BeerSmith Home and Beer Brewing Podcast · Brad Smith and Friends

British Brewing in WWII with Ron Pattinson – BeerSmith Podcast #294

December 12, 2023·46 min·4 clips

Ron Pattinson reveals how British brewers adapted during WWII, facing shortages and rationing.

This episode features beer historian Ron Pattinson discussing the impact of World War II on British brewing with host Brad Smith. Pattinson is a prolific author and runs the historical brewing blog "Shut Up About Barclay Perkins." Their conversation details how the war fundamentally altered beer production, recipes, and strength in the UK. The government imposed strict controls on brewing materials like barley and sugar to prioritize food supplies. Pattinson explains that brewers were forced to use alternative ingredients, including unmalted grains and even potatoes. Beer gravity and alcohol content dropped significantly due to these material shortages and government decrees. He references specific wartime regulations that dictated the maximum gravity allowed for different beer styles. The discussion covers the cultural shift as traditional strong ales became weaker and pub culture adapted. Pattinson shares data on the average original gravity of beer plummeting from pre-war levels to a low point around 1943. He notes the lasting legacy of these changes, with some post-war beer strengths never recovering to their pre-1939 levels. A surprising insight is that the very weak "wartime beer" myth is exaggerated, as brewers worked hard to maintain drinkability. Pattinson describes how brewers' logs reveal ingenious methods for stretching limited grain supplies. The conversation highlights that sugar, a crucial pre-war brewing adjunct, became almost unavailable, forcing major recipe revisions. It is noted that pub patrons often blended different beers to achieve a palatable flavor from the weaker products. The tone is educational and conversational, driven by Pattinson's deep archival research. The style is a detailed historical interview, punctuated with specific data points and anecdotes. Home brewers and beer history enthusiasts will love this episode for its technical and social details. Listeners seeking modern brewing techniques or non-historical topics might find it too niche.

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