Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Ireland becomes a beer exporter
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In the 18th century the beer trade between Britian and Ireland was mostly one way: towards Irealand. Much of it in the form of Porter, the hip new beer style of the day.
Irish beer production increased towards the end of the 18th century, but was still quite modest compared to that of England. In 1795, for example, 683,818 barrels were brewed in Ireland compared to 7,067,305 barrels in England and Wales.*
As the 19th century dawned, only minimal quantities of beer were being exported from Ireland: fewer than 1,000 barrels a year, and sometimes not even 100 barrels. All that changed around the middle of the century, when exports started to be measured in the hundreds of thousand barrels. What happened? British drinkers discovered the delights of Irish Porter and demand surged.
Unfortunately, I don't have a full set of figures. And the ones that are missing cover the importants years of when Irish beers exports really kicked off, sometime between 1830 and 1861. Which weren't exactly the happiest years for Ireland.
It would be ewasy to assume that the overwhelming majority of the exports were in the form of Guinness, but, as we'll see next time, that wasn't the case.
| Irish beer exports to Britain 1814 - 1901 |
| Year |
England |
Scotland |
Total Britain |
elsewhere |
total exports |
| 1814 |
424 |
46 |
470 |
|
|
| 1818 |
61 |
|
61 |
|
|
| 1819 |
196 |
|
196 |
|
|
| 1820 |
205 |
6 |
211 |
|
|
| 1821 |
591 |
1 |
592 |
|
|
| 1822 |
1,714 |
1 |
1,715 |
|
|
| 1823 |
2,482 |
|
2,482 |
|
|
| 1824 |
4,843 |
|
4,843 |
|
|
| 1825 |
6,252 |
|
6,252 |
|
|
| 1826 |
7,141 |
19 |
7,160 |
|
9,855 |
| 1827 |
8,033 |
48 |
8,081 |
|
10,800 |
| 1828 |
11,100 |
220 |
11,320 |
|
11,261 |
| 1828 |
8,035 |
48 |
8,083 |
3,180 |
11,263 |
| 1829 |
11,754 |
118 |
|
|
14,499 |
| 1830 |
|
|
|
|
15,207 |
| 1861 |
|
|
255,576 |
|
|
| 1871 |
|
|
421,952 |
|
|
| 1881 |
|
|
508,035 |
|
|
| 1891 |
|
|
691,478 |
|
|
| 1898 |
|
|
552,942 |
|
|
| 1901 |
|
|
689,796 |
|
|
| Sources: |
| "Ireland Industrial and Agricultural", 1902, page 457 |
| "Accounts and Papers; relating to Customs, Excise and Taxes; Stamp Duties; Pamphlets and Newspapers; Insurances; Pawnbrokers, vol. XXV, session 5 Feb 23 July 1830", 1830, pages iv - v |
| "Accounts and Papers; relating to Customs, Excise and Taxes; Stamp Duties; Pamphlets and Newspapers; Insurances; Pawnbrokers, vol. XXV, session 5 Feb 23 July 1830", 1830, pages xii - xiii |
| "A philosophical and statistical history of the inventions and customs of Ancient and Modern Nations in the Manufacture and Use of Intoxicating Liquors" by Samuel Morewood, 1838, page 624. |
* Papers: Miscellaneous, session 23 January to 11 July 1821", 1821, page 269.
Accounts and Papers: relating to Assessed Taxes; Stamps: Rates of Duties; Customs and Excise; Beer, Hops, and Malt; Spirits; the Distilleries, session 21 November 1826 - 2 July 1827., 1827. pages 130 - 131
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