Tuesday 20 December 2022

Brewing History: An Early Mention of (West) India Pale Ale...?

A couple of interactions on social media recently regarding the term 'India Pale Ale' both - East and West - got me digging into references to the term, and the earliest I could find via my go-to newspaper archive was this advertisement in a Barbados newspaper from March 1824:

It is certainly a nice early reference to to the term 'India Pale Ale' although it is with regard to the West Indies version, and Edd Mather has asserted it was darker than the 'East' version as referenced in the below-linked post by Gary Gillman. (I will list all references flagged during that interaction at the end of this post too, including one from Alan McLeod and from Martyn Cornell regarding EIPA.)

It does make me wonder if the term West India Pale Ale - purely as a descriptor - predates the use of East India Pale Ale? It is probable of course that both terms were in use well before this time but seeing it in print certainly gives, at the very least, a time-stamp to its use and perhaps how its meaning was perceived. (I have no doubt we will come across earlier examples as more printed material is digitised but it is important to record these these references when we find them.)

What is certainly of interest to me and Irish brewing history is that Lane's of Cork were using the descriptor for their West India Porter - a product they were relatively famous and well-known for - earlier in print, as this advertisement from the same newspaper but from March 1821 shows:


Again this is meaningless in a way but it is good to record these things, and it is certainly of interest to see it in print. (Incidentally, I have a huge amount of scans of documents from the Murphy's Archive in Cork University, and in a few brewing logs there are references and recipes for 'West India' beers that need analysing and time spent on them, they don't show which brewery they are from but the could be from Lane's given the movement of personnel between all the Cork breweries and their more recent merges? I need to get back into those soon.)

Anyhow, there is lots of more information written by others for you to read through but it certainly is a subject that needs more digging into, if quite carefully given the geography, history and other implications of the commercial enterprises.

More reading that came from that original interaction:

Gary Gillman: 1829 Canadian References to India Pale Ale & a follow up here West and East India Madeira: Lessons for Beer

Martyn Cornell: The earliest use of the term India pale ale was … in Australia?

Edd Mather: J & R TENNENT : ALES 1830 - 1831

Alan McLeod : More References To That Shadowy Taunton Ale

Also:

I have posted previously about Lane's Brewery in Cork.

Liam K

West India Pale Ale mention - Barbados Mercury and Bridge-town Gazette - Saturday 27 March 1824
Lane's Porter mention - Barbados Mercury and Bridge-town Gazette - Saturday 24 March 1821
(Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Licence.  Attributed to the National Archives of Barbados)

All written content and the research involved in publishing it here is my own unless otherwise stated and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission, full credit to its sources, and a link back to this post. Newspaper image © The British Library Board - All rights reserved. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) from whom I have received permission to display this image on this site.

Thursday 15 December 2022

Pub History: More on Mulled Porter - Rare Recipes & Mulled Beef?

In my last post on the subject, I established that mulled porter was certainly something that was available in public houses in Ireland - and elsewhere of course - the 19th century. I even discovered that specially designed or adapted mulling 'machines' sat on the bars of public houses for serving the mulled porter itself, but I did not discuss in any great detail what recipe was being used to create this hot drink.

Finding clear information on what mulled porter actually contained, apart from the heated beer itself, has proved to be a little tricky, as although there are many recipes for mulled porters and ales in old (and new) recipe books, pinning down what exactly was in the versions sold in bars in Ireland in the 1800s has been almost impossible.

One point to make is that sometimes 'mulled' just meant heated porter with nothing added to it, akin to the old much-mentioned method of just sticking a hot poker into the beer and hey presto there you had mulled porter. I have no doubt that this may have been the case in certain establishments - with or without the poker - but I did come across some other Irish non-recipe-book references that mention ingredients.

A Louth enquirer in The Farmer's Gazette from 18th of January 1868 regarding a recipe for mulled porter or ale gets the response that it contains sugar and nutmeg or ginger. Also, in Saunders's News-Letter from the 28th of July 1854 there is a brief mention in a published letter of a 'mulled porter you used to make when we were in Dublin, with plenty of nutmeg grated on top of it.' A few other online references mention both ginger, nutmeg, and sugar as well as - less often - cinnamon, which would lead to us to believe that if and when it was spiced it was mostly with these ingredients, either mixed or on their own perhaps? Hardly definitive proof but we can see that there is at least some record of these spices being used in general in Ireland if not specifically in pubs unfortunately. 

Mulled porter was not a uniquely Irish drink of course, and I am certainly focussing more so on Irish public houses here, but in Scotland and England there are quite a few mentions of sugar alone being used in mulled porter, and no spice at all is recorded. More interestingly, there were also specific mixes for adding to porter available in England, and possibly in Ireland too given the close trading ties. For example, an advertisement in The Bristol Daily Post on the 26th of October 1864 carries the following claim:

The only Genuine and Original
Lemon and Spice Extract
for making
Mulled Porter and Wine

An earlier advertisement from the same company but in the rival Bristol Daily Post in August of the same year names the mix as 'Caird's Lemon and Spice Extract' but unfortunately does not give us the recipe, just mentioning that it 'combines in soluble form the quintessence of the most esteemed Spices with the fragrance and agreeable acidity of the Lemon' and that it 'comes cheaper than using spice in the ordinary way'  - it could also be used in plum puddings and cakes, and all for just 1s a bottle!

And The Morning Advertiser from the 30th of January 1860 has this:

I'll Warm Yer. - Fettle for Mull'd Porter 8s per gallon, Ale Spice, 10s. 6d.

This was a spiced syrup that could be added to the porter for an 'instant' drink. (The word 'fettle' has a similar meaning to mulled, but seems to be more used in England as I could not find many references to the term in Irish publications.)

I did find a bar-related recipe for Porter Spice in the London printed New Guide for the Hotel, Bar, Restaurant Butler, and Chef by 'Bacchus' & 'Cordon Bleu' from 1885 that lists cloves, lemon rinds, cinnamon, allspice, coriander seed and caraway seed to which was added spirit, which was filtered after a fortnight and that spiced spirit added to syrup and bottled. It was suggested that a teaspoon be added to a pint of porter and then it could be sweetened to taste. I would imagine that this might be quite close to the proprietary syrup mentioned above, but no doubt there were a few variants of the actual spice mix.

This recipe certainly seems like one worth trying out and I am sure it would work in a hot whiskey too!

So to sum up, I could find no exact recipe for what was added to the hot porter in Irish public houses - it may have been just heated, possibly with sugar added - but I suspect it was also slightly spiced with ginger and/or nutmeg. Maybe it had a little lemon added too, and perhaps some used an instant syrup mix. In truth it was probably served a number of different ways depending on the pub and on their customers' tastes.

Incidentally, a mention in The Enniscorthy News & County of Wexford Advertiser on the 30th of May 1863 mentions that some cattle that had to swim for shore after a boat capsized were given a 'plentiful supply of mulled porter, sugar and ginger' to get them back to rights. The giving of mulled porter as a restorative to beast as well as man seems to have been quite common given the number of mentions I came across in veterinarian advice columns in newspapers around this time. So it looks like giving beer to cows is not just for certain Wagyu farmers, it was used here too and I suspect for similar reasons - as an appetite stimulant to get, in this case, sick cows to eat more, which would hopefully help with what ailed them!

Liam K.

(If you want further old recipes for spiced beers you could seek out Cooling Cups and Dainty Drinks by William Terrington, as well as this post by me on the subject.)

All written content and the research involved in publishing it here is my own unless otherwise stated and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission, full credit to its sources, and a link back to this post. Newspaper image © The British Library Board - All rights reserved. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) from whom I have received permission to display this image on this site.

Thursday 8 December 2022

Bottled Irish Beer History: Farewell my Handsome Friend

I am sure that most pubgoers in Ireland are familiar with The Large Bottle of Guinness - or Smithwicks, Macardles, Harp and even Bulmers - and many might think that this bottle is around for ages, and indeed it has been - but perhaps not for as long as you think.

I found and advertisement from January 1976 (which I need to remind myself is a long time ago to many) that pinpoints the change to these 'new' style of bottles from the chunky, squatter earlier version.

The advertisement is quite nice to see as it shows the old pint bottle and the new one side-by-side, illustrating the shape and size comparison:


The wording reads:

Everything changes, even the Guinness bottle.
Everything changes.
Except Guinness,
And so we say farewell, sadly, to yet another old friend.

The Guinness bottle with the handsome shoulders. We loved it for the Guinness inside. And that remains unchanged.
So, let's toast farewell to an old friend, with an old friend. Guinness.
It was probably phased in over a few months, so possibly from late 1975 to early 1976 but at least we now know when those 'handsome' shouldered pint bottles sadly disappeared.

(Incidentally, The Small Bottle, the half pint version, disappeared here in 1995, according to an article in The Enniscorthy Guardian of that year.)

Liam K.

All written content and the research involved in publishing it here is my own unless otherwise stated and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission, full credit to its sources, and a link back to this post. Image © Independent News and Media PLC created courtesy of The British Library Board - All Rights Reserved - and via  The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) I have received permission from both parties to display this image on this site as non-commercial and informative content.

Tuesday 22 November 2022

Pub History: A 'Summut' - Plain, Stick & Hinion ...

One aspect of pub snacking that I have a minor issue with is the pairing of a pint of stout with a packet of cheese and onion crisps, with the implication that one makes the other better. The cheese is perfectly acceptable of course but onion with a nice stout - or any good beer - clearly ruins the flavour profile of the beverage, changing it completely as your palate is assailed and altered by the harsh onion compounds. Admittedly this is less of an issue with one of the blander of the macrobrewed stouts, and it does not mean I have never partaken of such a combination, but it is certainly not a mix that any 'Craft Beer & Food Pairing Guru' would be happy with I assume - or at least not if they are being entirely honest about how such a strong flavour is workable with any fine and flavoursome stout or porter.

But it appears this combination of onions and stout is not new, so let me transcribe here a report that appeared in a couple of newspapers in May of 1837:

DUBLIN POLICE - Henry-street Office.
Pleasant Salute. — Thomas Mulvey preferred a charge of assault against Thomas Pleasant and Ellen Beverly. He stated, after having performed his daily business, and received his daily hire, he stepped into a public house to get pint of summut.
Mr. Blacker — What do you call a pint of summut?
Mulvey — Lord, your worship! not know what that is! My eyes! Every one knows that — a pint of porter with a stick in it, and a raw hinion.
Mr. Blacker — Mercy on me! — you beast! What you want the onion for, and what do you call a stick in it? 
Mulvey — Blessed are the ignorant, for they know nothing! A stick means a crapper of strong water, and the hinion to give it flavour.
Mr. Blacker — Very well, Sir; go on with your charge. 
Mulvey — Well, after taking a drop of natheral refreshment, I was coming out, when this here man and this here woman came up, and without any more ado, set on me and beat me in the manner you see; the female little devil got stones in her hand, and beat my head with them.
Ellen Beverly — No, your worship, it was only a key. 
Mr. Blacker — I will fine you and your husband 10s. 
Pleasant — She is not wife — she is better off; she is under my protection. 
Mr. Blacker—How dare you, Sir! It makes your crime worse. Get out of my sight.

There is quite a bit to take on board here. Both a 'stick' and a 'crapper' are terms for a measure of spirits - usually whiskey but a 'summut' is a new term for me, and I am assuming the word is an alternative version of 'something' as common in certain northern English dialects. How it appeared in Dublin I do not know and perhaps it has a separate meaning.

Leaving all of that aside the big thing here is an onion being served in a pint of porter and whiskey - or at least that is implied by the comments of Mr. Mulvey. This seems odd to the extreme and I can find no other reference to either a 'summut' or the practice of serving onion in a beer anywhere else - as of yet.

We have all probably had IPAs that certainly had a garlicky flavour from the hops, so maybe this is not as bizarre as it sounds - providing it is true of course, and Mr. Mulvey our witness was not making up the drink for comical reasons, although it would be a strange place and situation in which to do so. 

There are also onions that are quite mild and can be eaten a little like apples, and perhaps they were less 'oniony' in the early 19th century anyway. Certainly pickled onions are still acceptable in certain places as a pub snack but the act of pickling does tend the mute the onion flavour, and they are usually a special variety too.

I think we need to take the whole reference with a pinch of salt - to introduce another savoury element - and it is certainly not a recipe I plan to recreate, but it is certainly a thought-provoking , or perhaps stomach-churning, combination.

Perhaps I have discovered the origin of the need for some of you to have that packet of cheese and onion flavour crisps with your pint of stout!?

Liam K.

All written content and the research involved in publishing it here is my own unless otherwise stated and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission, full credit to its sources, and a link back to this post. Newspaper image © The British Library Board - All rights reserved. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) from whom I have received permission to display this image on this site.

Wednesday 16 November 2022

Irish Pub History: Mulled Porter on Tap...?

Mulled porter, ale or especially wine are not exactly an unknown concept to most people, as these types of drinks have indeed been around for centuries - I even wrote about them here and listed some recipes - and I would think that very few of you are unaware that the 'mulling' refers to the spicing and heating of an alcoholic beverage. (Incidentally there seems to be no agreement in any online dictionary sources as to where the term ‘Mull’ comes from in this context but surely it comes from a contraction of muddle meaning to mix? Or at least comes from the same original source.) But while looking up references on how beer was served in Irish public houses, I came across repeated references to 'Porter Mulling Machines' right through the second half of the 19th century which got me thinking what form these could have taken, how they would have been heated, and how they worked. The word ‘machine’ can be a bit a little confusing, but my belief is that during this period it did not mean what we think of in our heads these days, of something filled with gears, axles and cogs, it – like engine – was just a general 'something' that replaced a manual form of doing a job or helped someone with that task. A ‘beer engine’ used for serving cask ale is a good and appropriate example of the use of these type of words.

Those mentions I found in newspapers – often for the sale of contents of a public house – often listed the name ‘Merry’ as the supplier or maker. More research uncovered a ‘Lawrence & Richard Merry’ as manufacturers of beer engines, bottling equipment and other barware in this period. They were proficient in a variety of metals such as copper, pewter and brass, and were also gasfitter and plumbers. They had won a gold medal at the Irish National Exhibition in 1883 for the quality of their wares, and I believe they enterprise may have started off as pewter manufacturers. (There is also a Martin Merry mentioned in the 1840s supplying similar equipment and based on Aungier Street, not very far away from where Lawrence and Richard were based at 25 Bride Street.)

Sadly, I can find no mention of their specific ‘Porter Mulling Machine’ but I have found a few English patents and designs for beverage mulling machines which used gas as their heat source, and given the Merry’s expertise with metals and gas, I think it is not unreasonable to assume that the ‘machines’ they supplied were quite like these?

Here is one such design in an Advertisement by Smith & Phillips - Gas Engineers in 'A Shilling Cookery for the People' by Alexis Soyer which was published in 1854. This one appears to have four sections for different drinks and four taps.

There were other patents during that decade too such as this one from Henry Remington from 1856 (English Patent No. 1783) which was gas heated too and contained two chambers for holding the heated beverages as well as a reservoir of hot water that heated the beer and maybe wine or ale, each with separate taps. (I have seen mention of similar in the sale of contents of a spirit grocer in Wicklow in 1873, which mentions that the mulling equipment also had three taps and in 1877 there is an advertisement in The Belfast Telegraph for 'a first class porter muller, all pure copper, well tinned inside, three apartments[sic], for porter, ale and water,' which certainly sounds like the boiler shown here.)

I have no proof that the Merry’s machine was anything like these (so I could be completely wrong) but I think it is reasonable enough to assume it was at least similar in design – like a heated copper barrel with the gas heat source below although if it was just for porter then it may have had just one - or two - compartments. As I stated above, the Merrys were gas fitters too and some of those mentions of the sale of the contents of public houses even list gas fittings with the bar items for sale. I also found a newspaper reference of a fire having been caused by a faulty porter mulling machine in Glasgow in 1881, which would point to gas being the likely heat source for this type of bar equipment. Also, slightly earlier in 1877 a spirit grocer in Newry is selling a 'copper keg, with brass hoops, in two divisions, heated by gas, for mulling porter, and boiling water' according to the town's Reporter newspaper. This seems to confirm that the heat source is indeed gas, and also that these boilers were quite ornate in appearance like the images above.

There other mentions of mullers elsewhere too, The Belfast News-Letter in November of 1867 has a timely advertisement from Bloomfield's in John Street which invites publicans to look at their prize-winning and improved mullers so that said publicans can give their customers 'a pot of mulled porter this winter.' A London maker - Byron - is also mentioned in an advertisement in 1880 in The Belfast Telegraph, and Dublin's Freeman's Journal lists two for sale in 1882, one made by Merrys complete with stand and another three compartment version from a maker called Curtis. James Campbell & Co. of Mary Street and Jervis Street in Dublin had a new design of porter muller back in 1859 according to The Advocate too, so we can see that there were a number of suppliers and makers of porter mullers.

As well as the fire in Scotland mentioned above there was a fire in Dublin in 1884 according to the city's Daily Express, as in April it was reported that

'About twelve o'clock noon yesterday a fire broke out at the publichouse Nos 1 and 2 Wood Quay, the property of Mr O'Kelly. The Fire Brigade were quickly on the scene and within half an hour the fire was extinguised. It is beleived to have originated through a leakage of the gas pipe used for heating the porter muller, the shop flooring thus becoming ignited. The damage done to the property was slight.'

(It is probably worth mentioning that this property is the long gone and much lamented The Irish House ...)

Mulled porter appears to have been relatively popular in public houses Ireland at this time – perhaps less so elsewhere - and there were even specific lemon and spice extracts and liquid spiced syrups available to the publican to quickly and easily spice their porters. It would be great if some of the dispensers still existed in public houses somewhere in the country – if you spot one please send me a photo, as it would be great to see that at least one has survived – ideally with an ‘L & R Merry’ stamp.

It would also be nice to be able to walk into a pub in Ireland now and get a glass of spiced porter in a nice pewter mug on a cold winter’s evening, served from a shiny brass and copper barrel on the bar – perhaps we need to campaign for the reinstatement of porter mulling machines?

Liam K.

All written content and the research involved in publishing it here is my own unless otherwise stated and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission, full credit to its sources, and a link back to this post. Images are via Google Books and newspaper research via The British Newspaper Archive.

Tuesday 25 October 2022

Pub Fiction: What's Good for You...?

[Warning: Contains violent descriptions]

He stirs …

He hears the front door closing and being latched as the last of the stragglers make their way on unsteady feet into the night, then the creak of the worn oak steps as the widow makes her way slowly upstairs to her bedroom. Muffled sounds carry through the layers of timber as she slowly undresses and her now lonely bed takes her sparse weight, a sigh drifting down to his all-hearing ears. His eyes shine green in the darkness down below as he stands on the cold stone floor in the place where he lives in the shadows, beneath the floorboards where the people drank, danced and talked just a short while ago.

He creeps silently from his hiding place, past the crates of bottles that line the oak shelves of the cellar, his eyes well accustomed to the darkness as he stretches his limbs, his joints cracking like the breaking of a rodent’s bones. The steps are as cold and damp as his skin as he crawls slowly up them to the heavy trapdoor and uses his back to push it open, his nose sniffing the remnants of food and stale beer. He eases his way from his hiding place and slowly lets the door sit silently back into it place, a task that takes almost all his strength. Now he stands as upright as his hunched back will allow, his squat body glowing palely in the light from the moon that shines through the window, reflected off the wet street outside.

He is a thing of legend, mocked and maligned by the questionable works of bewildered writers over the centuries. He and his solitary people are known by many names but in this dark and wet land and in his current form he is known as a Cluricaun – at least in modern speech – a creature who hides in cellars and is rarely seen. On his withered body he wears just a ragged apron he found that smells of sour beer, mould and the rats that he eats when he can catch them – their guts and blood soaking into the ancient leather-like material.

In the darkness he starts to search for the scraps of food that may have fallen on to the wooden floor and have been missed by the widow’s brush. He walks with a strange lumbering gait, pivoting at the hips, his big feet splaying widely, but silent as he searches in the forgotten corners of the room. He has two pockets in his apron, one he fills with the few crumbs he finds that will make a welcome change from his usual fare, and in the other he places any spent, discarded matches he finds wedged between the floorboards or stuck under the skirting boards. He stops as he hears a sound from up the stairs as the widow turns in her sleep and her bed creaks, his over-large head cocked at an angle and his big, pointed ears listening carefully for further movement, but nothing else stirs the silence.

He dares not go behind the bar in case he hits against the bottles or glasses in his clumsy way, although he was not always so. He is beyond ancient now and some of his bones and joints have seized or fused together causing him to walk in such an ungainly fashion. Finished with his search he returns to the trapdoor and with difficulty eases it gently open, and once again balances it on his humped back as he lets it close quietly and he heads back down the steps to his lair. The few tiny pieces of bread he found upstairs are soon eaten and his ever-present thirst rises - his need for drink urgent and greedy. He goes to the part of the cellar where the barrels labelled ‘XX Stout’ are kept and removes an old piece of twine from around his neck, on which is tied his most important possession. It is a long narrow tool, pointed and with curved threads at one end, and a handle on the other – a gimlet. He pushes the tool into the hard timber of the barrel and twists it from side to side before turning it clockwise and letting the threads find purchase as the tool drags itself into the oak until it pushes through the stave and spins freely. He removes the tool and quickly puts his mouth to the spurt of black frothy liquid that erupts from the hole. He drinks enough to sate his thirst but not so much to be noticed by anyone, and when he finishes he removes three matches from his pocket and jams them in the hole, letting the liquid swell the wood and block the small opening he made. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and thinks about how much he loves the dark liquid that arrives weekly into his lair. Drinking it makes him feel more content and fuller than the rats and morsels of food could ever do. He creeps back into the darkness behind the old furniture and crates that are stacked in a jumble in the farthest reaches of the cellar and lays down on a pile of damp sacks. This is the place he goes to when the widow descends the steps to put the strong black liquid into the bottles that she serves to those who visit the room upstairs. He watches her from the darkest recesses of this place when she corks each bottle and puts them into crates, and she never misses the liquid he removes so carefully.

He dozes now and remembers a past life when he lived in secrecy too but above ground instead of below, when he was nimbler, younger, and stronger. A time where he roamed the streets and fields of this place and hoarded the shiny trinkets he took from those who would not miss them, and kept them safe in his secret hiding place. But over time and before he recognised it happening, he had gotten old and careless. He forgot where he stored his treasures and, unable to move quickly and be unseen by the bigger folk, he retreated as others of his kind had to the dark safe spaces below the surface where he could hide more easily, slowly weakening and decaying. He knows also that one day soon he will need to crawl into the hole he has prepared under one of the slabs in this dark place, remaining truly hidden as he turns back into the earth from which he came.

He is brought back to the present by a noise from upstairs, a series of heavy thumps and muted cracks followed by a low moan. He cocks his ear to the sound and hears the whimpering groan again. Slowly and carefully he ascends the steps, once again raising the trapdoor, and listens. He hears the moan again and he eases his way out of the cellar, carefully closing the heavy trapdoor behind him, and slowly peers around the corner of the bar.

The widow is lying at the foot of the stairs, a glass tumbler rocking on the floor not far from her outstretched hand. She is crying softly now, and even from where he is half hidden he can see that her old limbs are twisted at impossible angles. One slipper is on her foot while the other is halfway up the stairs. He wobbles over to her not knowing what to do, and her eyes open wide when she sees him approach and she mumbles a prayer through her broken jaw. Her body is trembling with pain and fear as he stands over her. He has seen the same thing happen to the rats that are caught in the traps in the cellar, as they writhe and squeal in the dark, awaiting death.

He pauses and stares at her for a short time until he steels his resolve, knowing what he has to do. He takes his gimlet from around his neck and kneels with some difficulty beside her, before forcing the tool into the widow’s ear and upwards until he feels the bone give way and a sharp crack. Her body goes still and the low sounds she had been making stop. He removes his trusty little tool and is about to wipe it on his apron when he stops, and for no reason he can think of, licks the blood from it instead. It tastes a little like a rat’s blood but richer and stronger, and there is something else there, as if some of the widow’s very soul and essence was contained within her lifeblood. His eyes open wider and he licks his lips, then he puts his mouth to the widow's ear and sucks at the blood that is trickling out in a slow stream as her heart pumps for the very last time.

When he finishes, he stands up and stretches out his curved back, he twists his joints and feels them freer that they have been in many a decade, or perhaps centuries, as he forgot his age many years ago. He feels a great change happening, his limbs no longer ache and he is fuller and healthier than he has ever been from drinking the black liquid from the barrels. He looks at the widow’s body and feels a little sadness for what he has done, but she would have died anyway, he just ended her pain quickly. So what if he had received an unexpected reward for his good deed?

Someone would find the widow’s body in the morning and know that she had fallen down the stairs. There was no trace of his act of mercy to be seen and no sign of blood there either. He heads back down to his lair, easily opening the trapdoor and letting it slam behind him as he almost dances down the steps quite full of life. Perhaps he should venture outside, find more suitable clothing, and look for his lost treasure? Yes, that seemed like a great idea. Maybe he will find a new and more suitable place to live, although he does still love that black liquid – stout – that arrives here in those barrels so maybe he should stay close by after all?

But he now knows what he needs to do to keep feeling this strong, and that he will have to supplement the barrel theft with something else - something redder, richer, and stickier. He also knows of course where that precious liquid can be found, and that new people will come to this place soon to replace the widow. Then they will bottle the black stuff in the barrels and give it to the too-loud people who come through the door and sit on the stools at the bar. Some of these people will wander home very late at night - on their own, and full of stout, down lonely, darkened streets ...

There will be new sources of his vitality he thinks, his eyes burning bright red from within in the darkness of the cellar.

All written content here is my own and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission, full credit, and a link back to this post. Images are also the author's own.

Friday 23 September 2022

Porter Cake: A Short & Incomplete Look Into Its Origins ...

Porter cake - a quintessential Irish product that has been baked in Ireland for as long as we have had porter here, Correct? So surely it was being baked in every big house and small home in Ireland for almost 300 years give or take a few decades?

Or has it?

I ended up down a small rabbit hole of porter cake research while looking for information on porter barm bread, a different product where the barm - or yeast - from a porter brew was used to make a flour mixture rise prior to baking. Porter cake is a different thing - rich, fruity and dark more of a ‘proper’ cake than a bread, even if the words and meaning did - and do - overlap.

The curious thing is that I can find no mention of something called porter cake until very late in the 19th century. This is not to say that there was not a cake that had porter poured into the mix, or that there was not something called 'Porter Cake' before this date it just means that I have not found such a reference. In truth I would be fairly sure that the habit existed in some scale somewhere not long after porter’s creation.

But that first recipe I can find is in from a London publication called The Queen: The Lady's Newspaper published in 1897 where a reader called 'Heather' had written into the publication inquiring about a recipe for porter cake. The editor was unaware of such a recipe but some other readers seem to have sent her a recipe which she printed:

Rub 4oz. of butter into 1lb. of flour, then mix in ½lb. well washed and dried currants, the same of sultanas or stoned raisins, two teaspoons of mixed spice, the finely grated rind of one lemon, a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda on to which has been poured quarter pint of heated porter, and four eggs broken, not beaten, into the mixture. Beat together for twenty minutes then bake for three hours in a slow oven, to be kept three days before use, in an airtight tin.

Other variations were adding a little candied peel instead of lemon zest, or adding 2 oz. of almonds to the mix.

Notice anything missing...?

Sugar.

I am not sure if it was not a part of the recipe, which I would find a little unlikely, or if it was just omitted from the printed recipe? I suspect the latter. Also breaking 4 eggs into heated porter sound a bit suspect, although we should probably just read it as warm instead of hot.

The next I can find is in The Northern Weekly Gazette published in the north of England in 1907, which carries another recipe that is quite different from the one above but at least contains sugar this time:

½ lb. of butter, ½ lb. lard, 1 nutmeg, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1lb. of currants, 1 gill of porter, ½ lb. lemon peel, 1lb. sugar, 5 eggs, 1 egg powder; cream [the] butter and lard together, mix eggs and porter; beat well, then add the other ingredients and bake in a slow oven for 3½ or 4 hours.

That recipe was from a Mrs. Henry Carwell in Coudon near Bishop Auckland close to where the newspaper was published. Just nutmeg in that one for a spice addition.

But what is missing from this one…?

Yes, flour!

I am really at a loss at these omissions unless I am missing something in each recipe, as I am not a baker – although they have been transcribed and checked correctly.

The very same paper in 1913 carries a different recipe:

One pound of flour, ½lb of raisins, ½ lb. of currants, ½ a lb. of mixed peel, ¾ lb. of brown sugar, ½ lb of butter, 2 teaspoonfuls of spice, 4 eggs, 1 teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda, 1 pint bottle of porter. Rub the butter into the flour, mix all the dry ingredients, beat up the eggs in a basin, make the porter lukewarm, and pour on to the eggs and beat well; add all to the mixture, beat all together for twenty minutes, pour into greased tins, and bake in a moderate oven for 1½ hours.

That recipe is very like the first one from 1897, with a few small changes and added sugar this time - and it contains flour! It was sent in by a Miss M. E. Jackson in Kirky Stephen, Westmoreland again northern England.

In 1929 an advertisement (image above) for Robex brand self-raising flour in The Bedfordshire Times gives the following recipe:

½ lb. Robex Self-Raising Flour, 6ozs. brown sugar, 4 ozs. marg, 4 ozs. currants, 2 ozs. sultanas, 3 ozs. large raisins, 2 ozs. mixed peel, 1 teaspoon mixed spice, 2 eggs, grated rind ½ l2mon, 1 gill porter. Cream marg and sugar, warm porter, pour over cream mixture along with flour and beaten eggs. Beat thoroughly, stir in ingredients. Bake in greased and floured tin for 1½ hours.

Next we can now finally skip over the Irish Sea to the north of Ireland and The Belfast News-Letter of November 1930, which carries the following:

Here is a recipe for fruit cake suitable for Christmas which will keep for 6 weeks. It is called porter cake, and you will require 10ozs. butter, 1lb. flour, 4 eggs, ¾ lb. moist brown sugar, ½ lb. of raisins, ½ lb currants, ¼ lb. candied peel, ¼ pound cherries, grated rind of 1 lemon, 2ozs. almonds, 2 teaspoonfuls mixed spice, 1 teaspoonful baking soda, and 1 small bottle porter. Sift the flour and spice together. Cut and rub in the butter until like breadcrumbs. then add sugar, prepared currants, raisins, chopped peel, cherries, and 3/f of the blanched and chopped almonds. Beat eggs until frothy. Heat the porter until tepid; then stir it into the baking soda. Stir this into the eggs, pour all into the dry ingredients. Mix and beat for at least 10 minutes. Then pour into a prepared tin and bake in a moderate oven for 3 to 3½ hours. When the cake has been in the oven for 15 or 20 minutes sprinkle the rest of the almonds over the top. Keep at least a week before cutting this cake.

The tone of the opening sentences makes it sound like this is a new and unknown recipe - or at least uncommon. [Edit: I found a similar recipe in the same newspaper one year earlier in 1929.]

There are a few other recipes after that, mostly in the north of Ireland and it then appears to spread around the country during the following decades, no doubt aided by a recipe in Maura Laverty's Cookbook/Kind Cooking first published in 1946.

(Incidentally, a 'Stout Cake' puts in an appearance in 1932 in the London edition of The People newspaper with a similar if simpler recipe to those above, and there are a few escaped recipes showing up in publications in New Zealand and Australia too.)

I am certainly not stating as fact that there is not an older history of porter cake in Ireland, I am just saying that I cannot find it right now. However, there is some evidence however circumstantial that the recipe was first used in England before travelling across the sea to the north of Ireland and then spreading to the entire Island - and beyond – but no real proof.

Unrelated of course, but we have precedence for this in the word 'Crack', which travelled the same path before becoming the faux-Irish 'Craic'!

I would love to track the recipe back farther; I have just used the online sources that I can access, as well as some of the old cookery books in my collection, so please do get in touch if you can find an earlier recipe - which I have no doubt exists somewhere, perhaps under a different name.

Liam K.

All written content and the research involved in publishing it here is my own unless otherwise stated and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission, full credit to its sources, and a link back to this post. Newspaper image © The British Library Board - All rights reserved. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) from whom I have received permission to display this image on this site.

Tuesday 20 September 2022

A History of Hop Growing in Ireland - Revised & Expanded

[This was first published in three parts in 2011. This is a combined, revised and expanded version of those posts.]

“Historically, hops were not grown in Ireland ...”

Or so says an online encyclopaedia entry on hops, and although some people know this not to be true, the sentence is so often repeated in similar wording that I thought it would be best to do some myth-busting to highlight that hops were grown in this country in various quantities and were even used in commercial brewing.

This is a record of the history, mentions and other snippets of information pertaining to hop growing in this country, where I will show and prove that we have been growing hops in this country for the last 400 years at the very least in varying amounts and with various degrees of success, albeit not on the same scale as the bigger hop growing countries.

I will be doing so in a chronological timeline which might help others who are interested in the subject or need to reference it – I only ask that you credit me and my website if you use any of my research.

So, where do we start – the first date I can find mentioning actual hops is from the first half of the 17th century…

1632 - A quote in an article in The Transactions of the Royal Irish Academy, Volume 17 first published in 1830 and itself quoting an earlier source says that hops, along with other crops, were introduced to Ireland in 1632 'and grew very well.' Not exactly a verifiable source but it is certainly very conceivable that hops would have made their way here by this time, if not before.

1689 - The Calendar of Ancient Records of Dublin from this year and published in 1895 states that 'Flemish hops by retail not to exceed eighteen pence per pound. And English and Irish hops not to exceed two shillings and three pence per pound.’ This price-fixing exercise mentions the term Irish hops as distinct from Flemish or English ones, so is this an indicator of a reasonable crop being grown here? Perhaps not but it is a worthy reference...

1699 - A mention of ‘a duty on Irish Hops’ in this year in a version of The Continuation of Mr. Rapin's History of England from the Revolution to the Present Times by an N. Tindal and published in 1761. This duty could of course be covering the possibility of hops being grown here and exported but it certainly hints at there being a trade in Irish hops.

Pre-1727 - A comment from an English parliamentary discussion published in an English newspaper in 1886 says that 'In the reign of George I [1714-1727] a duty was imposed on Irish hops...' This might be confusion with an act passed in 1711 that prohibited the importation of hops into Ireland from anywhere except England but could equally refer to the above mentioned earlier duty. It is worth noting here that some of these references are looking back at events in the past so their accuracy must be questioned a little. It is also possible that this comment and those above refer to hops that were imported into the country before being exported again.

1729 - In his publication on the trade in this country John Carteret asks why we cultivate so little hops in Ireland given the huge quantity we import, and he states that we could raise good hops in the southern part of the country. He also says, 'that with some it has succeeded well', which would let us believe that there is a certain amount of production. He also claims that the issue of the lack of hop growing lies with the want of hop-poles as 'there are so few plantations or trees to be met with' that produce suitable hop-poles in Ireland.

1729 - In the same collection as above from that year Arthur Dobbs in his Essay on the Trade and Improvement of Ireland makes similar comments. He mentions that hops have been 'tried in several more northern counties with tolerable success.' He also goes on in some detail regarding the benefits of growing hops for both trade and employment.

1733 - The Dublin Society published a book of instruction on hop cultivation (link below). From the tone of this volume it appears that hops were not very common or plentiful here at this time, but certainly known. It also points out that hops were quite expensive to import and gives details of potential returns and instructions on raising poles for support, on harvesting and packaging.

This is probably a good time to mention the Dublin Society who feature heavily in the coming years. It was founded in 1731 and its remit was to encourage new trade and enterprise, and in doing so create more local industries to replace imported goods, and therefore create more employment here too. To aid in this it created what it termed ‘Premiums’ or rewards for those who achieved certain criteria of volume, application or excellence of certain Irish goods and produce. Its name was changed to the Royal Dublin Society in 1820, and most Irish people would be familiar with the acronym RDS.

1736 - In the Dublin Society's Weekly Observations published in 1737 there is a letter - one of many - that mentions beer made with 'Irish Hops and Irish Malts.' The writer goes on to say that in this country 'we are not arrived to any great perfection in the culture and management of hops; nevertheless, the year 1736, gave us sufficient proof that in a good season we may be supply'd from among ourselves with that valuable commodity.' The writer then goes on to extol the virtues of said Irish hops by comparing them with Kentish and Worcester hops and finding them equal of better. (He goes on to discuss boiling times and bitterness of hops - and hop stalks!)

1737 - Another writer in the same publication as above gives extremely detailed directions on 'the raising of hops in red bogs' in two letters, where he had 'reared them with most success' for the previous 15 years. He appears to have sold the hops as he says that 'the profit has for many years fully answered my expense.' This may be the first mention of commercial reward for a crop of hops in Ireland. Those 'red bogs' - seemingly - could not be reclaimed or used like 'black bogs', so they were ideal for the venture. He also mentions that these 'Bog-Hops' (His name for them …) were less prone to 'swarms of insects which too often infest our upland hops', implying that hops were being grown on other sites in the country.

1740 - A newspaper article from 1963 states that hop growing in Ireland goes back to about 1740 and the main centres were Offaly, Laois, North Tipperary and Kilkenny but it gives no references and so must be treated with caution, as it was being reported more than 200 years after the time, although it could be based on the Dublin Society reports that follow ...

1741 - A ‘Premium’ or reward is offered by the Dublin Society for '200lb weight of the best hops of Irish growth for that year’. - via The Gentleman's Magazine. (This award appears to have started in at least 1740 from snippet sources elsewhere online ...)

1741 - In December of this year the members of the Dublin Society met in Market House Thomas Street in Dublin to examine hops and give out premiums for the best and second-best parcels of Irish-grown hops. There were 22 candidates, so I presume 22 actual growers. 12 were judged not quite up to the standard of the 10 best, and those 10 were further examined for ‘Colour, Smell and Feeling’. They awarded first place to Mr Humphry Jones of Mullinbro in Co. Kilkenny - near Waterford - and the second to Edward Bolton of ‘Brasil’ (Brazil near Swords?) Co. Dublin. ‘The judges declared that Mr. Jones’s hops were as good as they ever saw brought from Kent.’ The total quantity supplied from all the entries was 45 hundred-weight (Over 2,250 kg?) and apart from 2 parcels all the rest were as good or better than those imported. Three other growers were singled out as next best - Anthony Atkinson from King’s County (now Offaly), Mr. Lee of Wexford and Samuel Ealy [Ely?] of Ross in County Wexford.

(The above was from a nice reference I found of a reprinted report by the Dublin Society in a newspaper from January of 1742. This and the other reports certainly show that we had a decent geographical spread of hop farms of a reasonable size – perhaps – around parts the country.)

1742 - The following year Mr. Humphry Jones again had the best parcel of 2 hundred-weight (2 hundredweight or approximately 100kg) of hops and received an award of 20 pounds. He had grown ‘65 C. 6 lb’ of hops (Is the ‘C’ in this case an abbreviation for Stone? I am not sure…) Most of his hops were sold to ‘brewers in Dublin’ and that they were ‘equal in all respects to any English or Irish Hops they had ever before made use of.’, which suggests that they were of good quality and that Irish hops had been used by commercial breweries before this time.

1743 - In an 1861 reprint of a report from this year Humphry Jones again took first prize, second was Samuel Ely, Ross, Co. Wexford and third was Mr. Sutton – no address given. The same report also gives an award to Thwaite’s brewery, Dublin for using ‘10 tons’ of Irish hops in their beers, William Bererton came second using '3 tons' in his brewery. More proof that Irish-grown hops were used in Irish beers in the 18th century.

1744 - The same reprint of above gives the award in this year to Samuel Ely and second place to Ephraim Dawson (no address given) – no sign of Mr. Jones!

c. 1746-1786 - A gentleman called George Stoney from 'Grayfort, near Borrosakean' wrote to the Dublin Society in 1786 saying he had a 'small plantation' of two acres of hops laid out 40 years previously by 'an Englishman' from which he gets two hundred-weight of hops. He goes on to say, 'If planting hops were carried on to proper effect, Ireland might well supply itself, and I experimentally know, that, when well cured, we may have as good as England produces. I yearly have brewed for my house upwards of forty barrels of malt, with my own hops, and my beer keeps as well, and is as well flavoured, as it would be with English hops.' - via Transactions of the Dublin Society, Volume 2, Part 1- 1801

1748 - A snippet mention in The Scots Magazine about a person needing to buy a great quantity of 'Irish hops' - not less than 4 ton.

1748 - Again the Dublin Society offered a premium ‘to the person who shall produce the best parcel of hops, not less than 200 weight, of the growth of 1748’ and also ‘to the person who shall buy up for sale, the greatest quantity of Irish hops of the growth of 1748, before May 15, 1749, not less than 4 tun. [sic] and finally ‘To the person who shall make use of the greatest quantity of ditto in brewing before June 1st 1749, not less than 3 tun, but no one person shall get both said premiums.’ – The Scots Magazine

1749 - A newspaper report states that Darius Drake of Camlin in Wexford won a reward from the Dublin Society for planting in 1747 'seven plantation acres and tree perches' with hops 'four to a hill, and 7538 hills at 8 feet distance from one another, and that they are in a thriving condition.' At the time this was alleged to be the greatest quantity of land given over to hop production by one person in the country. Mr. Drake produced poles for other growers in the country before deciding to grow his own hops - his own plantation required between '20 and 30,000' poles. It is claimed that many of his neighbours had large plantations also, just not large enough to win this 'premium' from the Dublin Society. I certainly feel that Mr. Drake deserves separate research to investigate both his hop and hop-pole growing.

1749 - The premiums for the three best parcels of hops were awarded this year to Humphrey Jones yet again, William Hamond from Ross in Wexford and Thomas Sutton from Wexford. They had 'good colour, flavour and strength.’ It was mentioned that Mr. Sutton dried his hops with both Kilkenny (Surely Castlecomer so?) coal and with charcoal, and those dried with charcoal had much better flavour!

1756 - Newspaper announcement for the reward for the best 3 parcels of hops not less than 200 weight and grown in that year.

1757 - Three bags of hops produced for a competition by the Dublin Society, each weighing two hundred-weight. The best was judged to be from a Mr. Nicholas Lanigan of Co. Kilkenny, second place went to a Mr. Christopher Antisel(?) of Tipperary, and the last parcel was unclaimed. The judges declared the first two parcels of hops equal to those imported from England.

1786 - There is a brief mention in an English newspaper of the bill to regulate the importation of hops from Ireland. This might not mean Irish grown hops of course - maybe just those passing through?!

1786 - Person named Bonner had a 4-acre hop yard in Naas according to an article called 'Ancient Naas and Neighbourhood’ by T.J. de Burgh written in 1893 and published in a Kildare newspaper that year.

1789 – An advertisement appears in Saunder’s News-Letter stating that a Mr. Simpson, a seed merchant on College Green in Dublin can supply plants for ‘two acres and upwards’ and that the Dublin Society will pay a premium for planting two acres of hops – twenty pounds in the first year and ten pounds in the next.

1789 -  A Dublin newspaper carries a statement that in 'some parts of this kingdom, hops grow to great perfection, and yet, if known to be Irish produce, not much above half that price will be given for them which those brought from Kent and other counties in England bring.' The writer goes on to say that they should thrive here and be used for home consumption as well as being exported. They also give a dig at the Americans, saying that even they are growing hops and establishing breweries although they 'formerly made no other drink but spruce beer and beverage expresses from the wild grape.'

1797 - The Dublin Society would be offering a premium for ‘beer brewed with Irish hops of the growth of the years 1796 and 1797, for private use or sale. The claims to be made by oath before 25th March 1797’ according to Walker's Hibernian Magazine or Compendium of the previous year.

So that finishes the 17th and 18th centuries, and we can see from all of these reports and mentions, and specifically those from the Dublin Society, that there was quite a decent quantity of hops being grown in this country, particularly in the middle of the 18th century. The figures were more than likely dwarfed by the imports from England and elsewhere, but there were still some notable quantities and acreage. Also, I think it is safe to assume given some of the comments above that much of it was used in commercial Irish brewing.

Why mentions of hop growing in this country appear to have become rare towards the end of the century I am not sure – it is quite possible that I just have not come across the Dublin Society reports. It is also possible - or perhaps probable - that it was either not commercially viable to grow them here year-on-year or that there were a number of poor seasons that affected the crop and disillusioned the farmers. It is certainly something I will revisit in the future but for now we will see what changes there are in reports and actually growing of hops in the 19th century Ireland.

1801 - There is a mention of duty to be paid on importation of hops from Ireland into Great Britain in Steel's Tables of the British Custom and Excise Duties published in that year and also in a Parliamentary register the previous year which would lead us to believe there was still some hop growing in the country, or at least the potential to do so.

1801 - A Mr. R. Smyth wrote to the Dublin Society regarding his espalier-trained hops that he was growing on half a rood (one eight of an acre) of his father's land in Kells Co. Meath, which he used in his own ale - via Transactions of the Dublin Society, Volume 2, Part 1 1801

1806 - A London newspaper reports that a duty of two-pence halfpenny per pound weight was resolved to be imposed on Irish hops by a committee in the House of Commons in England, it was passed a couple of weeks later. There are many other mentions of this bill too which again would make you think there was some trade between Ireland and Britain in hops, unless they were just covering themselves in case there was a resurgence in the growing of same on this island.

1816 - The Dublin Society were offering a premium of 1 shilling per barrel for beer brewed with Irish hops for private use or sale.

1833 - A John Pendergast from Inistioge in Kilkenny wrote to an English paper putting forth the idea of the landed gentry starting hop farms in Ireland to give more work to those living on their estates and to free said gentry 'from the enormous dead weight the heretofore has existed upon their well-known beneficence.' (!) It was reprinted a Dublin newspaper where the editor poured scorn on the idea that the gentry of Ireland would be interested in such a plan. Mr. Pendergast also suggested that an Irish acre would produce 26 hundred-weight of hops at 7 pound 12 shillings per hundred-weight. In response to the above letter, 'a Kent Radical' responded to say that there is an act of parliament which prohibits any one in Ireland from owning a hop farm larger than a quarter or perhaps half an acre. I cannot find any such legislation but maybe it is hidden somewhere I cannot access, or is combined into some much older act I am unaware of that prevented Catholics from owning any more land for crops that was necessary to feed themselves?

1835 - Under the headline ‘Irish Hops’ a Belfast newspaper states that The Commission of Revenue Inquiry recommended that Irish grown hops should pay a similar rate of duty as those grown in England. (There are also mentions of duties on ‘Irish hops’ in 1843, 1845 and 1846 in various parliamentary records.) Once again this would indicate that hops were possibly still being grown somewhere on the island, and in enough quantities to warrant discussion in parliament.

1835 - A Martin Doyle writing in The Roscommon & Leitrim Gazette, and other publications, on hop growing and the use of iron rods 'to attract the electric fluid' from passing thunderclouds as a way of combatting pests and diseases states that 'Hops grow freely in most of the southern counties in Ireland, are tithe-free, and exempt from duty.'

1849 - A report in an Irish newspaper in April via The Globe of the vessel ‘Erin's Queen’ arriving in London from Belfast with 18 packets of hops. Is this the first export of Irish hops to England? Probably not but it is the first record I can find. It would certainly have been going against the flow of hops coming the opposite direction so it would seem to be a noteworthy occurrence.

1849 - An English newspaper report of ‘The Citizen’ arrived in the Thames in May from Dublin with 27 (20 quoted elsewhere) pockets of hops from Ireland, which it appears was – unsurprisingly - not a common occurrence.

1849 - A Mr. Samuel Burke of Thomastown, Kilrush in Co. Clare sowed and acre and a half of hops. It was said to be a novelty 'in that part of the country.’

1849 - An English newspaper carries a mention under the title 'Irish Hops' of a vessel arriving in the Thames from Belfast in October carrying 5 pockets of hops that states that they are 'the produce of Ireland' and that 'this is the first arrival of this article from the sister country' - but as we saw above there were slightly earlier shipments.

1849 - A mention in a London newspaper in December of bales of hops arriving into England 'some time since' from an Irish port and that this was 'of some interest' and that there had been a further arrival of several bales on a ship called the ‘Cannaught[sic] Ranger’ from Sligo and Derry, and this was the 'second importation of the kind from the sister country' which again may be a little off the mark.

1850 - The vessel ‘Ranger’ arrived in London from Belfast, Dublin and Waterford in February and 'brought some packages of hops, as a portion of her cargo from the Irish metropolis, the produce of that country.’

1850 - A small note in an English newspaper in March that states - 'Irish Hops. Several additional importations of hops from Ireland have recently been noted. Hitherto the largest import has been eleven bales' so again we can see errors in reporting based on what was mentioned above. A sign that we need to be wary of what is reported in newspapers ...

1850 - Under the title 'Irish Hops' in an English newspaper in August, 17 packages arrived in London from Ireland.

Just a note on all these shipments. Although there are numerous mentions of these being Irish produced hops the doubting part of my brain thinks that maybe there were imported from elsewhere and passed off as Irish hops for financial reasons? I have no proof of this of course, but I think it may be worth considering, however unlikely it may be. For now, I am taking it at face value that hops were being grown in Ireland and exported to England for use by breweries in that country – an interesting and I would image surprising turn of event to many readers.

1852 - A reference in the proceedings of the now ‘Royal’ Dublin Society regarding an exhibition mentions a donation of a ‘specimen of Irish-grown hops’ donated by a John L. Tute of Blackrock amongst other agricultural specimens.

1855 - A newspaper mention that an experiment to grow hops in Ballyteigue, Wexford by a John Stafford was successful - the reporter sounded quite surprised!

1855 - The Irish Farmers’ Gazette states that ‘Hops in favourable seasons and favourable sites, dry and rich, come to much perfection in Ireland and may be gathered and cured tolerably well,’ but goes on to say that growing them on a commercial scale has been rare here.

1865 - 'Hop Growing at Kingstown [Dún Laoghaire] - A fine specimen of this useful creeper may now be seen in front of the residence of Captain Wilcox, Royal Terrace. It is very strange that hops are not more generally nurtured in Ireland' according to the Catholic Telegraph newspaper.

1867 - Thomas Bromwich a hop grower at Temple Farm near Alton in Hampshire was advertising hop plants for sale in an Irish paper under the headline, 'Hops, Hops, for Ireland.'

1867 - A newspaper mentions a successful attempt was made to grow hops in Ireland with the hope that there might be a larger scale experiment in the near future. No further information is given.

1872-1873 - A chart published in Thom's Directory of Ireland shows no acreage for hops in these years. Similar charts towards the end of the 19th century show similar results, although there is no way of being 100% positive that the information was being recorded correctly. It also possible, and probable, that it was on such a small scale - perhaps just for a breweries own use - that it would be unregistered.

Pre 1900? - There is a reference to hops being grown extensively on Whiddy Island in Cork in the schools' collection on the Dúchas website but no dates unfortunately so I am assuming the period to be in the 19th century given the tone of the mention.

So this was perhaps an unexciting century for Irish hops, and towards the end it appears that we had forgotten that we grew them here at all! Once again the middle part of the century is the most interesting, as attested to by those shipments of Irish hops to England. It would be nice to think that those were used in English ales – and I presume they probably were. I wonder is there any records in London or elsewhere of ale brewed with Irish hops? Somehow I doubt it…

As you can see there is quite a bit of conjecture and assumption based on the various newspaper reports, so as ever we need to be wary regarding what we read into those articles. Having said that there are certainly enough mentions to suggest a continuity of hop growing in the country even if it appears to dwindle at times to just sparse comments.

Still, at least we appear to have been a hop exporting country – however briefly – at one time. 

Next, we will look at the 20th century with a nod to the current one too. We will see plans – both big and small - to set up hop farms either side of this country’s independence before we hit the most productive decades of commercial hop-growing in Ireland – or at least recorded hop-growing – where I can quote varieties grown, acreage, yield and even alpha acid content with a certain degree of accuracy from the hop-growing co-op of a sort that existed in Kilkenny for almost 40th years.

But first let us go back to the start of the 1900s and some reported endeavours to start a hop industry in the country, or at the very least a hop-garden or two...

1906 - A reader called 'Fidelis' from Graiguenamanagh wrote to the editor of The New Ross Standard, intent on trying to start a hop garden and looking for advice. He also felt that any farmers living near a country town should plant a hop field as 'there are plenty of poor people who would find the work of picking the hops a pleasant change in their yearly life' - I am unsure if he received any replies or whether any ‘poor people’ took up his offer…

However, a follow-up letter appeared the next month in which Fidelis talks about a trip to England to his cousin’s farm and a discussion with hop brokers in London, where they tell him that soil is not the issue when growing hops but 'the atmosphere in which they are grown.' He says that they have not yet been tried in Ireland, which we now know is not true of course. But he then mentions that his cousin has 'grubbed up all the hops on his farm' as they were too labour intensive, and the price varied too much - but even knowing this the author still wants to pursue the idea of Irish hops further. (He also mentions, as an aside, that the 'Irish Militia regiments prefer the beer they are accustomed to, and there is now a large trade in Waterford and Kilkenny beer with Plymouth and Portsmouth.')

1908 - In an article in a Kilkenny newspaper the following sentence appears, which I am sure many would agree with over all of the centuries of hop growing. 'Hops can, no doubt, be grown in Ireland, but the enthusiast who should endeavour to make hop-growing a staple Irish industry would not be long in finding his way to the nearest lunatic asylum.' This is a reaction to a report that they were unprofitable even in England at this time and that imports into that country were affecting the price of the crop, although there is also a comment about the lack of much-needed sunshine in Ireland.

1909 - An article ran in The Dublin Evening Telegraph wondering why hops were not being grown in Ireland and interviewed a Mr. R. Grant of 46 Bessborough Avenue, North Strand, Dublin who was growing hops, but not it seems on a commercial scale. He comments on their history and requirements but does say they are 'profitable but at the same time a troublesome crop. No crop is more affected by the weather, nor more subject to destruction from blight, or attacks of insects. The profits on the other hand, in some cases have amounted to £100 per acre, and the average value of hop lands has been estimated at about £10 per acre.’

1911 - Taken from The London Standard, an article in the Donegal Independent about a 'novel German invasion' of Ireland where a German-American 'nobleman' called Baron von Horst - a 'well known Californian magnate' who was allegedly one of the biggest hop growers in America, had purchased 200 acres of land in Ireland - near Limerick seemingly - with the intention of starting a large hop farm here, and had contracted 1,100 German workman to assist him in his endeavour! He proposed that the Germans would teach the locals how to grow hops and that he had even selected three varieties he deemed suitable for the climate - sadly they are not listed by name but an additional part to the vision of Baron von Horst printed in a different newspaper says of the varieties selected, 'These are male grafts from the vines in Northern New York State in America and from the famous hop-fields of Bohemia joined with female roots specially selected form his fields in California. This combination the baron is convinced will ultimately produce superior vines and a characteristic product which will be known, in spite of the alien nature of its introduction, as "Irish hops"'. So, it sounds like he had already bred a hop variety from this parentage, which he assumed would grow well here.

1913 - The Limerick Industrial Association announced in The Freeman’s Journal that they were getting a free consignment of hop roots from Baron von Horst for farmers to trial. This whole endeavour warrants separate research and investigation.

1914 - A slightly bizarre advertisement appears in an English newspaper for 'A man capable of growing hops, to undertake growing hops in Ireland. Must be an Irishman.'

1914 - Back in Ireland the farming section of The Weekly Freeman's Journal raises doubt on the ability to ripen hop cones successfully in this climate and states that it is quite a technical crop regarding setting poles and pest control, and that it would require special training. It then states that there is no market for home-grown hops, as brewers will only place orders where they can be sure of a certain quantity and quality – a fair comment I would say. The writer of the article states that they 'do not recommend you to attempt hop growing on a business scale.’

1932 - An amateur hop grower with 30 years’ experience named Robert Ginn from Castlelyons in east Cork wrote into The Cork Examiner suggesting that we should start (or restart as we have seen) a hop industry here. He claims that his hops are as good or better than those grown in Kent and he had always had abundant crops.

1933 - An article in The Irish Press states that the Department of Agriculture were looking at the possibility of growing hops in 'suitable locations' such as Cork, Killarney, and Dublin. There were hops growing in the garden of a Mr. T. J. Geary in Sutton, Dublin and at the Botanic Gardens where the Keeper stated they 'grew splendidly' and he knew of no reason they could not be grown commercially here.

1930s - An experimental but unsuccessful attempt was made to grow hops in Ireland according to a 1963 newspaper article with no references – this may be related to the above mention in 1933.

1955 – It is reported in The Portadown Times that wild hops are growing wild in county Armagh and that a plant was found growing a few years previously in Drumnakelly and other areas.

1962 - Experiment carried out by An Foras Talúntais (the then agricultural development authority) into hop growing in Ireland at Dungarvan yielded 84 hundred-weight of dried hops - which is roughly 4,200 kg - worth £29 per hundred-weight. Yields grossed £580 per acre and expenses were heavy. It cost £600 per acre to establish the crop and it was susceptible to bad weather, pests, virus, and mildew - the 1961 crop was a total loss - but they were committed to assessing where might be suitable or better suited in the country.

1963 - Three experimental hop plots totalling 38 acres were planted in the spring of this year according to a 1966 report in The Irish Press. The variety chosen as seedless Fuggles as this was the variety that the previous year’s experiment showed most likely to succeed in this climate. Guinness paid more than they did for English hops because they were seedless but even paying that premium price they were still better value because of their higher humulone content.*

1964 - A notice appears in the Kilkenny People from the Chief Agricultural Officer that 'the first commercial hop gardens in Ireland have now been planted in Co. Kilkenny' and asking members of the public to let them know of any wild hop plants, which were known to be growing in the area, as they may carry pests or diseases.

1965 - According to the Kilkenny People, Edgar Calder-Potts of Highbank Farm in Cuffesgrange in Kilkenny was harvesting 22 acres of hops and hoped to increase it to 37 acres the following year. Harvesting took two weeks, and 11 women and 16 men were engaged in the work, although the hops were harvested by machine. There were also three other growers in the county. Cousins Stanley and Pat Mosse, and Captain A. Tupper of Lyrath, all growing for the Guinness brewery. Mr Calder Potts was expecting to pack 100 bags of one and a half hundredweight each. The first crop was in 1964 and both years’ harvests were of good quality according to the horticultural instructor Michael Power, who helped greatly with the project.

1966 - There was a total of 58 acres of hops between the four Kilkenny growers with a further 30 to be added in 1967 - initial expenditure was in the region of £1,500 per acre according to an article by Maurice Liston in The Irish Press. The poles were being supplied by the Forestry Department and the wire, anchor rods and other items apart from the machinery were being produced in this country. Quantity and quality compared favourably with English grown hops. Yield is reported here at 15 hundred-weight per acre and the return was £35 per hundred-weight. The varieties grown are still predominantly Fuggles with Northern Brewer only being introduced in this year. The Mosses had a new drying unit for the hops containing 20ft by 30ft kilns and a lot of investment had taken place into the industry in this area. A survey carried out by the Agricultural Institute had found more suitable sites in northern Kilkenny and there were indications - according to the article - that the project would further expand. This all appeared incredibly positive at this point and there was a huge amount of enthusiasm, work and commitment coming out of this newspaper report.

But in March of this year the head brewer in Guinness in Dublin decided that they should not use Fuggles in the brewery there after 1969 (they had actually stopped by 1967) saying ‘now that we hop on isohumulone the use of Fuggles is totally uneconomic’ which meant that the crop was instead being used by Irish Ale Breweries instead or sold to English breweries.* That would explain why there were 426 hundred-weight imported into England from Ireland – the first mention in the Barth report for Irish hops that I can find - some were perhaps used in Guinness’s Park Royal brewery.

Just a quick note here on the Barth reports that chronicle hop growing in Germany and around the world for over a hundred years. The finding of these, many of which are published in English, were a huge help with most of the facts and figures that follow here. You can take it that this is the source I use for the rest of this post unless I state otherwise.

1967 - It is reported that 794 hundred-weight of hops were imported into England from Ireland.

1968 - It is reported that this year 162 hundred-weight of hops were imported into England from Ireland

1969 - The Co. Wexford Federation of Rural Organisations discussed the concept of hop growing in the county but ‘investigation revealed that no future prospects in this field were envisaged, especially as trials were being conducted presently in Co. Kilkenny’ according to a local paper. There was no mention of the crop itself in the Barth report but 99 hundred-weight of hops were imported into England. 

1970 - The Barth report states that 119 acres of land were in hop production this year in Kilkenny, that strong winds damaged the crop, and that picking went from September the 4th to the 23rd, with the harvest being brought in by 3 machines. The quality was not as good as the previous year with 60% being Class I and 40% Class II and 988 hundred-weight were harvested. England imported 122 hundred-weight of Irish hops this year. (For reference 1 hundred-weight is approximately 50 kilograms.)

1971 - The Farmer’s Journal reports on the hop harvest under way in Kilkenny where Anthony Tupper grows 39 acres of hops in Lyrath. The article goes into some detail regarding the cost of setting up the hop production and ongoing expenses and points out that margins are very tight but at least expenses can be shared to a degree by adopting a co-operative system with like-minded individuals, which is what appear to have happened in Kilkenny.

The good weather that year had a favourable effect on the crop, especially the lack of strong winds. the harvest was 1,593 hundred-weight [I am not positive about this figure.] and the acreage increased slightly to 28 acres of Fuggles and 30 acres of WFB 135 (Northern Brewer), with Fuggles being gradually replaced. 43 hundred-weight of the crop was exported to England this year.

1972 - Poor weather and a lack of hop pickers hampered the harvest this year, but 55.7 tonnes (1,096 hundred-weight) of hops were brought in from a slight reduction of acreage to 138 acres, of which 62 acres were Fuggles and 76 acres were Northern Brewer as Fuggles was being replaced by ‘a better bittering hop.’ This ongoing change-out of variety was probably due to Guinness no long using Fuggles.

This year 23 hundred-weight were exported to England, and just for context 7,279 hundred-weight were exported from England to Ireland.

1973 - This was a good growing year with hardly any problems with pests or disease, but the crop was smaller than expected given the increased acreage. there were 67 acres of Fuggles and 77 acres of Northern Brewer – Bullion is also being introduced. No hops were exported to England this year. (A separate report states the areas as 60 acres for ‘Kilkenny Seedless Fuggle’, 91 acres for Northern Brewer and a half acre of Bullion.)**

1974 - A wet, windy and cold year meant that the crop was not as good as normal. The breakdown was 46 acres of Fuggles, 91 acres of Northern Brewer and 1 acre of Bullion – 61 tonnes were harvested. (The mention of any imports into England whatsoever finished up around this time, also the report changed to tonnes from this year onwards, so I have used that figure, but I have converted the areas to acres instead of the published hectares.) According to the Regional Horticultural Officer’s report for this year, that wind flattened a 13 acre garden at Mosse’s but the quality of hops was exceptionally good despite the weather issues, although curiously the alpha acids this year were 4.4 for Fuggles, the lowest since measurement began in 1966 with the highest being 6.3 in 1973, and 7.2 for Northern Brewer which recorded 10.3 in 1969.**

The 1974 crop report states that aphids, powdery mildew, and downy mildew were an issue this year along with the inclement weather. Northern Brewer is proving difficult and expensive to grow due to its susceptibility to wind damage, pests and diseases, but the trials of Bullion were proving satisfactory so far as a replacement. Wye Northdown, Wye Challenger, Record and S1478 – a Danish variety - were also being trialed this year.**

1975 - A hot summer this year had a negative effect on the yield although the report also says that the harvest was 69.6 tonnes, which was more than what was reported the previous year so it is possible that some of these figures may be a little off. The alpha content was higher than the previous year. The area in production dropped to 128 acres – 38 acres for Fuggles, 89 acres for Northern Brewer and 1 acre for Bullion. Northdown hops were also being introduced this year.

A report in the Irish Press says that Ireland’s hop farmers could get grants of £10,000 from the E.E.C. and that ‘they have now been invited by the Department of Agriculture to make their applications for this unexpected aid.’ Although according to the Barth report of this year, income supplements were paid in 1973 and 1974 too.

1976 - Another dry summer had a detrimental effect on the crop and the yield was down 13% to 61 tonnes although the alpha content was above average. Hops are still only being grown in Kilkenny according to the Barth report, on 156 acres – 39 ½ acres of Fuggles, 114 acres Northern Brewer, ½ acre of Bullion and 2 acres Northdown.

1977 - A relatively good year weather-wise saw the crop increase by 30% on the previous year, although the lack of sunshine meant the alpha acids were a little low, particularly in Bullion and Fuggles. 7 extra acres of Northern Brewer were planted increasing the total are to 163 acres which yielded 84 tonnes.

1978 - An outstanding year for the quality of the hops although the yield was down 13.5% to 72.5 tonnes. With the alpha on Bullion and Northdown matching the English ones and Fuggles and Northern brewer substantially higher.

1979 - 146 acres were in cultivation, with the area given to Fuggles and Northern Brewer reduced slightly. Picking was delayed due to weather issues, but the yield was back up to 82 tonnes. Alpha acids were 10 % lower than the previous years, apart from Northdown. The entire crop is still being taken by Guinness, although presumably the Fuggles were still not being used in Guinness stout.

1980 - After a cool and wet summer picking had to be delayed by a week to help with ripening. 75 ½ tonnes were harvested and judged to be Class I. The alpha values were 12% above the previous year in all varieties apart from Bullion. The hop acreage was enlarged back to 163 acres with increases space for Northdown and Northern Brewer so that the Kilkenny growers now had 29 acres of Fuggles, 118 acres of Northern Brewer, 15 ½ acres of Northdown and a tiny ½ acre of Bullion.

1981 - 178 acres in cultivation yielding 76.9 tonnes. (The report also says that there was 185 acres yielding 76.5 tonnes in 1980, which contradicts the information in last year’s report.) From this point there are no reports on hop growing in Ireland in the Barth report apart from two figures for acreage and yield, this went on for more than a decade.

Here they are …

1982 - 185 acres and 75 tonnes.

1983 - 188 acres. and 109.7 tonnes

1984 - 188 acres 109.7 tonnes again – not likely to match exactly the previous year so I suspect it is an error

1985 - 178 acres and 86.5 tonnes

1986 - 84 acres and 17.2 tonnes

1987 - 84 acres and 43.3 tonnes

1988 - 54 acres and 28 tonnes

1989 - 54 acres and 25.6 tonnes

1990 - 42 acres and 34 tonnes

1991 - 30 acres and 17.9 tonnes

1992 - 30 acres and 20.8 tonnes

1993 - 32 acres and 19 tonnes

1994 - 30 acres and 16.5 tonnes, and this year we get a brief report to say that there is just one hop grower left in Ireland and just one variety – Northdown, and it was to get worse …

1995 - 15 acres and 10.3 tonnes

1996 - 15 acres and 8.3 tonnes. (Lett's of Enniscorthy claim in a local newspaper that the Wexford Cream ale they were brewing at Greene King in Norfolk was 'made with Irish hops and Irish malt.’ – if true this surely must be Kilkenny hops?)

1997 - 15 acres and 8.8 tonnes, the report now shows the alpha content for the Northdowns, this year it was 10%

1998 - 15 acres and 9.5 tonnes - alpha 10.6%

1999 - 15 acres and 8.4 tonnes - alpha 9.2%

2000 - 7.5 acres and 2.7 tonnes - 11% alpha. There was a note regarding subsidies available of €3,360 this year.

2001 - 7.5 acres and 2.4 tonnes - 11% alpha. Subsidies dropped to €1,104

2002 – In one last, almost poignant, footnote the Barth hop report tells us:

‘Hops were grown in Ireland until 2001, latterly on an area of only 3 ha. As of 2002 production has ceased.’

And that was it, the end of a great idea that appears to have been professionally executed and was doing relatively well for a time, and I would imagine those reported issues with yield, damage and varying quality were similar to other countries – and better than some. But from a peak of 188 acres, 4 hop varieties and 110 tonnes in 1984 the Kilkenny hop production - our Irish hop production - dropped like a stone in a little over a decade and a half to just 7 ½ acres and 2.4 tonnes of Northdown at its sad demise in 2001. To analyse what happened would take a separate post, some interviews and delving deeper than I have done here. It was likely to do with a number of factors - mostly financial viability of course - but you can hear Simon Mosse that last grower speaking here about that hop growing period in Kilkenny in an interview from 2011.

The Calder-Potts family at Highbank are still connected with drink with their cider range and distilling amongst other enterprises - here is their website, and it does mention their hop growing.

Lyrath estate changed hands and became a hotel - it has a bar called 'Tupper's'...

So what happened next?

Well, the new breed of microbrewers were next to start growing hops, led by White Gypsy who were the first of the new batch of hop farmers and were followed by others including Wicklow Wolf, Canvas, Farmageddon and Ballykilcavan, and at one point Hop Social were using their community grown hops at Rascals in Dublin. I am not sure if all of these hop initiatives have survived the last couple of strange years, but perhaps this smaller more manageable way of doing things is the future of hop growing in Ireland on anything resembling a commercial scale?

Regardless of where we go from here, I have shown that we can – and did – grow hops in this country, although question marks remain over the commercial viability of the crops. What is very evident in all of this is how much we have forgotten of our hop-growing history – even those relatively recent forays into the industry. This is partially because regardless of the large-sounding acreage mentioned at times in these posts we really were operating on a tiny scale compared to other countries, but we did do it, and that is worth recording.

The other reason we have forgotten so much is because we are poor curators of our edible and drinkable history. Perhaps too many history writers prefer to wallow in the endless tragedy of death, revolution and oppression than look behind those tall walls of woe into how we lived, what we ate or drank, and what we grew on our small island? I am not entirely sure, but I would argue we could and should do both …

So perhaps we peaked too early in our endeavours to be self-sufficient hop growers, or maybe we could not achieve the acreage needed for profitability, or the climate was unsuitable, or it could be that our timing was poor ... or were we just not good enough at growing this tricky crop? Although I do not believe that this was the case – we have growers in this country…

Regardless, I would love to be able to wander through acres and acres of tall hop fields on a warm, late summer evening, past pretty modern-takes on oast houses, sipping a beer and rolling nearly-ripe cones between my fingers, the delicate smell of hops in the air and the last of the summer swallows flitting between the hop bines…

But then again, in certain ways I am much more of a romantic than a realist …

Thanks for reading.

Liam K.

P.S. I have purposely omitted the actual sources of exact newspaper mentions as there are quite a few and it was pain-staking research, but if anyone needs them, please email or DM me and I will send you on the details.

The Barth reports are here, I could not find many of them in English without manipulating the address. Contact me if you have any problems finding what you need.

That Dublin Society book from 1733 can be found here, the first image in this article is from this publication.

* Guinness and Hops by J.F. Brown

** Various crop reports kindly shared with me by ShaneSmith on Twitter

(All written content and the research involved in publishing it here is my own unless otherwise stated and cannot be reproduced elsewhere without permission, full credit to its source and a link back to this post.)

Newspaper image © The British Library Board - All rights reserved. With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk from whom I have received permission to display it here). The image below is from the hop fields in Highbank from the Irish Press from September 14th 1966 and is via my local library.