History: Guinness's Small Cask vs Hogshead in 1842

Carlow in 1842 was a busy and prosperous place. The streets were full with shoppers day and night and with travellers from the excellent coaching system who stayed in the local inns, plus there was produce arriving constantly via the barges that travelled regularly on the Barrow river, from Dublin, Waterford and all points in between.

The many shops stocked a fine array of teas, coffees, exotic fruits, meat and spices ... and beer, spirits and wines of course. Henry Birkett's grocery store was positioned in a fine location on the southern end of Dublin Street, close to where it intersected with Tullow Street at Market Cross, where most of those who lived or visited the town past through on a daily basis.

His customers we can presume were many of the landed gentry that owned the best houses in and around the town, and those customers seem to have had a problem with the their Guinness double stout porter. It appears that they were not impressed with hassle of bottling their own stout, and were losing too much during the messy process. So Henry decided on an enterprising plan to bottle the beer for them instead, thus insuring he keeps his sales of porter, and made a few more shillings in the process.

To let his customers know of this service he decides to place an advertisement in the local paper - The Carlow Sentinel:

'Several families who purchase PORTER IN WOOD having complained of the inconvenience and loss in bottling, H. B. has so arranged that by their taking 8 Dozen together ( the quantity contained in a half Barrel) and giving Bottles, he can supply them at the rate of 3s 6d per Dozen.

He wishes to remark he gets his porter direct from JAMES' GATE BREWERY, in Hogsheads and the Porter in them is always superior than that contained in small Casks.'

As you can see, as well as promoting his bottling service he makes some bold claims about the quality of hogshead versus small casks, claiming that the former 'is always superior' to the latter. Would a larger barrel of porter travel and store better than a smaller one? Hogsheads would be less likely to suffer temperature fluctuations but how else could they affect the beer? Was he receiving older small casks perhaps? Was it even a different porter masquerading as Guinness's? There certainly could be a few reasons and variables I believe ...

Either way his comments did not go unnoticed by Edward Byrne, who was either the local distributor for Guinness or another seller of it, and the following week this rebuttal of the accusations appeared in the paper.

'... we [Guinness] authorise you to state that the Porter sent from this Brewery, as Double Stout, in half barrel casks, is the very same as sent in hogsheads, both being Racked from the same Vats.'

But it seems that Henry stuck to his guns, as the original advertisement appeared on the front page with Guinness's defence of its beer at the bottom of the page, and the same advert appeared for a few weeks afterwards.

Whether it was just a perceived difference on his part or not, it appears that Henry had enough of an issue with it to have it put down in print...

And one wonders if it was - like with so many a present day beer drinker - tainted by other influences?

[Thanks again to the local history room in Carlow library]

Liam

(Edited and expanded slightly 12th October 2022)

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