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11-08-2016, 07:11
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2016/08/uk-beer-exports-1946-1960.html)

Numbers warning. There are lots and lots of numbers coming up. Why? I have them, so I’m going to use them.

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5ugLA636Eo8/V6nO66f9nyI/AAAAAAAAaTY/Re78jXhpkzYkZhjSp3d3A8MAWC_T_6EZACLcB/s640/Beverleys_Export_Pale_Ale.jpg (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5ugLA636Eo8/V6nO66f9nyI/AAAAAAAAaTY/Re78jXhpkzYkZhjSp3d3A8MAWC_T_6EZACLcB/s1600/Beverleys_Export_Pale_Ale.jpg)

There’s another good reason. Because they show the shift of British exports from the Empire to other markets. In particular, to Belgium.

The table is so big I’ve had to split in in two.



UK beer exports 1946 - 1953


destination
1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953


Channel Islands
5,342
7,021
9,958
9,693
6,505
2,721
8,959
9,815


Gibraltar
5,698
7,077
6,958
7,609
8,530
8,693
8,183
8,325


Malta
414
521
673
897
336
624
445
484


Cyprus

2,593
2,312
2,112
2,538
4,002
2,712
2,099


British West Africa
1,574
5,797
18,044
34,626
33,811
35,593
50,636
58,049


British East Africa
1,361
2,624
7,316
13,391
4,014
4,341
1,900
1,511


Aden
50
1,284
2,327
4,200
2,684
2,006
2,897
5,927


Bahrein, Koweit, etc

594
5,141
7,813
4,099
4,039
5,073
4,756


India and Pakistan
69,278
8,130
17,075
18,076
15,333
11,890
9,451
5,617


British Malaya
26,270
6,377
10,463
12,258
11,666
14,412
6,028
5,447


Ceylon
2,648
7,686
3,565
6,669
6,363
5,605
5,656
8,624


Hong Kong
10,062
5,873
5,679
12,863
9,508
12,027
7,254
4,811


Australia

54
8,481
18,761
16,879
35,790
8,303
57


Canada

313
1,598
1,281
2,090
3,352
3,680
3,892


Bermuda
22
788
977
1,603
2,843
1,901
1,466
948


British West India Islands
251
1,045
15,087
14,009
15,459
15,213
16,112
17,123


British Guiana
38
175
1,991
2,752
3,871
3,247
6,056
6,594


Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

1,843
3,069
5,747
5,291
6,805
6,277
3,035


Irish Republic
221
3,280
11,327
6,201
4,225
5,223
4,966
4,674


Other British Countries
74
972
6,470
6,719
7,153
8,927
10,260
6,570


total British
123,303
64,047
138,511
187,280
163,198
186,411
166,314
158,358


Belgium
1,405
3,414
34,288
33,786
33,362
45,733
50,237
55,240


other non-Commonwealth
62,710
42,219
32,299
33,061
24,650
43,289
50,839
71,341


total foreign
64,115
45,633
66,587
66,847
58,012
89,022
101,076
126,581


total
187,418
109,680
205,098
254,127
221,210
275,433
267,390
284,939


Source:


“1955 Brewers' Almanack”, pages 58-59.






UK beer exports 1954 - 1960


destination
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960


Channel Islands
11,307
11,486
12,505
14,301
16,006




Gibraltar
9,648
9,147
8,291
9,110
8,552
8,243
8,440


Malta
353
344
2,220
1,778
2,366
1,684
2,119


Cyprus
1,965
3,241
10,712
8,700
20,965
14,048
9,200


British West Africa
38,051
46,050
47,811
44,705
30,079
16,656
11,928


British East Africa
1,602
639
874
929
1,243
2,044
832


Aden
5,271
4,240
5,944
5,250
8,071
7,189
10,496


Bahrein, Koweit, etc
4,691
6,176
5,714
6,227
6,686
8,608
10,092


India and Pakistan
5,347
4,625
4,961
1,518
746
889
1,262


British Malaya
3,862
3,891
2,811
2,689
3,435
4,996
6,172


Ceylon
1,938
2,425
2,574
2,534
2,307
1,638
1,306


Hong Kong
3,975
2,738
2,074
2,239
2,108
1,862
1,516


Australia
58
16
3
11
88
158
141


Canada
3,674
3,992
3,785
4,041
4,657
4,420
5,452


Bermuda
1,098
1,034
1,136
890
990
920
941


British West India Islands
15,904
18,730
20,806
21,416
20,953
19,618
16,493


British Guiana
6,809
8,565
6,273
5,680
2,414
2,527
4,347


Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
1,853
1,213
199
*
*
*
*


Irish Republic
6,251
8,450
7,300
7,039
5,684
6,394
6,589


Other British Countries
6,234
5,127
4,751
7,350
8,174
5,848
5,285


total
129,891
142,129
150,744
146,407
145,524
107,742
102,611


Belgium
59,006
56,346
62,776
71,507
86,318
88,077
100,200


other non-Commonwealth
59,127
26,938
25,357
21,475
16,843
17,536
19,682


total foreign
118,133
83,284
88,133
92,982
103,161
105,613
119,882


total
248,024
225,413
238,877
239,389
248,685
213,355
222,493


Source:


“1962 Brewers' Almanack”, pages 56-57.



I’m surprised at how well exports held up after WW II. Peaking in 1953 at 284,000 barrels, before sliding back to 222,000 barrels at the end of the decade. Exports were also at a similar level to before the war:



UK beer exports 1934 - 1939


1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939


216,293
232,839
325,058
340,757
281,284
283,974


Source:


Brewers' Almanack 1955, p. 57




But there was a steady increase in the percentage exported to non-British territories after 1950:



UK exports to foreign countries


1946
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953


34.21%
41.61%
32.47%
26.30%
26.22%
32.32%
37.80%
44.42%


1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960



47.63%
36.95%
36.89%
38.84%
41.48%
49.50%
53.88%





As the percentage increased so did the amount exported to Belgium, which by 1960 was received almost 50% of all UK exports. No wonder there are so many analyses of beer sold in Belgium in the Whitbread Gravity Book. Whitbread were big exporters so the Belgian market would have been very important for them.

The biggest falls are in regions from which the UK was withdrawing, such as Africa, India. The numbers are pretty steady in the Caribbean where the UK hadn’t started granting independence. Some of the reduction is probably due to the departure of British troops and administrators.

There must be something behind the sudden slump in exports to Australia. Probably some sort of legislation or import tax.

It’s interesting to note that most other places whose relationship with the UK remained much the same – Gibraltar, Channel Islands, Malta, Bermuda and Canada – exports remained stable or grew. Which confirms to me that the drop in exports to some countries was mostly due to changes in the political situation.

Next: which export destination paid the most per barrel.

More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2016/08/uk-beer-exports-1946-1960.html)