Swedish beer market late 1940s.

I came across some intersting tables in a report from 1953 carried out by the Industrial research institute on behalf of the Swedish brewers association which I thought were interesting and figured some others might find it interesting too. The report deals with the post-war situation. Pre-war the maximum strenght of beer sold in Sweden, class II, had been 3.2% abw (so about 4% abv) and 10.5% plato. During the war the maximum permissible original gravity was lowered in incremental steps down to around 7% at its nadir. After the war an agreement between the public health authority and the brewers was made by which the beer would be brewed no stronger than 2.6% abw (about 3.3% abv). This would be increased to 2.8% abw (circa 3.5% abv) in 1949. Beer stronger than this (Class III or "strong beer") would not be sold until 1955. Aside from class II there was also a class I which was capped at 1.8% abw.

The breweries were divided by the size of production in hectoliters into five groups (I-VI) as shown above.


The next picture shows the number of breweries belonging to each group (antal anläggningar=number of sites). 137 breweries in total divided by the five groups.


The table above shows statistics for hops before, during and after the war. "Humle import ton" is hop imports in tons. Humleförbrukning is hop use divided after 1939 into class III and II to the left and class I to the right. The column to the far right shows a price index for hops, showing the jump in prices after the war (the further jump in prices from 1949 and onwards might have something to do with restrictions on beer brewing in Germany being lifted in 1949).


The table above shows the production of various beer types among 101 different breweries in the year 1947/1948 divided by the five different size classes described previously, with the numbers showing the production in hectoliters and share of production by beer type in percent. Klass III beer is only produced by the largest breweries and make up 1% of the total production. Pilsner type beer class II makes up 81%, Lager 10%. Julöl (Christmas beer), Erlanger, Royal (I'm guessing this was St. Eriks Royal pale ale made by one of the largest breweries at the time), Porter and class I beer make up the rest. Low gravity, low abv Pilsner was heavily dominant as can be seen.


The table above, also dealing with the year 1947/1948 divides 94 breweries by the share of production by beer type. So for example there were 10 breweries with 100% of their production being Pilsner, 50 other breweries where production of Pilsner made up 90-100% etc. 1 brewery had 100-90% of their production being porter, this is obviously Carnegie porter brewery in Gothenburg who dominated porter production at this time. The column to the far right shows how many of the 94 breweries were engaged in the production of the different types of beers which gives an idea of how much variety was being produced beyond a beer type's percentage of total production.


The table above shows average malt use in kilograms per hectoliter beer, as well as average hop use in kilograms per 100 hectoliter beer, for class III and II as well as for class I beer between the years 1940 to 1951. From 1942 and onwards the numbers for malt also include adjuncts, which became allowed during the war, primarily raw sugar. To get the hopping rate per HL in grams you simply multiply the figures for hops by ten, so in 1940 the average for class II was 205 grams per HL, whereas in 1947/1948 it had dropped to 183 grams, continuing to drop to 158 grams per HL in 1950/1951.


Here is a particularly interesting table I thought since it shows hop use per 100 hl wort in the fermenting cellar for the year 1947/1948. The column to the far left shows hops in kilograms, again one need only multiply by ten to get the number per HL in grams. The columns to the right of it shows the number of breweries using a particular hopping rate for a particular class of beer, class III, class II, class I lagrat (lagered class I beers, pilsner and lager types), and class I färskt (fresh beer, or unaged, often top fermented beer). So class III beer was being brewed with somewhere between 200-340 grams of hops. Class II beer (2.6% abw max at this time) had a span of 120-360 or more grams per hl. Class I lagrat had a span of 80-360 or more grams per hl. While class I färskt had a span of less than 20-140 grams per hl.

Apart from class III which had the smallest sample each class of beer shows both the presence of outliers as well as a coalescing around an average. These numbers makes me curious as to what kind of spread one would have found among for example American breweries in the same time period, if there were some clear outliers even among the brewers of beer (not just ale brewers) aside from the majority coalescing around an average hopping rate.

In the report it is noted that the explanation for the very large variations in hop use stemmed from differences in the hop bitterness of the beverages as well as differences in hop utilization. Due to the "great importance" of hops as an outlay for the brewery the authors write that it would be good to determine by way of experiment how much hops are needed to achieve the bitterness desired by consumers and to aim to "bring down" the use of hops to that level.

For some context I thought I would post this image of a Swedish brewing logbook from September 1948 showing a brew of class II pilsner using 2 kg of hops for 10 hl wort in th kettle at 8% extract, ie plato. My photography skills were severly lacking when I took this picture but the number to the far right is 9 hl, being the volume of wort in the fermentation cellar. The extract would have climbed a few decimal points to maybe 8.2% based on previous years. So 2 kg of hops for 9 hl wort means 222 grams of hops per hl beer.


The table above (from a 1959 governmental report) shows a number of analyzed beers with the ones listed under öl belonging to class II. These beers were analyzed over the span of 1953-1956 as part of a large study on the influence of alcohol in beer on the human body. The headings "alkoholhalt (viktprocent)" (alcohol content (percent by weight)) and "stamvörtstyrka (procent)" (original gravity (percent) are the pertinent ones here. One can see that there's a pilsner analyzed as having 8% plato original gravity and 2.6% abw. Another pilsner at 2.61% abw and 8.38% plato is also quite close to the abw limit in place in 1947/48 and the circa 8.2% plato of the beer in the brewing logbook. Showing the continued impact of the war years and the restrictions post war even in the 1950s, and gives us an idea of the kind of specs likely hiding behind the label pilsner, class II, in the tables above.

This has been a look into Swedish post war brewing, I hope some of it might pique the interest of some of the members of this forum, I know I enjoy learning about other countries' brewing history and I figure I can provide a glimpse into a part of history which will be inaccessible to a non-Swede without some help.

 

Embarrassing error detected. Clearly there are six classes and not five, so excuse the sloppy error here and elsewhere. However, most of the breweries belonging to class VI, or six, were so called defense breweries, breweries owned by breweries outside the brewery's distribution area solely for the purpose of being able to distribute to that area. They produced a very small amount of beer just to keep the operation going, thus defending their parent brewery's right to distribute to that area, back then breweries were geographically restricted as to where they could sell their products.

 

I agree that it is very interesting, and complex at times.

Well the motivations have shifted somewhat. Before WW1 the brewing industry in Sweden was very lightly regulated, but in 1917 food shortages resulted in rationing and restrictions on the original gravity of the beer (it dropped as low as 2-4% plato, making the beer essentially non alcoholic by virtue of the low original gravity). In 1919 beer bounced back a bit as beer of 3.6% abv and 9.5% plato maximum could be brewed again. Also, in 1919 beer above 3.6% abv (so about 2.8% abw) and 9.5% plato was brought under the legislation covering hard liquor, while beer below 3.6% (class I and II) was treated under separate beer legislation. This 3.6% abv, 9.5% plato limit was based on the lower gravity bottom fermented beers which were being brewed in Sweden from the late 1800s up until then, of pilsner and lager type, being similar to Bohemian and Austrian Schenkbier (circa 10-11% plato) in strenght. The separation of beer into three classes based on the alcoholic content and original gravity also stems from the 1919 legislation. These moves hints at a shift in perception that was taking place, from beer as an unregulated product to one of legislative interest.

The brewers association at this time came to an agreement whereby they would not brew beer stronger than 3.6% abv on a voluntary basis. Their motivations here are not stated, one could speculate that the temperance movement's demands for a ban on alcohol had something to do with them wanting to compromise. The restrictions introduced during the war years spawned the idea among the temperance movement that strong beers could and should be outlawed. In 1922 Sweden held a referendum on prohibition which failed. In the same year the sale of beer above 3.6% abv was however banned for one year provisionally and then in 1923 the ban was made permanent. In 1923 the maximum allowed alcohol content in beer class II was increased to 3.2% abw (circa 4% abv) and the original gravity to 10.5%. This was intended as a compromise now that stronger beer would be banned for sale permanently, and give the class II beer a better taste and better keeping quality, which would placate beer drinkers demands for strong beer to be brought back. From 1923 until early 1941 the 3.2% abw and 10.5% limit was in place, after that the original gravity started to slide and the abv followed along with it.

Yes, and we're still a monarchy but the king has virtually no political power these days (wikipedia can probably explain the twists and turns here alot better than I can). Incidentally the royal family was exempted from the restrictions described above, they could still buy and import strong beer if they wanted to throughout this period, quite the royal privilege I should say .

 

My writing was cut short by work this morning so I didn't get to finish the post the way I had planned but essentially the two world wars both resulted in grain having to be rationed along with everything else, leading to cuts in original gravity and thus abv. The primary motive here being the rationing of the country's resources. But in the aftermath of both wars restrictions were put in place which were motivated by temperance concerns. After WW1 with the banning of strong beer. And after WW2 with the capping of the abw limit at 2.6% abw and later in 1949 at 2.8% abw, instead of returning to the pre-war limit of 3.2% abw. In the latter case the government reports make it clear that it was temperance concerns which influenced the maintaining of the lower limit, positive experiences gained during the war as it pertained to lower levels of drunkenness was the main motive for keeping the abv lower post-war.

So Swedish beer legislation in this time period clearly operated under the maxim of "never let a crisis go to waste".

Concerning the double limit of abw/abv and original gravity a couple of points can be made. After WW2 the limit on original gravity was removed from the legislation, before then the concern had been that by not limiting the original gravity the alcoholic content of the beer could be substantially increased either by natural secondary fermentation, or by the addition of yeast. By limiting the original gravity the alcohol potential was limited. After the war these concerns were no longer seen as valid and no limits were put in place in the post war legislation, this is evident in the samples listed as "Specialöl" in the last table in the OP, beers which should not exceed 2.8% abw yet had an original gravity of 12-12.6% plato (full strenght beer gravities). These beers were intended to provide the fullness of strong beer with the abv of class II beer.

 

The most obvious influences are found in how beer is sold still today. We still have class I (2.25% abv, previously 1.8% abw), class II (3.5% abv, previously 2.8% abw) and class III (over 3.5% abv) beer. Class I and II are sold in grocery stores, class III in government run liquor stores, where it has been sold since 1955. Today class III beer makes up 70% of beer sales so the situation today is alot more normal than it used to be in terms of the beer "culture", or the beer drinking.

Home brewing remained legal and no limits were placed on either the alcoholic content or original gravity, so people could make strong beer at home if they wanted to. Homebrewing in Sweden was, by the government's own account, a dying craft by the 1920s-30s so it didn't pose a threat to the legislation. Home distilling was more prevalent and seen as more of a problem (and was thus illegal).

 

One thing I appreciate about Swedish brewing history is the availability of official statistics. One thing which can be easily tracked via statistics is the rise to dominance of pilsner beer. All of the production numbers below are in hectoliters.

This table spans the years 1899-1903. The list to the right is made up of types of beer while the numbers are in hectoliters. From top to bottom:
Porter
Lager beer
Pilsner beer
Specialty bottom fermented beers (i.e beers like Erlanger, Kulmbacher, Bock, Salvator etc)
Top fermented beer (i.e domestic Swedish smoked beer and high gravity Christmas beer)
Bottom fermented lower gravity beer, pilsner and lager types (the future class II)
Top fermented low gravity beer (small beer, the future class I)

In this table spanning 1901-1920 the categories are (from left to right):
Porter
Lager beer
Pilsner beer
Extra beer types, bottom fermented and top fermented
Lower gravity lager and pilsner type beers (what would become class II)
Small beer (what would become class I)
Total production
Value in crowns

This table spans the years 1923-1935 and is divided between taxed breweries (de skattepliktiga bryggerierna) to the left and the non-taxed breweries (skattefria bryggerierna) producing only class I beer to the right. The taxed breweries produce both class III, II and I beer and production is divided into (from left to right): Klass III, Porter-type class II, Lager-type class II and Pilsner-type class II, svagdricka class I (both lagrat and färskt) and maltdricka class I (1.8% abw max but with a higher original gravity and pasteurized).

By the end of the 19th century lager beer was the dominant type of beer. It was descended from the Bavarian beer introduced to Sweden in the 1840s. It remained the top seller until the restrictions brought about by WW1 when production of full strenght beer drops to essentially zero. Class II beer replaces full strenght beer and by 1923 pilsner type class II beer has achieved dominance in sales among the class II, a position which is maintained into the post-war era.

 

Here's an interesting document from December 1942. It describes an agreement between kontrollstyrelsen, the government agency in charge of industries subject to excise taxes, and the brewers' association, to reduce the original gravity of the beer brewed starting from January first 1943. Incremental cuts would bring the gravity down from 8% to 7% by the end of March 1943. The agreement was signed by the brewery owner.

As can be seen from this brewing logbook from December 1942 showing brews of class II pilsner, under the heading "Vört i jäskaren" ("wort in the fermentation tuns") and the column "extrakthalt %" ("extract content %") the original gravity was down to 8.2% by this time. Additionally as can be seen under the heading of "Socker", sugar was being used as an adjunct to the malt. The use of raw sugar in brewing class II beer had been allowed since April first 1942.

 

Found a helpful table in a governmental statistical yearbook from 1960 which has English headings alongside the Swedish ones. One can see the jump in sugar use in 1941/42, yet its use then drops in subsequent war years. I imagine this was due to sugar having to be rationed as well. Then it increases sharply in 1947/1948 while the malt used drops quite a bit. So sugar was used to replace the malt, but as the malt used is increased again in 1949/50 the use of sugar again recedes sharply. 1949 is when the abv limit was raised to 2.8% abw from 2.6% abw. Pre-1941 the sugar would have been used by the tax exempt breweries producing class I svagdricka/small beer since they were exempt from the malt-only legislation of tax liable breweries, as well as some sugar used for porter since the Carnegie brewery had a legal exemption for using sugar in their brewing of porter.

Also interesting is to see the production of the different types of beer, although the numbers mostly show a reduction in overall sales during the war of the main beer type, pilsner class II, with a recovery post-war. For comparative purposes and to get the volume in HL one simply multiplies the numbers for production by ten.

 

Some interesting numbers concerning hop imports. One can see how dominant imports from Czechoslovakia was before the war, caused by the dominance of pilsner-type class II beer. But by the end of the 1940s the picture becomes more complicated.

Concerning the large amount of hops imported in 1945/1946 I found this table below to be helpful. 10690 50kg bags comes out to 534.5 tons of hops out of the 615 tons imported.

 

Here are a couple of good tables which show the developments since 1950 until today. They come from the Swedish public health authority. The numbers show liters per capita (1 gallon is equal to 3.78 liters) of the following categories:
Spritdrycker=spirits
Vin och andra jästa alkoholdrycker=wine and other fermented alcoholic beverages
Starköl= strong beer (class III beer, sold in government liquor stores and restaurants)
Mellanöl (klass IIB)= 3.6% abw/4.4% abv beer sold in grocery stores from 1965 to 1977
Folköl= class II beer, 2.8% abw/3.5% abv sold in grocery stores

Wine and strong beer has seen strong gains over time, whereas spirits and class II beer have lost out. It's very much a different landscape nowadays.