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30-09-2011, 09:10
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/09/brewing-in-scotland-in-1840s.html)
Just a short quote today. It's taken from a book published in the 1840's. One of those things called a dictionary but which are really more like an encyclopedia.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RieahHa48fg/ToHAqN82kXI/AAAAAAAAIKs/krRCnHucb7o/s320/Fowlers_Wee_Heavy_1959.jpg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RieahHa48fg/ToHAqN82kXI/AAAAAAAAIKs/krRCnHucb7o/s1600/Fowlers_Wee_Heavy_1959.jpg)
The Ale and Beer entry has some nice statistics which sucked me in. The mention of Scottish beer came as a bonus:
"The brewing of ale has long constituted a principal, or rather, perhaps, we might say the principal, manufacturing employment carried on in Edinburgh, The best Edinburgh ale is of a pale colour, mild, glutinous, and adhesive. It is much stronger and more intoxicating than porter, from 4 to 5 bushels of malt being generally used in brewing a barrel of ale, with about 1 lb. of hops to a bushel of malt. At present (1843) the produce of the ale breweries of Edinburgh may be estimated at about 195,000 barrels a year. Very good ale is also made at Preston Pans, Alloa, and other Scotch towns. Considerable quantities of Edinburgh ale are sent to London; though this trade has latterly been decreasing. Very good ale may be produced by brewers on a small scale, but it is doubtful whether this be the case with porter; at all events the best porter is all produced in very large establishments.
Formerly it was not supposed that really good porter could be made any where except in London. Of late years, however, Dublin porter has attained to high and hot unmerited reputation; though we certainly are not of the number of those who ronsider it equal to the best London porter.
Large quantities of a light, pale, and highly-hopped variety of ale have been for some considerable time past exported to the East Indies, where it is in high estimation; and is now, also, rather extensively used in summer in this country."
"A Dictionary, Practical, Theoretical, and Historical, of Commerce and Commercial Navigation" by John Ramsay McCulloch, 1844, page 9.
I'm particularly pleased to see a har figure put on the output of Edinburgh breweries. 195,000 barrels isn't a great deal, really. Not considering the fame of Edinburgh beer. Though it is a considerable percentage of the beer brewed in Scotland, which was around 500,000 barrrels a year in the 1840's.
Small beer indeed, compared to the big boys in London. The two largest each produced about the same as the whole of Scotland. Brewing was still on a relatively modest scale in Scotland in the first half of the 19th century. It was only in the latter decades that the big Edinburgh and Alloa brewers were able to rival the large London producers.
Here are the alrgest London brewers of the same period:
Barrels of beer brewed used by the largest London brewers
Brewer
1831
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1851
Barclay & Co.
388,792
429,820
449,104
462,244
425,380
456,360
462,168
Truman & Co.
202,896
360,560
364,276
392,840
352,528
369,876
420,088
Whitbread & Co.
198,852
181,840
207,916
214,488
207,368
208,392
207,200
Reid & Co.
173,520
179,712
176,040
192,520
191,920
200,480
226,560
Combe & Co.
138,736
173,776
162,848
153,472
145,840
185,936
173,128
Calvert & Co.
122,100
126,116
124,112
123,488
122,460
122,640
114,552
Meux & Co.
97,356
140,260
153,860
163,148
158,332
161,360
238,468
Hoare & Co.
96,408
125,112
124,032
121,240
117,800
118,428
140,000
Elliott & Co.
77,776
88,000
91,960
101,020
101,100
108,200
118,232
Taylor & Co.
87,380
109,280
103,820
109,200
149,200
78,120
63,480
Goding & Co.
65,228
58,524
52,256
Charrington & Co.
42,120
81,160
74,752
73,312
73,312
81,692
84,064
Courage & Co.
32,464
42,892
41,824
46,128
46,128
52,064
57,876
Thorne & Co.
5,780
83,384
88,088
Mann & Co.
5,208
46,616
96,120
Total
1,734,616
2,038,528
2,074,544
2,153,100
2,279,892
2,143,548
2,542,280
Sources:
1831, 1841 and 1851:The food of London by George Dodd, 1856, page 463.
1838, 1839, 1840 and 1842: "A Dictionary, Practical, Theoretical, and Historical, of Commerce and Commercial Navigation" by John Ramsay McCulloch, 1844, page 12.
Note:
Noumber of barrels brewed estimated from malt usage - I've assumed 4 barrels from a quarter of malt.
The description of Edinburgh Ale isn't bad: "pale colour, mild, glutinous, and adhesive." Pretty gloopy stuff then. Not surprising when you see the final gravity of these beers.
Prestonpans is another of those obscure brewing towns. Its fame seems to have relies pretty much on a single brewer: Fowler. In a way, the memory of Prestonpans does remain. Fowler was, of course, the brewer of as certain beer called "Fowler's Wee Heavy". The beer that gave us that rather irritating beer style. Prestonpans beer, from the analyses I've seen, was even more syrupy than Edinburgh Ale.
I though I may as well continue the quote past the Scottish stuff because of the bit about IPA. And how it was drunk in Britian during the summer. Not particularly surprising, but I've not seen it mentioned before.https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5445569787371915337-268151170419327224?l=barclayperkins.blogspot.com
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/09/brewing-in-scotland-in-1840s.html)
Just a short quote today. It's taken from a book published in the 1840's. One of those things called a dictionary but which are really more like an encyclopedia.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RieahHa48fg/ToHAqN82kXI/AAAAAAAAIKs/krRCnHucb7o/s320/Fowlers_Wee_Heavy_1959.jpg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RieahHa48fg/ToHAqN82kXI/AAAAAAAAIKs/krRCnHucb7o/s1600/Fowlers_Wee_Heavy_1959.jpg)
The Ale and Beer entry has some nice statistics which sucked me in. The mention of Scottish beer came as a bonus:
"The brewing of ale has long constituted a principal, or rather, perhaps, we might say the principal, manufacturing employment carried on in Edinburgh, The best Edinburgh ale is of a pale colour, mild, glutinous, and adhesive. It is much stronger and more intoxicating than porter, from 4 to 5 bushels of malt being generally used in brewing a barrel of ale, with about 1 lb. of hops to a bushel of malt. At present (1843) the produce of the ale breweries of Edinburgh may be estimated at about 195,000 barrels a year. Very good ale is also made at Preston Pans, Alloa, and other Scotch towns. Considerable quantities of Edinburgh ale are sent to London; though this trade has latterly been decreasing. Very good ale may be produced by brewers on a small scale, but it is doubtful whether this be the case with porter; at all events the best porter is all produced in very large establishments.
Formerly it was not supposed that really good porter could be made any where except in London. Of late years, however, Dublin porter has attained to high and hot unmerited reputation; though we certainly are not of the number of those who ronsider it equal to the best London porter.
Large quantities of a light, pale, and highly-hopped variety of ale have been for some considerable time past exported to the East Indies, where it is in high estimation; and is now, also, rather extensively used in summer in this country."
"A Dictionary, Practical, Theoretical, and Historical, of Commerce and Commercial Navigation" by John Ramsay McCulloch, 1844, page 9.
I'm particularly pleased to see a har figure put on the output of Edinburgh breweries. 195,000 barrels isn't a great deal, really. Not considering the fame of Edinburgh beer. Though it is a considerable percentage of the beer brewed in Scotland, which was around 500,000 barrrels a year in the 1840's.
Small beer indeed, compared to the big boys in London. The two largest each produced about the same as the whole of Scotland. Brewing was still on a relatively modest scale in Scotland in the first half of the 19th century. It was only in the latter decades that the big Edinburgh and Alloa brewers were able to rival the large London producers.
Here are the alrgest London brewers of the same period:
Barrels of beer brewed used by the largest London brewers
Brewer
1831
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1851
Barclay & Co.
388,792
429,820
449,104
462,244
425,380
456,360
462,168
Truman & Co.
202,896
360,560
364,276
392,840
352,528
369,876
420,088
Whitbread & Co.
198,852
181,840
207,916
214,488
207,368
208,392
207,200
Reid & Co.
173,520
179,712
176,040
192,520
191,920
200,480
226,560
Combe & Co.
138,736
173,776
162,848
153,472
145,840
185,936
173,128
Calvert & Co.
122,100
126,116
124,112
123,488
122,460
122,640
114,552
Meux & Co.
97,356
140,260
153,860
163,148
158,332
161,360
238,468
Hoare & Co.
96,408
125,112
124,032
121,240
117,800
118,428
140,000
Elliott & Co.
77,776
88,000
91,960
101,020
101,100
108,200
118,232
Taylor & Co.
87,380
109,280
103,820
109,200
149,200
78,120
63,480
Goding & Co.
65,228
58,524
52,256
Charrington & Co.
42,120
81,160
74,752
73,312
73,312
81,692
84,064
Courage & Co.
32,464
42,892
41,824
46,128
46,128
52,064
57,876
Thorne & Co.
5,780
83,384
88,088
Mann & Co.
5,208
46,616
96,120
Total
1,734,616
2,038,528
2,074,544
2,153,100
2,279,892
2,143,548
2,542,280
Sources:
1831, 1841 and 1851:The food of London by George Dodd, 1856, page 463.
1838, 1839, 1840 and 1842: "A Dictionary, Practical, Theoretical, and Historical, of Commerce and Commercial Navigation" by John Ramsay McCulloch, 1844, page 12.
Note:
Noumber of barrels brewed estimated from malt usage - I've assumed 4 barrels from a quarter of malt.
The description of Edinburgh Ale isn't bad: "pale colour, mild, glutinous, and adhesive." Pretty gloopy stuff then. Not surprising when you see the final gravity of these beers.
Prestonpans is another of those obscure brewing towns. Its fame seems to have relies pretty much on a single brewer: Fowler. In a way, the memory of Prestonpans does remain. Fowler was, of course, the brewer of as certain beer called "Fowler's Wee Heavy". The beer that gave us that rather irritating beer style. Prestonpans beer, from the analyses I've seen, was even more syrupy than Edinburgh Ale.
I though I may as well continue the quote past the Scottish stuff because of the bit about IPA. And how it was drunk in Britian during the summer. Not particularly surprising, but I've not seen it mentioned before.https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5445569787371915337-268151170419327224?l=barclayperkins.blogspot.com
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/09/brewing-in-scotland-in-1840s.html)