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05-03-2021, 09:04
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I was intrigued by a question asked in response to an earlier post. Why did the price of beer increase so much during WW I. My immediate response was - tax. I decided to investigate a bit more, just to be sure.
Let’s take a look at one particular beer, Barclay Perkins XLK, to see what was behind those price increase. Rather handily, Barclay’s brewing records list the price of the ingredients.
I’d best tell you the units I’m using in the tables first. The grains are in quarters – 336 lbs. The sugars and hops in hundredweights – 112 lbs.
In 1939, the raw materials accounted for much less of the cost than tax.
Tax, at a rate of 80 shillings per standard barrel , came to 2.77d per pint of XLK. The ingredients were less than half that, at just 1.27d. Most of that coming from the fermentables. It’s fascinating to see just how insignificant the cost of the hops was.
29th May 1939 Barclay Perkins XLK material costs (217 barrels)
ingredient
quantity
price (shillings)
cost
cost per pint (d)
% of total
Californian pale malt
7.98
47
375.06
PA malt Gripper
9.24
55
508.20
PA malt HA & DT
9.24
59
545.16
flaked maize
4.2
36
151.20
No. 3 invert sugar
9.66
38.5
371.91
total malt/adjunct
1951.53
1.13
16.16%
MK Fuggles 1938
0.90
196
73.70
Kent W 1938
0.84
213
74.11
MK Goldings 1937
0.96
236
94.26
total hops
242.08
0.15
2.09%
total ingredients
1.28
18.25%
tax
2.77
39.57%
retail price
7.00
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/623.
If you’re wondering why the quantities look so weird, it’s because this example was parti-gyled. I’ve adjusted the amounts to reflect XLK’s share of the materials.
By 1942, in the middle of the war, things had changed quite a bit. There’s been a big increase in the price of malt – four or five times its pre-war level.
8th May 1942 Barclay Perkins XLK material costs (225 barrels)
ingredient
quantity
price (shillings)
cost
cost per pint (d)
% of total
crystal malt
1.25
230
287.5
PA malt Taylor
13
178
2314
PA malt Dereham
12.75
195
2486.25
flaked barley
3
205
615
sugar
3
100
300
total malt/adjunct
6002.75
3.34
27.85%
MK Fuggles 1941
0.55
334
184.89
Worcester Fuggles 1941
0.55
310
171.61
MK Fuggles 1940
0.55
278
153.89
total hops
510.39
0.29
2.42%
total ingredients
3.63
30.26%
tax
4.41
36.77%
retail price
12.00
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/624.
That’s left the ingredients costing almost the same as the tax, and three times the 1939 amount. Despite fewer of them being needed, due to a fall in OG from 1045.7º to 1035.3º. The proportion of the retail price made up by the tax has even fallen a little. Even though the tax rate had more than doubled, up to 165 shillings a standard barrel.
On a side note, it’s strange to see flaked barley costing more than PA malt. Why would you use unmalted barley when malt was cheaper? Because the government told you to.
Just after war’s end, the situation had altered once more.
29th Aug 1946 Barclay Perkins XLK material costs (282 barrels)
ingredient
quantity
price (shillings)
cost
cost per pint (d)
% of total
crystal malt
3
131
393
PA malt Taylor
14
153
2142
PA malt Dereham
14
142
1988
flaked barley
3
205
615
No. 3 invert sugar
5
99
495
total malt/adjunct
5633.00
2.51
19.32%
MK Colgates 1945
0.71
452
322.86
Worcester Fuggles 1945
0.72
451
326.17
Worcester Goldings 1945
0.72
491
355.10
EK Tolhursts 1945
0.72
476
344.25
total hops
1004.13
0.45
3.48%
total ingredients
2.96
22.79%
tax
6.86
52.75%
retail price
13.00
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/627.
I’m sure brewers were happy to see the price of malt fall a bit, though there were still triple that of 1939. Hops, on the other hand, were around 50% more expensive than in 1942. As they were a relatively small part of the total, it still meant the cost of the ingredients was down from 3.63d to 2.96d. A reduction in OG to 1031.06º also helped to reduce this a little.
Obviously, the tax had increased and was, in 1946, 286 shillings 5.5d per standard barrel. Making it just over 50% of the retail price at just shy of 7d per pint. Which, coincidentally, had been the retail price in 1939.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2021/03/barclay-perkins-xlk-material-costs-in.html)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PxHJBUuliU8/YEDRashrArI/AAAAAAAAizw/NOgYWv70RYodQCqs7AeOIGZizfWvLBchACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Barclay_Perkins_Golden_Hop_Ale.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PxHJBUuliU8/YEDRashrArI/AAAAAAAAizw/NOgYWv70RYodQCqs7AeOIGZizfWvLBchACLcBGAsYHQ/s573/Barclay_Perkins_Golden_Hop_Ale.jpg)
I was intrigued by a question asked in response to an earlier post. Why did the price of beer increase so much during WW I. My immediate response was - tax. I decided to investigate a bit more, just to be sure.
Let’s take a look at one particular beer, Barclay Perkins XLK, to see what was behind those price increase. Rather handily, Barclay’s brewing records list the price of the ingredients.
I’d best tell you the units I’m using in the tables first. The grains are in quarters – 336 lbs. The sugars and hops in hundredweights – 112 lbs.
In 1939, the raw materials accounted for much less of the cost than tax.
Tax, at a rate of 80 shillings per standard barrel , came to 2.77d per pint of XLK. The ingredients were less than half that, at just 1.27d. Most of that coming from the fermentables. It’s fascinating to see just how insignificant the cost of the hops was.
29th May 1939 Barclay Perkins XLK material costs (217 barrels)
ingredient
quantity
price (shillings)
cost
cost per pint (d)
% of total
Californian pale malt
7.98
47
375.06
PA malt Gripper
9.24
55
508.20
PA malt HA & DT
9.24
59
545.16
flaked maize
4.2
36
151.20
No. 3 invert sugar
9.66
38.5
371.91
total malt/adjunct
1951.53
1.13
16.16%
MK Fuggles 1938
0.90
196
73.70
Kent W 1938
0.84
213
74.11
MK Goldings 1937
0.96
236
94.26
total hops
242.08
0.15
2.09%
total ingredients
1.28
18.25%
tax
2.77
39.57%
retail price
7.00
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/623.
If you’re wondering why the quantities look so weird, it’s because this example was parti-gyled. I’ve adjusted the amounts to reflect XLK’s share of the materials.
By 1942, in the middle of the war, things had changed quite a bit. There’s been a big increase in the price of malt – four or five times its pre-war level.
8th May 1942 Barclay Perkins XLK material costs (225 barrels)
ingredient
quantity
price (shillings)
cost
cost per pint (d)
% of total
crystal malt
1.25
230
287.5
PA malt Taylor
13
178
2314
PA malt Dereham
12.75
195
2486.25
flaked barley
3
205
615
sugar
3
100
300
total malt/adjunct
6002.75
3.34
27.85%
MK Fuggles 1941
0.55
334
184.89
Worcester Fuggles 1941
0.55
310
171.61
MK Fuggles 1940
0.55
278
153.89
total hops
510.39
0.29
2.42%
total ingredients
3.63
30.26%
tax
4.41
36.77%
retail price
12.00
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/624.
That’s left the ingredients costing almost the same as the tax, and three times the 1939 amount. Despite fewer of them being needed, due to a fall in OG from 1045.7º to 1035.3º. The proportion of the retail price made up by the tax has even fallen a little. Even though the tax rate had more than doubled, up to 165 shillings a standard barrel.
On a side note, it’s strange to see flaked barley costing more than PA malt. Why would you use unmalted barley when malt was cheaper? Because the government told you to.
Just after war’s end, the situation had altered once more.
29th Aug 1946 Barclay Perkins XLK material costs (282 barrels)
ingredient
quantity
price (shillings)
cost
cost per pint (d)
% of total
crystal malt
3
131
393
PA malt Taylor
14
153
2142
PA malt Dereham
14
142
1988
flaked barley
3
205
615
No. 3 invert sugar
5
99
495
total malt/adjunct
5633.00
2.51
19.32%
MK Colgates 1945
0.71
452
322.86
Worcester Fuggles 1945
0.72
451
326.17
Worcester Goldings 1945
0.72
491
355.10
EK Tolhursts 1945
0.72
476
344.25
total hops
1004.13
0.45
3.48%
total ingredients
2.96
22.79%
tax
6.86
52.75%
retail price
13.00
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/627.
I’m sure brewers were happy to see the price of malt fall a bit, though there were still triple that of 1939. Hops, on the other hand, were around 50% more expensive than in 1942. As they were a relatively small part of the total, it still meant the cost of the ingredients was down from 3.63d to 2.96d. A reduction in OG to 1031.06º also helped to reduce this a little.
Obviously, the tax had increased and was, in 1946, 286 shillings 5.5d per standard barrel. Making it just over 50% of the retail price at just shy of 7d per pint. Which, coincidentally, had been the retail price in 1939.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2021/03/barclay-perkins-xlk-material-costs-in.html)