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23-07-2013, 08:15
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As thromised, part two of my look at British hopping rates in the 20th century.

You must tell me, by the way, if all these numbers start getting too tedious. It won't make me stop posting them, but it may make you feel better.

That hopping rates fell during WW II is no surprise. After more than a third of the new crop was destroyed by an air raid on 29th December, 1940, the government ordered brewers to cut their hopping rates.


"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"
1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 64.The fall between 1940 and 1942 is indeed around 20%. And, like magic, hopping rates started to climb again in 1948. It's a good illustration of how government directly interfered in the technical aspects of brewing. Many features of beer and pubs have been fiddled with in this way. To a greater extent than in most other industries.

The rise in hopping rates didn't last long. In 1951 they started to decline again and that trend continued until the end of the table. What's odd about the fall between 1960 and 1968, is that there was a swing away from Mild to Bitter in that period. You would expect the hopping rate to have increased.




UK hopping rates 1940 - 1968


year
bulk barrels
hops
lbs hops per barrel
Average OG
oz. hops per gravity point


1940
24,925,704
265,512
1.19
1040.62
0.47


1941
28,170,582
251,354
1.00
1038.51
0.42


1942
29,584,656
223,007
0.84
1035.53
0.38


1943
29,811,321
231,589
0.87
1034.34
0.41


1944
31,380,684
243,900
0.87
1034.63
0.40


1945
31,990,334
244,822
0.86
1034.54
0.40


1946
31,066,950
226,197
0.82
1034.72
0.38


1947
30,103,180
217,759
0.81
1032.59
0.40


1948
28,813,725
231,470
0.90
1032.66
0.44


1949
26,744,457
233,158
0.98
1033.43
0.47


1950
25,339,062
232,979
1.03
1033.88
0.49


1951
24,870,564
229,106
1.03
1036.99
0.45


1952
25,285,589
228,512
1.01
1037.07
0.44


1953
24,789,130
225,569
1.02
1036.87
0.44


1954
24,153,387
216,841
1.01
1036.97
0.44


1955
24,324,623
217,716
1.00
1037.13
0.43


1956
24,187,096
218,820
1.01
1037.22
0.44


1957
24,839,755
215,114
0.97
1037.42
0.41


1958
24,129,462
208,870
0.97
1037.48
0.41


1959
25,023,044
216,037
0.97
1037.52
0.41


1960
26,313,796
226,371
0.96
1037.25
0.41


1961
27,600,860
234,611
0.95
1037.41
0.41


1962
27,736,049
226,437
0.91
1037.70
0.39


1963
27,942,561
226,565
0.91
1037.70
0.39


1964
29,485,128
237,356
0.90
1037.66
0.38


1965
29,579,855
236,424
0.90
1037.67
0.38


1966
30,178,056
232,119
0.86
1037.63
0.37


1967
30,751,420
221,793
0.81
1037.46
0.35


1968
30,763,106
200,254
0.73
1037.36
0.31


Sources:


Brewers' Almanack 1955, p. 50


Brewers' Almanack 1955, page 62


Brewers' Almanack 1962, p. 48


Brewers' Almanack 1971, p. 45


1971 Brewers'Almanack, page 54



I must see if I can find the figures for after 1968. I must have them somewhere.

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