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10-11-2020, 08:51
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When the dust had settled at the end of WW I, things didn’t totally revert to the way they had been pre-war. UK brewing still wasn’t self-sufficient in raw materials, though it was less dependent than it had been. Not because UK production of materials had expanded, but because less beer was being brewed and it was of the lower gravity and hence required fewer ingredients.
Considerable quantities of barley continued to be imported, and all of the maize employed came from overseas. As well as considerable quantities of cane sugar. Between 1930 and 1938, on average, about 15% of the hops used in UK brewing were imported.
Difficulties in sea transport greatly limited – or entirely suppressed – the importation of most brewing materials. This wasn’t as big a problem as in WW I, as percentage of foreign ingredients in 1939 than it had been in 1914. But it still required brewers to adapt their grists.
The war made people do many things that they wouldn’t usually do. Brewing was no exception. Brewers being forced to use ingredients they wouldn’t usually have considered.
Flaked maize, for which there was no domestic source, was the first for the chop. Though, as it was only really used as a cheap substitute for malt, rather than for any inherent characteristics which had little impact on the character of the beer, replacing it wasn’t such a problem. Several alternatives were employed at various points of the war: rice, oats and flaked barley.
Brewing materials 1938 - 1950 (%age)
year
malt
Un-malted corn
rice, maize, etc
sugar
hops per bulk barrel (lbs)
hops per standard barrel (lbs)
Hops per quarter (lbs)
1938
78.31%
0.12%
5.75%
15.82%
1.28
1.71
7.8
1939
78.35%
0.08%
5.82%
15.75%
1.25
1.67
7.61
1940
83.81%
0.07%
3.09%
13.03%
1.19
1.62
7.58
1941
86.90%
0.09%
1.95%
11.05%
1
1.43
6.68
1942
85.54%
0.41%
2.99%
11.06%
0.84
1.31
5.87
1943
79.34%
0.31%
9.55%
10.80%
0.87
1.39
6
1944
78.88%
1.06%
9.22%
10.83%
0.87
1.38
6.09
1945
75.63%
1.78%
9.65%
12.93%
0.86
1.36
5.96
1946
76.53%
1.06%
8.69%
13.73%
0.82
1.29
5.83
1947
80.37%
0.79%
5.22%
13.61%
0.81
1.37
6.22
1948
81.75%
0.60%
5.22%
12.42%
0.9
1.52
6.69
1949
82.94%
0.55%
4.61%
11.89%
0.98
1.61
7.15
1950
83.50%
0.52%
4.17%
11.81%
1.03
1.67
7.19
Source:
my calculation from figures in 1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 62
Notes:
assumes a quarter = 336 lbs
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When the dust had settled at the end of WW I, things didn’t totally revert to the way they had been pre-war. UK brewing still wasn’t self-sufficient in raw materials, though it was less dependent than it had been. Not because UK production of materials had expanded, but because less beer was being brewed and it was of the lower gravity and hence required fewer ingredients.
Considerable quantities of barley continued to be imported, and all of the maize employed came from overseas. As well as considerable quantities of cane sugar. Between 1930 and 1938, on average, about 15% of the hops used in UK brewing were imported.
Difficulties in sea transport greatly limited – or entirely suppressed – the importation of most brewing materials. This wasn’t as big a problem as in WW I, as percentage of foreign ingredients in 1939 than it had been in 1914. But it still required brewers to adapt their grists.
The war made people do many things that they wouldn’t usually do. Brewing was no exception. Brewers being forced to use ingredients they wouldn’t usually have considered.
Flaked maize, for which there was no domestic source, was the first for the chop. Though, as it was only really used as a cheap substitute for malt, rather than for any inherent characteristics which had little impact on the character of the beer, replacing it wasn’t such a problem. Several alternatives were employed at various points of the war: rice, oats and flaked barley.
Brewing materials 1938 - 1950 (%age)
year
malt
Un-malted corn
rice, maize, etc
sugar
hops per bulk barrel (lbs)
hops per standard barrel (lbs)
Hops per quarter (lbs)
1938
78.31%
0.12%
5.75%
15.82%
1.28
1.71
7.8
1939
78.35%
0.08%
5.82%
15.75%
1.25
1.67
7.61
1940
83.81%
0.07%
3.09%
13.03%
1.19
1.62
7.58
1941
86.90%
0.09%
1.95%
11.05%
1
1.43
6.68
1942
85.54%
0.41%
2.99%
11.06%
0.84
1.31
5.87
1943
79.34%
0.31%
9.55%
10.80%
0.87
1.39
6
1944
78.88%
1.06%
9.22%
10.83%
0.87
1.38
6.09
1945
75.63%
1.78%
9.65%
12.93%
0.86
1.36
5.96
1946
76.53%
1.06%
8.69%
13.73%
0.82
1.29
5.83
1947
80.37%
0.79%
5.22%
13.61%
0.81
1.37
6.22
1948
81.75%
0.60%
5.22%
12.42%
0.9
1.52
6.69
1949
82.94%
0.55%
4.61%
11.89%
0.98
1.61
7.15
1950
83.50%
0.52%
4.17%
11.81%
1.03
1.67
7.19
Source:
my calculation from figures in 1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 62
Notes:
assumes a quarter = 336 lbs
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/11/brewing-ingredients-in-ww-ii.html)