A short history of British beer, British brewing, and the British pub.
The British Pub Culture
Nearly two thirds of all beer consumed in Britain is drunk outside of the home, commonly in one of the over 60,000 pubs that dot the island. In Europe, only the Irish are fonder of going out for a pint than the British. Even though beer drinking is on a slow decline in Britain (while wine consumption has risen proportionally), beer is still, by far, the most popular alcoholic beverage.
The History of British Beer
It is impossible to say exactly when beer came to Britain. The Roman Historian Tacitus comments that beer was the normal drink of the Germanic and Gallic tribes. Since the Gallic tribes he mentions are closely related to the British Celts, it is probably safe to assume that they too drunk beer. The first mention of an actual brewer in Britain was found carved into the wood of one of the forts of Hadrian’s Wall. Although nothing is known about Atrectus ceruesarius (Atrectus the brewer) or how good his drinks might have been, his place in British beer history seems assured.
It wasn’t until the middle-ages that the first big beer breakthrough occurred. During this time, a mixture of herbs called ‘gruit’ was discovered which helped give beer its needed bitterness. Those that knew the secret of gruit rarely shared it, and this allowed brewing to become the domain of a select few. In Britain, as in most of Europe during the middle-ages, the brewery masters were monks.
The next big event in the history of British beer was the introduction of hops in the fifteenth century. So revolutionary was this new flavouring agent that it quickly drove all others off the market. This new development, along with the dissolvement of the English monasteries, blew the brewery field wide open, and small breweries, many attached to their own pubs, sprung up all over the country.
The 1830 Beerhouse Act
Although the history of British beer taxation is not fully known, it is clear that by the time of the Industrial revolution, the heavy taxes were making it hard for smaller alehouses (pubs) to exist. This all changed with the passing of the 1830 Beerhouse Act which allowed anyone to sell beer for a small two guinea fee. Considering this act passed during the reign of William IV, it is little wonder that this is still the most common Monarch’s name attached to pubs.
British Beer Today
Today, six brewing companies are responsible for 84% of the British beer market. However Britain also supports sixty regional brewers and around 500 microbreweries.
Source:
Beer and Breweries of Britain by Roger Putman. Shire Books, Princes Risborough, 2004.
