ABSTRACT
The First World War ‘came to be regarded as an unqualified misfortune by Britain’s brewers’.1 It was to have profound effects on the brewing industry with the establishment in 1915 of a Central Control Board under the Defence of the Realm Act. The board imposed shorter licens ing hours, a reduced gravity of beer and restricted output in order to reduce the amount of land used for barley and hop growing and to save shipping space for food. Higher costs resulted and the trend of declining output and consumption was strongly reinforced, particularly since there was a reduction in the quality of materials used, much higher wartime duties on beer were imposed (the tax burden rose 430 per cent in real terms) and raw material prices increased, all leading to more expensive beer that was weaker in strength and lower in quality. In early 1917, further restrictions on output were ordered with a reduc tion to 10 million standard barrels per annum being specified - less than half the pre-war output. In the event this trough was not reached, almost 14 million barrels being produced in 1917, but still much below the pre-war average of nearly 23 million (see Table 5.1). Restrictions also applied to opening hours for public houses, thus opportunities for
Table 5.1 UK beer output and consumption, 1910-39 (five-year averages)
Years Output: standard barrels
(millions) Consumption per head
(gallons)
1910-14 34.70 26.90 1915-19 21.74 15.80 1920-24 20.93 17.68 1925-29 19.91 16.65 1930-34 15.50 12.88 1935-39 17.71 14.09
drinking were reduced and convictions for drunkenness fell by 84 per cent in England and Wales between 1914 and 1918,2 there being a marked improvement in Portsmouth. Manpower shortages, first through volunteers and secondly through conscription, added to the problems faced by brewers.
