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14-05-2012, 07:14
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2012/05/average-og-of-british-beer-exports-1934.html)
I'm still on my number jag. Must be something to do with spring. Old man's fancy turning and all that. I've some lovely big fat ones for you. Numbers, I mean.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CGqcMUDPyr4/T6oq88n8UuI/AAAAAAAAI_w/Icj31Id0YKU/s320/Barclay_Perkins_Imperial_Stout.jpg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CGqcMUDPyr4/T6oq88n8UuI/AAAAAAAAI_w/Icj31Id0YKU/s1600/Barclay_Perkins_Imperial_Stout.jpg)
Standard barrels can be a real pain in the arse. Especially when average gravity moved far away from 1055º. Which meant the difference between standard and bulk barrel numbers becomes greater and less predictable. Most of the export figures I have are in standard barrels. So they relate poorly to the actual amount of beer shipped.
But there is an upside. At least when you get figures in both standard and bulk barrels. Because then you can calculate the average OG. As a standard barrel is 36 gallons with an OG of 1055º, all you need to do is multiply the standard barrels by 55, divide by the number of bulk barrels and add 1000. Bingo: average OG.
The 1955 Brewers' Almanack handily gives the export figures in both bulk and standard barrels for the years 1934 to 1949. Letting me calculate the average export OG. And, as I have the figures for the average OG of beer sold in the UK, I can see just how much stronger export beer was.
One point immediately jumps out a pokes a stick in my eye: the average OG of export beer in the years 1934 to 1939 is very close to the average OG of domestic beer in 1914, which was 1052.8º*. Which confirms something I've long suspected: beer for export continued to be brewed at pre-war strengths. It makes sense. It's what the customers were used to and expected. And the massive increase in beer duty (up from 7s 9d per standard barrel in 1914 to 100s per standard barrel in 1921** - a fourteen-fold increase) didn't apply to exported beer.
You can see how domestic beer averaged about 10 points weaker right through the 1930's. Until WW II intervened and messed things up again.
Average OG of British beer exports 1934 -1949
bulk barrels
standard barrels
average OG exports
average OG UK
difference
1934
216,293
213,813
1054.37
1040.99
13.38
1935
232,839
224,087
1052.93
1041.06
11.87
1936
325,058
311,663
1052.73
1041.02
11.71
1937
340,757
329,498
1053.18
1041.10
12.08
1938
281,284
271,114
1053.01
1041.02
11.99
1939
283,974
274,272
1053.12
1040.93
12.19
1940
266,766
239,850
1049.45
1040.62
8.83
1941
225,552
191,939
1046.80
1038.51
8.29
1942
94,796
79,364
1046.05
1035.53
10.52
1943
107,019
85,954
1044.17
1034.34
9.83
1944
77,597
63,606
1045.08
1034.63
10.45
1945
130,443
101,058
1042.61
1034.54
8.07
1946
187,418
150,099
1044.05
1034.72
9.33
1947
109,680
85,660
1042.95
1032.59
10.36
1948
205,098
179,120
1048.03
1032.66
15.37
1949
254,147
226,215
1048.96
1033.43
15.53
Sources:
Brewers' Almanack 1955, p. 57
Brewers' Almanack 1955, p. 50
That was fun. We must do it again soon.
* Brewers' Journal 1921, page 246.
** 1928 Brewers' Almanackhttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5445569787371915337-8753252014137026397?l=barclayperkins.blogspot.com
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2012/05/average-og-of-british-beer-exports-1934.html)
I'm still on my number jag. Must be something to do with spring. Old man's fancy turning and all that. I've some lovely big fat ones for you. Numbers, I mean.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CGqcMUDPyr4/T6oq88n8UuI/AAAAAAAAI_w/Icj31Id0YKU/s320/Barclay_Perkins_Imperial_Stout.jpg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CGqcMUDPyr4/T6oq88n8UuI/AAAAAAAAI_w/Icj31Id0YKU/s1600/Barclay_Perkins_Imperial_Stout.jpg)
Standard barrels can be a real pain in the arse. Especially when average gravity moved far away from 1055º. Which meant the difference between standard and bulk barrel numbers becomes greater and less predictable. Most of the export figures I have are in standard barrels. So they relate poorly to the actual amount of beer shipped.
But there is an upside. At least when you get figures in both standard and bulk barrels. Because then you can calculate the average OG. As a standard barrel is 36 gallons with an OG of 1055º, all you need to do is multiply the standard barrels by 55, divide by the number of bulk barrels and add 1000. Bingo: average OG.
The 1955 Brewers' Almanack handily gives the export figures in both bulk and standard barrels for the years 1934 to 1949. Letting me calculate the average export OG. And, as I have the figures for the average OG of beer sold in the UK, I can see just how much stronger export beer was.
One point immediately jumps out a pokes a stick in my eye: the average OG of export beer in the years 1934 to 1939 is very close to the average OG of domestic beer in 1914, which was 1052.8º*. Which confirms something I've long suspected: beer for export continued to be brewed at pre-war strengths. It makes sense. It's what the customers were used to and expected. And the massive increase in beer duty (up from 7s 9d per standard barrel in 1914 to 100s per standard barrel in 1921** - a fourteen-fold increase) didn't apply to exported beer.
You can see how domestic beer averaged about 10 points weaker right through the 1930's. Until WW II intervened and messed things up again.
Average OG of British beer exports 1934 -1949
bulk barrels
standard barrels
average OG exports
average OG UK
difference
1934
216,293
213,813
1054.37
1040.99
13.38
1935
232,839
224,087
1052.93
1041.06
11.87
1936
325,058
311,663
1052.73
1041.02
11.71
1937
340,757
329,498
1053.18
1041.10
12.08
1938
281,284
271,114
1053.01
1041.02
11.99
1939
283,974
274,272
1053.12
1040.93
12.19
1940
266,766
239,850
1049.45
1040.62
8.83
1941
225,552
191,939
1046.80
1038.51
8.29
1942
94,796
79,364
1046.05
1035.53
10.52
1943
107,019
85,954
1044.17
1034.34
9.83
1944
77,597
63,606
1045.08
1034.63
10.45
1945
130,443
101,058
1042.61
1034.54
8.07
1946
187,418
150,099
1044.05
1034.72
9.33
1947
109,680
85,660
1042.95
1032.59
10.36
1948
205,098
179,120
1048.03
1032.66
15.37
1949
254,147
226,215
1048.96
1033.43
15.53
Sources:
Brewers' Almanack 1955, p. 57
Brewers' Almanack 1955, p. 50
That was fun. We must do it again soon.
* Brewers' Journal 1921, page 246.
** 1928 Brewers' Almanackhttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5445569787371915337-8753252014137026397?l=barclayperkins.blogspot.com
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2012/05/average-og-of-british-beer-exports-1934.html)