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16-12-2018, 07:07
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As with every conflict since the English Civil War in the 17th century, WW II saw a big increase in the tax on beer. It’s the traditional war for British governments to pay for warfare.
WW I must have been a big shock for beer drinkers. Beer prices, which had been constant for four or five decades, increased dramatically. A pint of Mild, which had been 2d in 1914 was 6d in 1920. And for a beer of much lower gravity.
In 1939, gravities and prices were pretty much as they had been in 1921. The war soon changed that, with the first tax increase hitting brewers just a few months in. But it wasn’t quite the shock it had been during WW I. Further tax increases followed, even past the end of the war.
As in WW I, the effect of the war was an approximate trebling of draught beer prices. Though, once again, a pint was considerably weaker in 1948 than in 1939.
If you’re wondering why Best Bitter became cheaper in the later war years, it’s because there was a big reduction in gravity. Larger than that Burton and Stout endured. Though I had trouble finding numbers because some of the breweries I was using a yardstick, for example, Barclay Perkins, stopped brewing Best Bitter early on in the war.
Still, I’ve lived through just a bad beer price inflation. In the mid-1970s beer increased in price several times a year when inflation was running at 25-30% annually.
Draught beer prices per pint (d) 1939 - 1948
Month
Year
Ale
Mild
Best Mild
Ordinary Bitter
Best Bitter
Burton
Stout
Sept
1939
4
5
6
7
8
8
8
April
1940
5
6
7
8
9
9
9
April
1941
7
8
9
10
12
12
12
April
1942
9
10
11
12
15
15
15
April
1943
10
11
12
13
17
17
17
April
1944
11
13
15
17
17
April
1945
11
13
15
17
17
April
1946
11
12
13
16
17
17
April
1947
11
12
13
16
17
17
April
1948
12
13
14
19
19
19
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Barclay Perkins Circular Letters held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/521/1.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2018/12/draught-beer-prices-1939-1948.html)
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As with every conflict since the English Civil War in the 17th century, WW II saw a big increase in the tax on beer. It’s the traditional war for British governments to pay for warfare.
WW I must have been a big shock for beer drinkers. Beer prices, which had been constant for four or five decades, increased dramatically. A pint of Mild, which had been 2d in 1914 was 6d in 1920. And for a beer of much lower gravity.
In 1939, gravities and prices were pretty much as they had been in 1921. The war soon changed that, with the first tax increase hitting brewers just a few months in. But it wasn’t quite the shock it had been during WW I. Further tax increases followed, even past the end of the war.
As in WW I, the effect of the war was an approximate trebling of draught beer prices. Though, once again, a pint was considerably weaker in 1948 than in 1939.
If you’re wondering why Best Bitter became cheaper in the later war years, it’s because there was a big reduction in gravity. Larger than that Burton and Stout endured. Though I had trouble finding numbers because some of the breweries I was using a yardstick, for example, Barclay Perkins, stopped brewing Best Bitter early on in the war.
Still, I’ve lived through just a bad beer price inflation. In the mid-1970s beer increased in price several times a year when inflation was running at 25-30% annually.
Draught beer prices per pint (d) 1939 - 1948
Month
Year
Ale
Mild
Best Mild
Ordinary Bitter
Best Bitter
Burton
Stout
Sept
1939
4
5
6
7
8
8
8
April
1940
5
6
7
8
9
9
9
April
1941
7
8
9
10
12
12
12
April
1942
9
10
11
12
15
15
15
April
1943
10
11
12
13
17
17
17
April
1944
11
13
15
17
17
April
1945
11
13
15
17
17
April
1946
11
12
13
16
17
17
April
1947
11
12
13
16
17
17
April
1948
12
13
14
19
19
19
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Barclay Perkins Circular Letters held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/521/1.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2018/12/draught-beer-prices-1939-1948.html)