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22-12-2012, 08:33
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You're going to have to endure loads more statistics based posts like this, now I've got me a new stash of German technical brewing magazines. Just tell me if you want me to stop. I won't pay any attention, but you'll feel better for having voiced your opinion.


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KnzETpaL6FY/UNCGKhkrgQI/AAAAAAAANp4/HgT6FhpTT1w/s400/Adler_Brauerei_Deutsches_Pilsner.jpg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KnzETpaL6FY/UNCGKhkrgQI/AAAAAAAANp4/HgT6FhpTT1w/s1600/Adler_Brauerei_Deutsches_Pilsner.jpg)
Sadly this magazine didn't publish any of these numbers after 1915. They were probably too depressing. The effect of the war is already clear in the 1915 figures. Malt usage is down 25%, but beer production only 18%. That can only mean one thing: a drop in beer gravity.

I'm not totally sure what is meant by beer exports in this table. It could include shipments to other parts of Germany. Given that the amount exported increased in 1915, that's probably the case. Whatever the exact details, you can see that, although they were only responsible for about 25% of beer production, around 50% of Bavarian exports came from Munich breweries.

What's also obvious is that the huge number of Weissbier breweries produced bugger all beer. Before the war only 40-odd hectolitres each.

I was pleasantly surprised to se the number of Kommunbrauers making beer for personal use increased between 1912 and 1913. Though it did start dropping once war started. These Kommunbrauer were almost all in two regions: around Bamberg and Schweinfurt. On the eve of war there were a very respectable 490 communal breweries. I doubt there are 20 left today.

The organisation of the majority of bottom-fermenting breweries was still pretty old-fashioned, as only 80-odd out of 3,000 plus were limited companies. I'd bet a good percentage of those 80 were located in Munich and Nuremberg.

The proportion of top-fermented beer was tiny, under 1% for all of these years. I'm sure that's very different now, given the huge surge in popularity of Weissbier since the 1970's.

I've done a little maths on the beer production and malt usage statistics to come up with an average gravity figure. But I'm saving that for next time.




The brewing industry in Bavaria 1910 - 1915



1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915


malt usage (D -Ztr)
3,515,466
3,719,250
3,585,684
3,531,458
3,089,019
2,327,042


beer production total
18,119,473
19,641,640
19,300,262
19,088,071
17,020,404
14,191,893


bottom-fermenting
17,943,345
19,462,625
19,121,839
18,908,908
16,865,399
14,086,697


top-fermenting
167,128
179,015
178,423
179,163
155,005
105,196


beer exports
2,576,364
2,670,577
2,748,336
2,759,218
2,306,601
2,497,779


beer imports (Zollgebiet)
71,498
76,617
74,982
73,723
72,737
58,334


beer imports (abroad)
4,080
4,354
1,775
1,948




bottom-fermenting breweries


3,582
3,485
3,396
3,031


Aktienbrauereien


86
84
80
81


Other breweries



2,911
2,807
2,482


Kommunbrauereien



490




Braunbierbrauer


11,937
11,931
12,083
10,580


Kommunbrauer



8,936




home-use Kommunbrauer


6,735
6,843

6,523


commercial Kommunbrauer


2,128
2,093
2,015
1,480


Weisbierbrauer


4,832
4,741
4,825
4,385


Munich breweries








malt usage (D -Ztr)

956,941
905,632
889,952
742,603
642,840


beer production total

4,853,994
4,638,063
4,528,741
3,854,735
3,749,708


Weissbier production




43,728
32,795


beer exports

1,283,544
1,325,700
1,325,262
1,048,012
1,253,442


Sources:


1910 - 1913: Bayerisches Brauer-Journal 1914, pages 375-376


1914 - 1915: Bayerisches Brauer-Journal 1916, pages 241-242




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