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08-10-2020, 07:11
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The supply of sufficient hops to the brewing industry was a big problem during WW II. Before the war, considerable quantities of hops had been imported. A majority from the USA, but also from Germany, Belgium and Czechoslovakia.
There were fewer imports than before WW I, but the UK didn't produce enough hops in the interwar years to be self-sufficient. Needing to import 30,000 to 40,000 cwts annually. These dried up almost totally after 1940. Making the UK crop a vital resource.
"Hops Committee.
There had been no meeting of the Hops Committee, but Colonel G. B. Winch, the chairman, reported that an informal meeting with members of the Hops Marketing Board had taken place on the 3rd December, on the subject of the determination of the average price of the 1942 crop. The bulk of the figures upon which this calculation was made had already been agreed, but the Board put forward a request that the extra expenses to which growers had been put in carrying out picking in war circumstances should be taken into account. They had also claimed that the cost of cultivation during the remaining 11 months of the season had been materially enhanced, because growers were forced to rely largely on inefficient labour, and consequently had to employ more people than usual to carry out the necessary work. The basis in the agreed schedule for ascertaining increases or decreases in the cost of production, which was laid down before the war, did not. provide for any adjustment of labour costs except such as arises from increases or decreases in the statutory rates of wages. The Board had been asked to submit figures to support their contentions under these two headings, and these figures were now under examination by the Society’s accountant. As soon as his report was available the Hops Committee would meet to consider the line to be taken at the forthcoming meeting of the Permanent Joint Hops Committee when the average price for the season had to be fixed."
The Brewing Trade Review, January 1943, pages 6 - 7.
Hops were, as pretty much everything else, getting more expensive. No surprise there. Over the course of the war a cwt. of hops rose from £9 to £21
But there also weren't going top be enough of them:
"The attention of the Council had been drawn at the last meeting to the fact that the 1942 crop was not sufficient to provide a full year’s supply of hops to each brewer, even at the reduction of 20% in pre-war rates per barrel. A large number of brewers had written to the Society stating that the fulfilment of only 80% of their contracts would leave them short of hops, and asking that some of the small balance of the crop which is to be distributed by the Society should be allocated to them. This balance of the crop, however, was only equal to about 3% of the total contracts, and it was obviously impossible to make up every brewer’s shortage in full. The margin of stocks in the hands of any brewer was very narrow when compared with pre-war practice. The figures of each brewer’s stock of hops, his monthly consumption and his standard barrelage level were now under examination by the Society, and taking into account the quantity of hops supplied under his 1942 contract, the date up to which each brewer has enough hops to maintain his present level of output was being worked out. From these figures the average date up to which brewers have Enough hops would be arrived at. Brewers who have not enough hops to last up to that average date would be allocated hops out of the available balance of the crop. It was most unlikely that the average date would work out later than some time in December, 1943, and it might even be earlier than that, basing the figures on the level of output of the last 12 months. If, as seemed possible, there was a reduction in the demand for beer during the coming year this would, of course, ease the position somewhat."
The Brewing Trade Review, January 1943, page 7.
Reducing hop rates seems to have worked. Because more hops were grown than used in every year of the war. There was a small increase in the acreage dedicated to hops. As you can see in this monster table.
Hops: home production and imports
Year ended 31st Dec.
Acreage
Estimated Produce
Yield per acre
Average Price of English Hops per Season, Sept. to Dec.
Imports: Less Re-Exports
Exports: British Hops
Consumption Years ended 30th Sept. following
Cwts.
Cwts.
£ s. d.
Cwts.
Cwts.
Cwts.
1914
33,661
507,258
13.84
4 3 9
83,690
9972
450,231
1916
31,352
307,856
9.82
6 14 0
146,150
10,765
263,386
1918
15,666
130,491
8.3
18 15 0
259
6,923
503,140
1920
21,002
281,042
13.4
19 10 0
455,799
3,672
454,258
1921
25,133
224,172
8.9
19 10 0
216,571
2,200
398,506
1922
26,452
301,000
11.4
12 0 0
127,539
2,818
328,688
1923
24,893
229,000
9.2
14 10 0
12,111
22,051
350,428
1924
25,897
444,000
17.1
10 5 0
89,632
44,316
362,554
1925
26,256
355,000
13.5
10 15 0
90,305
44,541
355,376
1926
25,599
332,000
13
11 5 0
35,040
78,574
337,721
1927
23,004
255,000
11.1
12 10 0
96,917
54,630
330,662
1928
23,805
242,100
10.2
11 16 0
66,183
17,651
320,315
1929
23,986
359,100
15
5 0 0
62,208
13,192
307,289
1930
19,997
253,000
12.6
4 15 0
44,199
22,302
277,406
1931
19,628
169,000
8.7
7 5 0
50,303
22,388
219,587
1932
16,531
188,000
11.4
9 15 0
14,952
19,264
222,868
1933
16,895
210,000
12.8
16 10 0
44,829
20,298
233,419
1934
18,037
259,000
14.4
9 0 0
30,046
13,382
248,744
1935
18,251
248,300
13.6
9 0 0
35,186
16,223
258,300
1936
18,317
252,000
13.7
9 0 0
31,953
19,987
270,692
1937
18,093
235,000
13
9 0 0
40,406
16,130
277,846
1938
18,460
257,000
13.9
9 0 0
45,287
12,580
286,716
1939
18,812
288,000
15.3
9 10 0
7,840
16,050
265,512
1940
18,592
270,500
14.5
12 0 0
14,675
26,830
251,354
1941
18,158
262,800
14.5
15 0 0
31
17,209
223,007
1942
18,420
261,900
14.2
17 10 0
2,963
30,673
231,689
1943
19,131
285,200
14.9
18 0 0
198
24,941
243,900
1944
19,603
253,900
13
20 0 0
--
26,525
244,822
1945
19,957
282,900
14.1
21 0 0
574
32,337
226,197
Source:
1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 63.
Aren't numbers fun? I'm surprised by how many hops were exported during the war. I'm guessing most went to Ireland.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/10/hop-supply-problems.html)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEsf3BCD_-A/X33JyDhg_wI/AAAAAAAAiWA/TFSRkgdOn2I-UrF84z9GuuBTIYIcM56LwCLcBGAsYHQ/w301-h400/Barclay_Perkins_Golden_Hop_Ale_3.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rEsf3BCD_-A/X33JyDhg_wI/AAAAAAAAiWA/TFSRkgdOn2I-UrF84z9GuuBTIYIcM56LwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1029/Barclay_Perkins_Golden_Hop_Ale_3.jpg)
The supply of sufficient hops to the brewing industry was a big problem during WW II. Before the war, considerable quantities of hops had been imported. A majority from the USA, but also from Germany, Belgium and Czechoslovakia.
There were fewer imports than before WW I, but the UK didn't produce enough hops in the interwar years to be self-sufficient. Needing to import 30,000 to 40,000 cwts annually. These dried up almost totally after 1940. Making the UK crop a vital resource.
"Hops Committee.
There had been no meeting of the Hops Committee, but Colonel G. B. Winch, the chairman, reported that an informal meeting with members of the Hops Marketing Board had taken place on the 3rd December, on the subject of the determination of the average price of the 1942 crop. The bulk of the figures upon which this calculation was made had already been agreed, but the Board put forward a request that the extra expenses to which growers had been put in carrying out picking in war circumstances should be taken into account. They had also claimed that the cost of cultivation during the remaining 11 months of the season had been materially enhanced, because growers were forced to rely largely on inefficient labour, and consequently had to employ more people than usual to carry out the necessary work. The basis in the agreed schedule for ascertaining increases or decreases in the cost of production, which was laid down before the war, did not. provide for any adjustment of labour costs except such as arises from increases or decreases in the statutory rates of wages. The Board had been asked to submit figures to support their contentions under these two headings, and these figures were now under examination by the Society’s accountant. As soon as his report was available the Hops Committee would meet to consider the line to be taken at the forthcoming meeting of the Permanent Joint Hops Committee when the average price for the season had to be fixed."
The Brewing Trade Review, January 1943, pages 6 - 7.
Hops were, as pretty much everything else, getting more expensive. No surprise there. Over the course of the war a cwt. of hops rose from £9 to £21
But there also weren't going top be enough of them:
"The attention of the Council had been drawn at the last meeting to the fact that the 1942 crop was not sufficient to provide a full year’s supply of hops to each brewer, even at the reduction of 20% in pre-war rates per barrel. A large number of brewers had written to the Society stating that the fulfilment of only 80% of their contracts would leave them short of hops, and asking that some of the small balance of the crop which is to be distributed by the Society should be allocated to them. This balance of the crop, however, was only equal to about 3% of the total contracts, and it was obviously impossible to make up every brewer’s shortage in full. The margin of stocks in the hands of any brewer was very narrow when compared with pre-war practice. The figures of each brewer’s stock of hops, his monthly consumption and his standard barrelage level were now under examination by the Society, and taking into account the quantity of hops supplied under his 1942 contract, the date up to which each brewer has enough hops to maintain his present level of output was being worked out. From these figures the average date up to which brewers have Enough hops would be arrived at. Brewers who have not enough hops to last up to that average date would be allocated hops out of the available balance of the crop. It was most unlikely that the average date would work out later than some time in December, 1943, and it might even be earlier than that, basing the figures on the level of output of the last 12 months. If, as seemed possible, there was a reduction in the demand for beer during the coming year this would, of course, ease the position somewhat."
The Brewing Trade Review, January 1943, page 7.
Reducing hop rates seems to have worked. Because more hops were grown than used in every year of the war. There was a small increase in the acreage dedicated to hops. As you can see in this monster table.
Hops: home production and imports
Year ended 31st Dec.
Acreage
Estimated Produce
Yield per acre
Average Price of English Hops per Season, Sept. to Dec.
Imports: Less Re-Exports
Exports: British Hops
Consumption Years ended 30th Sept. following
Cwts.
Cwts.
£ s. d.
Cwts.
Cwts.
Cwts.
1914
33,661
507,258
13.84
4 3 9
83,690
9972
450,231
1916
31,352
307,856
9.82
6 14 0
146,150
10,765
263,386
1918
15,666
130,491
8.3
18 15 0
259
6,923
503,140
1920
21,002
281,042
13.4
19 10 0
455,799
3,672
454,258
1921
25,133
224,172
8.9
19 10 0
216,571
2,200
398,506
1922
26,452
301,000
11.4
12 0 0
127,539
2,818
328,688
1923
24,893
229,000
9.2
14 10 0
12,111
22,051
350,428
1924
25,897
444,000
17.1
10 5 0
89,632
44,316
362,554
1925
26,256
355,000
13.5
10 15 0
90,305
44,541
355,376
1926
25,599
332,000
13
11 5 0
35,040
78,574
337,721
1927
23,004
255,000
11.1
12 10 0
96,917
54,630
330,662
1928
23,805
242,100
10.2
11 16 0
66,183
17,651
320,315
1929
23,986
359,100
15
5 0 0
62,208
13,192
307,289
1930
19,997
253,000
12.6
4 15 0
44,199
22,302
277,406
1931
19,628
169,000
8.7
7 5 0
50,303
22,388
219,587
1932
16,531
188,000
11.4
9 15 0
14,952
19,264
222,868
1933
16,895
210,000
12.8
16 10 0
44,829
20,298
233,419
1934
18,037
259,000
14.4
9 0 0
30,046
13,382
248,744
1935
18,251
248,300
13.6
9 0 0
35,186
16,223
258,300
1936
18,317
252,000
13.7
9 0 0
31,953
19,987
270,692
1937
18,093
235,000
13
9 0 0
40,406
16,130
277,846
1938
18,460
257,000
13.9
9 0 0
45,287
12,580
286,716
1939
18,812
288,000
15.3
9 10 0
7,840
16,050
265,512
1940
18,592
270,500
14.5
12 0 0
14,675
26,830
251,354
1941
18,158
262,800
14.5
15 0 0
31
17,209
223,007
1942
18,420
261,900
14.2
17 10 0
2,963
30,673
231,689
1943
19,131
285,200
14.9
18 0 0
198
24,941
243,900
1944
19,603
253,900
13
20 0 0
--
26,525
244,822
1945
19,957
282,900
14.1
21 0 0
574
32,337
226,197
Source:
1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 63.
Aren't numbers fun? I'm surprised by how many hops were exported during the war. I'm guessing most went to Ireland.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/10/hop-supply-problems.html)