes grain and water on their way into the mash tun. It's still a standard piece of brewery kit. It was invented in 1853 (Source: "Principles & Practice of Brewing" by Walter J. Sykes & Arthur R. Ling, 1907, pages 487-488.) A 50 quarter mash tun is enough for about 200 barrels of standard-strength (1055º) beer.

I already knew that Younger's had been big brewers of IPA. It's one of the facts those brainwashed with the dogma of "Scottish brewers didn't use many hops" conveniently ignore. Doubtless the water helped them brew their Pale Ales "precisely on the same principles as at Burton". They also had union sets.

Edinburgh Ale. That's the stuff also known as Scotch Ale. It had a crazily high OG - in 1858 Younger's 140/- Ale was 1114º. Funnily enough, very similar to another type of beer from Staffordshire, Burton Ale.

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.

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1953 Truman No.7

Sorry about being a day late. Pressure of work and all that. I think you'll find today's recipe is worth the extra 24 hours wait.

A while back, I said to Kristen: "We should make a book of the Let's Brew recipes". Since then the collection of weekly recipes has continued to grow. (I believe this post is number 65 in the series) I think it would be a pretty handy one-stop guide to brewing the past. What do you reckon? Maybe throw in some unpublished recipes as a bonus.

Wandering away from the recipe path. Sorry about that. Time to tell you about No. 7. Great name, isn't it? Like to know where it comes from? Then continue reading.

As I'm sure you can all remember, for many years Truman operated two breweries: the original in Brick Lane London and a second in Burton. The former brewed Porter, Stout and London Milds. The latter, opened in 1873, Pale Ales and Burton Ales. I won't insult your intelligence by reminding you that Pale Ales and Burton Ales were quite different beasts.

Truman used a similar system to Bass for naming their Burton-brewed beers. P1 and P2 were the Pale Ales. The Burton Ales were numbered, in descending order of strength, 1 to 8. At the start of WW I, the gravities were 1 1100+, 3 1091, 4 1076, 5 1070, 6 1062, 7 1056, 8 1048, A 1042. (I don't seem to have a number 2 anywhere.) No. 6 down were Milds, No. 1 was a Barley Wine. Don't ask me what style the ones in between are. Burton Ales. That's a good one. Let's just call them Burton Ales.

Everything changed in April 1917. When all the numbered beers were discontinued and instead beers called X, XX and XXX were brewed. Withe gravities of 1033, 1037 and 1044. After the end of the war, the Pale Ales returned, as did a few of the numbered Burton Ales: 1, 3, 4 and 7. Though the X Ales continued to be brewed, often party-gyled with 7.

XX, XXX and 7 were still around in the 1950's,. Three Milds of not too dissimilar gravities, 7 being the middle of the three. I'm not sure where or under what name these beers were sold. If you know, please tell me. The Brick Lane brewery continued to brew Mild for the London market.

One note about the recipe. There were two types of base malt. Palt malt that had been malted by Truman themselves and "Yenne HD". Yenne is the maltster and HD = high dried. Now high dried is a pretty vague term. In this context it probably means pale malt dried at a slightly higher temperature. So something like mild malt.





That's me done, let's go over to Kristen . . . . .

Truman - 1953 - 7
General info: Truman Seven! What’s in a name right? It's gotta be seven times as good and no less! In all actuality the higher the number the less 'fantastic' the beer. 1 is great, 7 is not as great. This is a happy little X-type ale that relies entirely on a dash of crystal malt for its dark component. A healthy gob of colorant just to make sure its dark enough. Definitely a 'light' beer in every aspect. A mass produced beer that was cheap and very easy to drink!
Beer Specifics			Recipe by percentages
Gravity (OG)	1.034		43.1% English 2 Row			1.6% Caramel Colorant
Gravity (FG)	1.007		45.2% English 2 Row			0% 0
ABV	3.64%		4.7% Crystal 75			0% 0
Apparent attenuation	79.70%		5.5% Cane Sugar			0% 0
Real attenuation	65.29%
IBU	18.2		Mash	90min@155°F		1.2qt/lb
SRM	22			90min@68.3°C		2.52L/kg
EBC	44.1
			Boil	1.5 hours
	Homebrew @ 70%				Craft @ 80%
Grist	5gal		19L		10bbl		10hl
English 2 Row	2.79	lb	1.271	kg	151.46	lb	58.52	kg
English 2 Row	2.92	lb	1.332	kg	158.67	lb	61.30	kg
Crystal 75	0.30	lb	0.138	kg	16.49	lb	6.37	kg
Cane Sugar	0.35	lb	0.161	kg	19.23	lb	7.43	kg
Caramel Colorant	0.10	lb	0.047	kg	5.58	lb	2.16	kg
					351.43
Hops
Fuggle 5.5% 90min	0.53	oz	15.0	g	32.77	oz	0.792	kg
Fuggle 5.5% 30min	0.26	oz	7.4	g	16.19	oz	0.391	kg
Fermentation	65°F /18.3°C
Yeast	Nottingham ale yeast
	1275 Thames Valley Ale Yeast  - WLP023 Burton Ale Yeast
Tasting Notes: Biscuits and grain husks, sugary sweet crystal malt and rock candy, some apples with a hefty dose of pears, a little bitter and tannic astringency that really dries out in the very crisp finish.

Hops in the 1860's

Hops. Fascinating subject. Especially the internationalisation of the hop trade in the 19th century.

Why were British brewers in need of foreign hops? Simple. Not enough could be grown locally to meet demand. The same was true of many agricultural products in the 19th century. Industrialisation caused a surge in population growth and drew people away from the countryside. The result was a dependence on imports for many basic foodstuffs.

Between 1857 and 1871, production of beer in the UK rose from 18 million to 26.5 million barrels. That's almost a 50% increase. But the area under hop cultivation didn't increase. In fact hops were only grown in a few areas of Britain: Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire. There was little possibility of seriously increasing production. Imports were the only solution.

As Loftus states below, initially Bavarian hops were most popular. By the 1880's this had changed and American hops dominated imports. By the end of the 19th century a sizeable proportion of the USA hop crop was being exported to Britain. Though German hops continued to be used in Britain, even after WW I.

"Of late years, Bavarian and occasionally American hops are getting into general use in this country. It has been found that in ordinary pale ale or bitter beer one-third of common hops may be employed to give the flavour and bitter required, while another and finer kind is resorted to for the superior odour it imparts. The powder or pollen which falls through the meshes of the hair-cloth or wirework of the kiln-floor in the course of the drying is of considerable value to brewers. It is known in the trade as "hop dust," and, when collected free from extraneous matter, is nearly equal in efficacy to the hop itself. In porter brewing especially, a certain amount of this dust may he used with great advantage.

Fumigation with burning sulphur is frequently practised, as in the case of malt, to give hops a pale colour; but the effect of the lingering sulphurous acid is detrimental to the success of fermentation, and hops which have been bleached in this manner, however slightly, should be avoided if possible by the brewer.

The counties of Kent, Sussex, and Hants are the principal sites of the cultivation of the hop-plant in England; a mild, delicate variety is extensively grown in Worcestershire. The Kentish hops have the greatest strength and flavour; the colour of these is a rich, golden yellow, with a greenish shade; when rubbed in the hands they leave yellow traces, exhale a strong, agreeable odour, and are in a marked degree oily and clammy to the touch. "Farnhams" or "Goldings" are the the finest flavoured of all the Kentish hops, but they are not so strong as the best growth of other parts of the county. The Sussex hops possess much of the general characteristics of the Kentish produce, and are esteemed of nearly equal value. "Worcesters," as already stated, are milder than either Sussex or Kents; they have a delicate flavour, and are chiefly used in pale ale and bitter-beer brewing. "Kents" are best for old ales and stout; the crop, however, is uncertain, the plant being one of the most tender cultivated; these hops are the heaviest grown, possess the greatest amount of "condition " and have the smallest flower or leaf. The "Canterbury grape" is a very useful and abundant hop. The kind produced in the district of North Clay in Nottinghamshire, is also in high repute, as having great strength and condition, although coarse in flavour until mellowed by keeping.

A very pale or green colour shows that the hops have been gathered too young, while a deep brown shade indicates either that they have been over-dried, by which most of the aroma must have been lost, or that they have been allowed to ripen too long on the poles, and thus deprived both of aroma and bitterness.

Fresh hops are much more valuable than those which have been kept any considerable time. A fourth more is, at least, needed when hops a twelvemonth old are used. At one year old, hops are called "yearlings." At the end of two years they retain little else than the bitter, and are then termed "old hops." After the lapse of three years they receive the name of "old olds."

The best hops are packed in bags or "pockets" made of strong canvas, which when filled weigh from 168 lbs. to 196 lbs. each. The darker and more strongly flavoured are put into coarser sacks, called "hop bags;" these usually weigh about 3 cwt. Hops of this kind are chiefly consumed in porter-brewing.

Nearly the whole of the hop trade for the kingdom, that is, the business of buying and selling on a large scale, is carried on in the Borough of Southwark, London. Owing to the precarious nature of the crop, the amount of annual production of marketable hops is very uncertain, and when an Excise Duty was chargeable on the article, speculation and betting prevailed to an extraordinary degree as to the total of the tax that would be derived from each season's growth.

The importation of foreign hops is rapidly increasing. On the 1st of January, 1862, shortly before the duty was repealed, there were 11,991,2641bs. of foreign hops in bond. In England the number of acres under cultivation for hops has varied from 38,281 to 58 000, and the price per cwt. from £27 10s. in 1817 to as low as £2 15s. in 1848.

In choosing hops the heaviest pockets should always be preferred, as the greater part of the weight is given by the farina or pollen, and it is the abundance of this constituent which mainly determines the value of the hops. As previously observed, the hops should feel clammy when squeezed in the hand, and give out a strong, characteristic odour; the colour should be uniform; there should be no greenish particles in the flowers, and the mass of leaves should be full of hard seeds aud pollen .or "condition."

Mould may be considered as present in the sample if the stalk of the flower is, partly bare of leaf. Rust, proceeding from damp or bad storage, should also be carefully looked for, as it impairs the value more than age.

It is hardly necessary to say, that brown or dark-coloured hops should be used for brown or black beer, and pale hops for pale beers. Hops of a fine straw colour, as having been riper when picked.and better cured or dried on kiln, are generally esteemed the best for pale ale or bitter beer. Fine Sussex or Worcester are well adapted for beer intended for immediate consumption."
"Loftus's Almanack for Brewers, Distillers, and the Wine and Spirit Trades" by William Loftus, 1869, pages 14 - 15.

What else do I want to point out? I know. That the hop trade was based in Southwark. Close to the Barclay Perkins brewery. There's this weeks Barclay perkins reference.

Then there's the variation in price. Hops are susceptible to disease, especially mildew. The harvest varied enormously from year to year, which was reflected in the price. As you can see from the example Loftus, this could vary by a factor of 100 between good and bad years.

Most of the important brewing centres in Britain were well away from hop-growing districts.The only exception was London. Burton, Edinburgh and Dublin were all a long way from hop growers. Yet it didn't seem to have any impact on the quantity of hops they use. Well not if you go by evidence rather than stories.

Farnhams and Goldings were the most valued hops for the whole of the 19th century. Goldings remain highly sought after to this day. It's a remarkable record. Especially of you consider the commercial barley varieties grown today were all developped after WW II. You may remember a quote from a Bass brewer I posted a while ago about the use of Worcester hops in their Pale Ale. There's confirmation of that above.