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25-05-2013, 08:08
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In my last post about hop imports (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.nl/2013/05/british-hop-imports-in-20th-century.html), Martyn Cornell commented about the import duty placed on hops after WW I. I just stumbled upon a few more details about the duty and thought I'd share them with you.

The background to this is that the changes in brewing caused by WW I - in particular the reduction in beer gravity - greatly depressed the demand for hops. Meaning that for the first time in 60 or 70 years Britain could grow almost enough hops for its own needs.

Another drop in gravity caused by WW II left Britain effectively self-sufficient in hops. Quite a turnaround from the situation before WW I.


"A duty of £4 per cwt. on imported Hops, with a preference of one-third to Dominion hops, was imposed as from 16th August, 1925, for four years, in order to tide the hop industry over a difficult period at the end of Hop Control, and in 1929, 1933, 1937, 1941, 1945, 1949 and 1953 the duty was reimposed for further like periods. In 1929, the duty on hop oil, which was previously charged on the quantity of hops used in its manufacture, was altered to a fixed rate of £ per oz.

In order not to handicap the home brewer, a countervailing duty was placed on imported beer. Since 1933 this has been at the rate of 10d. per bulk barrel, and is included in the rate of duty on imported beer. There is also a Customs drawback at the rate of 10d. per bulk barrel on beer exported.

During the war of 1939-45 the production of hops was restricted to the 1939 acreage until in 1943 a permissive increase was made to 20,000 acres and in 1945 to 22,500 acres. It will be seen that in fact this total was reached in 1948. Consumption of hops by brewers was cut in June, 1941, under instructions of the Ministry of Food, by 20%. of the rate used per standard barrel. This cut ceased to operate in 1947, and given a good crop the English production is sufficient to cover 12 months' requirements without imported hops, under present circumstances. The quantity of foreign hops entered for home consumption and the total net receipts from this duty, as shown by the Customs and Excise Report, have been as follows, for years ending 31st March :"
1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 64."Home brewer" doesn't mean someone brewing in his kitchen in this context. It refers to commercial breweries in Britain, as opposed to foreign ones.

Here's the table that followed the text:




Hop and hop product imports 1926 - 1954


Year ended 31st March
Hops
Hop Oil
Hop Extracts. Essences, and similar Preparations
Net Receipts from Duty



Cwt.
Oz.
Oz.
£


1926
29,599
t
1,951
117,507


1927
44,547
t
175
173,558


1928
82,307
t
56
317,135


1929
74,023
t
1,391
290,039


1930
52,310
14
4,364
206,010


1931
40,228
8
668
159,432


1932
53,184
32
379
210,827


1933
11,004
10
5,762
42,848


1934
44,281
72

169,325


1935
42,411
212

163,499


1936
35,554
88

138,349


1937
29,839
105
600
115,437


1938
45,336
125
487
177,660


1939
44,056
101

170,930


1940
2,024
72

7,860


1941
11,055
32

42,009


1942
171
161
24,392
883


1943
3,254
684
7,712
13,669


1944
134
100
209,152
1,479


1945
30

967,061
4,413


1946
563

3,558,892
18,118


1947
26,928

1,424,748
113,937


1948
7,766


30,710


1949
§174


—738


1950
198


798


1951
§295


-1,172


1952
439


1,749


1953
418
656

1,675


1954
1,560


6,230


t Included under Hop Extracts in these years


§ Excess of Drawbacks.


Source:


1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 64.



It's revealing to have hop extract included, as there was a sudden surge in imports of it around the end of WW II. Not sure why that was. But I guess hop oil extract took up far less room on ships.

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