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11-08-2014, 08:10
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If you haven't realised my love for numbers yet you're either a new reader or a dozy twat. I'd like to think none of you are in the latter category.

That should warn you that we're headed for a very number-heavy post. All kicked off by some statistics I stumbled upon in a 19th-century German technical publication, the unputdownable "Jahresbericht über die Leistungen der chemischen Technologie 1882". It had me literally in stitches*.

The numbers cover the first years of the newly-founded German Empire. It was a very dynamic time in Germany. Political union brought all sorts of economic advantages with it and the German economy boomed. Rapid industrialisation was accompanied by a surge in population, which grew from 41 million in 1871 to 56 million in 1900. And, it being Germany, those extra 15 million souls drank beer. Any guesses as to what the trend in German beer output might be over these years? It doesn't take a genius to work that one out.

Let's get the barrel rolling with the initial set of numbers that kicked my mind off working. But first a little explanation. The German Empire was a complicated place. It wasn't a centralised state the way modern countries are. As a leftover from the way the country was nailed together in the 1870's, there were anomalies in various areas. Like beer tax. Several systems of beer taxation were in use in different parts.

That's why this table is split up in such a weird way. It's divided by beer tax district, which isn't the same as the administrative divisions - the equivalent of modern Germany's states. There was a standard system in much of the country - basically the bits the Prussians had controlled before unification. That's the Reichssteuergebiet (also called the Brausteuergebiet) - the Empire Tax Area. Then there were the traditional brewing regions of the South: Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden who retained their own system of taxing beer. Finally the newly-annexed territory of Alsace-Lorraine.

One last point. The way it's divided up tells us the source of these figures: tax authorities.

Ah, just found some numbers that continue from the first set, neatly doubling the size of the table. How brilliant is that?



Beer production in the German customs area 1872 - 1881 (hl)


Year
Reichssteuergebiet
Bayern
Württemberg
Baden
Alsace-Lorraine
Total


1872
16,102,179
10,905,836
4,197,274
926,957
812,454
32,944,700


1873
19,654,903
11,256,208
3,995,056
1,094,634
987,752
36,988,553


1874
20,494,914
12,079,760
3,596,144
1,133,865
889,191
38,193,874


1875
21,358,228
12,084,910
3,662,418
1,066,661
763,313
38,935,530


1876
20,873,379
12,347,153
3,879,006
1,050,841
706,694
38,857,073


1877/78
20,360,491
12,205,377
3,801,519
1,098,500
803,136
38,269,023


1878/79
20,371,925
12,122,483
3,067,305
1,085,020
787,905
37,434,638


1879/80
19,984,613
12,152,532
3,172,634
1,085,655
788,542
37,183,976


1880/81
21,136,031
11,821,915
3,396,292
1,155,450
982,659
38,492,347


Average 1872 - 1881
20,037,407
11,886,242
3,640,850
1,077,509
835,738
37,477,746


per head of population
62
285
192
71
54
88


1881/1882
19,244,000
11,826,000
3,396,000
1,155,000
932,000
36,663,000


1885/86
22,105,000
12,655,000
2,879,000
1,244,000
691,000
39,822,000


1890/91
29,374,000
14,427,000
3,508,000
1,679,000
837,000
49,925,000


1891/92
29,695,000
14,490,000
3,454,000
1,643,000
875,000
50,268,000


1892/93
30,186,000
15,104,000
3,749,000
1,714,000
912,000
51,795,000


1893/94
31,290,000
15,025,000
3,478,000
1,710,000
907,000
52,528,000


1894/95
30,916,000
15,186,000
3,493,000
1,728,000
869,000
52,311,000


1895/96
34,337,000
16,034,000
3,885,000
1,914,000
997,000
57,299,000


1896/97
34,904,000
16,206,000
3,796,000
2,192,000
937,000
48,169,000


1897/98
37,707,000
16,982,000
4,100,000
2,741,000
964,000
62,649,000


1898/99
38,465,000
17,455,000
4,069,000
2,947,000
1,058,000
64,164,000


1899/1900
39,320,000
17,739,000
4,128,000
3,095,000
1,128,000
65,621,000


Source:


"Jahrbuch der Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin, 1911", p.585-589


Jahresbericht über die Leistungen der chemischen Technologie 1882, 1883, page 871.


https://archive.org/stream/jahresberichtbe02gottgoog#page/n900/mode/2up




In terms of per capita production, Bavaria and Württemberg are way out in front. Wondering why Baden is so far behind the other southern regions in terms of beer output? The answer is simple: it's more wine country.

Now let's look at that in terms of percentage of total output. (These are derived from the figures in the first table.)



Beer production in the German customs area 1872 - 1881 (%)


Year
Reichssteuergebiet
Bayern
Württemberg
Baden
Alsace-Lorraine


1872
48.88%
33.10%
12.74%
2.81%
2.47%


1873
53.14%
30.43%
10.80%
2.96%
2.67%


1874
53.66%
31.63%
9.42%
2.97%
2.33%


1875
54.86%
31.04%
9.41%
2.74%
1.96%


1876
53.72%
31.78%
9.98%
2.70%
1.82%


1877/78
53.20%
31.89%
9.93%
2.87%
2.10%


1878/79
54.42%
32.38%
8.19%
2.90%
2.10%


1879/80
53.75%
32.68%
8.53%
2.92%
2.12%


1880/81
54.91%
30.71%
8.82%
3.00%
2.55%


Average 1872 - 1881
53.46%
31.72%
9.71%
2.88%
2.23%


1881/1882
52.49%
32.26%
9.26%
3.15%
2.54%


1885/86
55.51%
31.78%
7.23%
3.12%
1.74%


1890/91
58.84%
28.90%
7.03%
3.36%
1.68%


1891/92
59.07%
28.83%
6.87%
3.27%
1.74%


1892/93
58.28%
29.16%
7.24%
3.31%
1.76%


1893/94
59.57%
28.60%
6.62%
3.26%
1.73%


1894/95
59.10%
29.03%
6.68%
3.30%
1.66%


1895/96
59.93%
27.98%
6.78%
3.34%
1.74%


1896/97
72.46%
33.64%
7.88%
4.55%
1.95%


1897/98
60.19%
27.11%
6.54%
4.38%
1.54%


1898/99
59.95%
27.20%
6.34%
4.59%
1.65%


1899/1900
59.92%
27.03%
6.29%
4.72%
1.72%



Isn't that fascinating? It shows a long-term trend of the North of Germany producing a large percentage of the total at the expense of Bavaria and even more so from Württemberg. That can easily be explained. It was in the North where most of the industrialisation was taking place. And where large, modern, bottom-fermenting breweries were starting to appear, replacing small, old-fashioned top-fermenting breweries.

I'll be doing some more playing around with these numbers. I like to make statistics dance for their tea.





* I fell asleep while reading it and fell onto a glass, slashing my palm open.

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