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08-06-2013, 07:29
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The response to my series of posts of hop and barley statistics has been so overwhelming that I've decided to continue it a little longer. Bascially until I run out of numbers to fascinate you with.
The first thing that should strike you is how incredibly variable the hop harvest was. The difference between consecutive years could be enormous. The years 1800 to 1806 demonstrate these annual variations well. Hops are delicate plants, susceptible to the weather, pests and disease. Slight changes in conditions could have a huge impact on the crop.
In a recent post, Martyn Cortnell mentioned the incredibly poor summer of 1816 (http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/how-long-have-english-brewers-been-using-american-hops-much-longer-than-you-think/) (caused by a vlocanic explosion in Asia) that led to a disatrous hop crop. But as you can see below, it was by no means the worst harvest, even in the same decade. 1802, 1805, 1812, 1823, 1825, 1829, 1840 and 1854 were all worse.
Unsurprisingly, the price went up and down with the harvest. In years of a good harvest, the price was between £4 and £7 per cwt. In poor years it could be almost £20 a cwt. Though when a poor harvest followed a bumper one, as in 1808 and 1809, old stock from the previous year kept the price low.
In the 1850's, imports began to pick up the slack when the British harvest was poor. Doubtless the price in 1854 would have been higher, save for the huge amount of hops that were imported.
It's easy to understand why the more far-sighted brewers bought in extra stocks during the good years. Trying to plan ahead must have been a nightmare when the price could vary by 200% or 300% from one year to the next.
When the import duty on hops was removed in 1862 in must have been a great relief to brewers. They were then free to buy their hops from anywhere in the world, which is exactly what they did and imports of hops remained hight until WW I (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.nl/2013/05/british-hop-imports-in-20th-century.html).
UK hop production, price and imports 1800 - 1854
year
UK production lbs
London price per cwt. £ s. d.
imports lbs
year
UK production lbs
London price cwt. £ s. d.
imports lbs
1800
17,502,867
17 17 0
1828
41,286,692
5 12 0
1801
57,894,646
5 18 0
1829
9,568,981
8 8 0
4,591
1802
3,711,326
10 12 0
1830
21,131,442
12 8 0
1803
47,809,230
6 6 0
1831
41,971,222
5 18 0
1804
42,628,269
5 5 0
1832
33,364,403
8 13 0
1805
7,897,208
8 0 0
1833
37,657,340
7 4 0
1806
36,744,810
7 0 0
1834
45,531,402
6 3 0
1807
24,017,342
5 10 0
1835
56,449,732
4 15 0
1808
60,261,667
5 18 0
1836
48,079,932
5 0 0
1809
15,348,842
4 4 0
1837
42,858,781
5 1 6
1810
17,643,490
6 0 0
1838
41,173,471
5 17 0
1811
37,700,783
6 6 0
1839
49,333,588
4 10 0
2,840
1812
7,335,023
13 8 0
1840
8,182,162
13 11 0
11,984
1813
31,555,863
8 8 0
1841
35,078,187
6 6 0
3,808
1814
33,670,202
8 8 0
1842
40,746,360
4 8 10
0
1815
29,731,043
7 10 0
1843
32,023,661
6 0 9
3,136
1816
11,112,589
13 13 0
1844
33,677,623
7 3 0
29,904
1817
15,965,326
27 0 0
1845
37,922,262
6 10 0
81,312
1818
47,871,867
7 0 0
1846
50,704,025
5 0 0
367,696
1819
58,098,282
4 8 0
1847
45,134,365
3 10 0
164,752
1820
33,199,386
4 4 0
1848
44,343,985
2 15 0
43,120
1821
37,106,369
4 15 0
1849
16,650,915
7 10 0
43,118
1822
48,894,050
4 4 0
1850
48,537,669
3 10 0
725,648
1823
6,253,909
13 0 0
1851
27,042,996
6 10 0
51,744
1824
35,719,681
7 0 0
1852
51,102,494
4 5 0
34,608
1825
5,836,092
19 0 0
1853
31,751,693
11 11 0
4,742,528
1826
64,759,450
5 0 0
1854
9,877,126
20 0 0
13,330,480
1827
33,803,643
5 0 0
Sources:
"A Practical Treatise on Malting and Brewing" by William Ford, 1862, pages 288 - 290.
"Hops; their Cultivation, Commerce, and Uses in Various Countries" by P.L., Simmonds, 1877, page 129.
Note:
Production 1800-1845 caculated from hop duty paid.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/06/uk-hop-production-price-and-imports.html)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xYhmVjpaKlA/UaiFrQ6V66I/AAAAAAAARJ8/d4bpyNi-OTM/s400/King_And_Barnes_Golding_Ale_1942.jpg (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xYhmVjpaKlA/UaiFrQ6V66I/AAAAAAAARJ8/d4bpyNi-OTM/s1600/King_And_Barnes_Golding_Ale_1942.jpg)
The response to my series of posts of hop and barley statistics has been so overwhelming that I've decided to continue it a little longer. Bascially until I run out of numbers to fascinate you with.
The first thing that should strike you is how incredibly variable the hop harvest was. The difference between consecutive years could be enormous. The years 1800 to 1806 demonstrate these annual variations well. Hops are delicate plants, susceptible to the weather, pests and disease. Slight changes in conditions could have a huge impact on the crop.
In a recent post, Martyn Cortnell mentioned the incredibly poor summer of 1816 (http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/how-long-have-english-brewers-been-using-american-hops-much-longer-than-you-think/) (caused by a vlocanic explosion in Asia) that led to a disatrous hop crop. But as you can see below, it was by no means the worst harvest, even in the same decade. 1802, 1805, 1812, 1823, 1825, 1829, 1840 and 1854 were all worse.
Unsurprisingly, the price went up and down with the harvest. In years of a good harvest, the price was between £4 and £7 per cwt. In poor years it could be almost £20 a cwt. Though when a poor harvest followed a bumper one, as in 1808 and 1809, old stock from the previous year kept the price low.
In the 1850's, imports began to pick up the slack when the British harvest was poor. Doubtless the price in 1854 would have been higher, save for the huge amount of hops that were imported.
It's easy to understand why the more far-sighted brewers bought in extra stocks during the good years. Trying to plan ahead must have been a nightmare when the price could vary by 200% or 300% from one year to the next.
When the import duty on hops was removed in 1862 in must have been a great relief to brewers. They were then free to buy their hops from anywhere in the world, which is exactly what they did and imports of hops remained hight until WW I (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.nl/2013/05/british-hop-imports-in-20th-century.html).
UK hop production, price and imports 1800 - 1854
year
UK production lbs
London price per cwt. £ s. d.
imports lbs
year
UK production lbs
London price cwt. £ s. d.
imports lbs
1800
17,502,867
17 17 0
1828
41,286,692
5 12 0
1801
57,894,646
5 18 0
1829
9,568,981
8 8 0
4,591
1802
3,711,326
10 12 0
1830
21,131,442
12 8 0
1803
47,809,230
6 6 0
1831
41,971,222
5 18 0
1804
42,628,269
5 5 0
1832
33,364,403
8 13 0
1805
7,897,208
8 0 0
1833
37,657,340
7 4 0
1806
36,744,810
7 0 0
1834
45,531,402
6 3 0
1807
24,017,342
5 10 0
1835
56,449,732
4 15 0
1808
60,261,667
5 18 0
1836
48,079,932
5 0 0
1809
15,348,842
4 4 0
1837
42,858,781
5 1 6
1810
17,643,490
6 0 0
1838
41,173,471
5 17 0
1811
37,700,783
6 6 0
1839
49,333,588
4 10 0
2,840
1812
7,335,023
13 8 0
1840
8,182,162
13 11 0
11,984
1813
31,555,863
8 8 0
1841
35,078,187
6 6 0
3,808
1814
33,670,202
8 8 0
1842
40,746,360
4 8 10
0
1815
29,731,043
7 10 0
1843
32,023,661
6 0 9
3,136
1816
11,112,589
13 13 0
1844
33,677,623
7 3 0
29,904
1817
15,965,326
27 0 0
1845
37,922,262
6 10 0
81,312
1818
47,871,867
7 0 0
1846
50,704,025
5 0 0
367,696
1819
58,098,282
4 8 0
1847
45,134,365
3 10 0
164,752
1820
33,199,386
4 4 0
1848
44,343,985
2 15 0
43,120
1821
37,106,369
4 15 0
1849
16,650,915
7 10 0
43,118
1822
48,894,050
4 4 0
1850
48,537,669
3 10 0
725,648
1823
6,253,909
13 0 0
1851
27,042,996
6 10 0
51,744
1824
35,719,681
7 0 0
1852
51,102,494
4 5 0
34,608
1825
5,836,092
19 0 0
1853
31,751,693
11 11 0
4,742,528
1826
64,759,450
5 0 0
1854
9,877,126
20 0 0
13,330,480
1827
33,803,643
5 0 0
Sources:
"A Practical Treatise on Malting and Brewing" by William Ford, 1862, pages 288 - 290.
"Hops; their Cultivation, Commerce, and Uses in Various Countries" by P.L., Simmonds, 1877, page 129.
Note:
Production 1800-1845 caculated from hop duty paid.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/06/uk-hop-production-price-and-imports.html)