Barclay Perkins - some stuff

A miscellany of Barclay Perkins. That's what I should have used for the title. Sounds classier.

Here are figures for the annual output of the largest London Porter and Ale breweries.

"A statement of the quantity of porter brewed in London by the twelve first houses, from the 5th of July, 1822, to the 5th of July, 1823:—

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Barrels.
Barclay, Perkins, and Co. - - - - 351,474
Truman, Hanbury, and Co. - - - 219,127
Whitbread and Co. - - - - - - - - 213,841
Reid and Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 190,078
Coombe, Delafield, and Co. - - - 140,209
Felix Calvert and Co. - - - - - - - 107,858
Henry Meux and Co. - - - - - - - 103, 499
Goodwyn and Co. - - - - - - - - - - 72,076
Elliott and Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 61,619
Taylor and Co. - - - - - - - - - - - -58,736
Tickell, Joseph - - - - - - - - - - - -24,066
Cross and Co. - - - - - - - - - - - - 19,501

A statement of the quantity of Ale brewed by the six principal houses in London, from the 5th of July, 1822, to the 5th of July, 1823:—

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Barrels.
Goding and Broadwood - - 28,538
Wyatt and Son - - - - - - - 19,415
Charrington and Co. - - - - 16,636
Goding, Thomas - - - - - - 15,266
Ball and Co. - - - - - - - - - 12,136
Hale and Co. - - - - - - - - - 6,435 "
"The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature" by Edmund Burke, 1824, page 86.

This is from Porter's golden years. As can be seen by the fact that the 10th largest Porter brewer produced twice as much as the largest Ale brewer. Barclay Perkins, of course, still ruled supreme.


Here's a brief account of the history of Barclay Perkins.

"Perkins and Co.'s Brewery.
Near the banks of the Thames, and not far from the north-west of St. Saviour's church, are the extensive premises of Messrs. Perkins, & Co. The buildings and offices occupy a space of nearly six acres, on part of which stood the Globe Theatre. It has risen by degrees to its present magnitude, being now the largest establishment of the kind in the world.

About the year 1690, it was occupied on a small scale by Mr. Halsey. It was enlarged by his nephew, Mr. Ralph Thrale, whose son and successor was Mr. Henry Thrale, much better known by the intimacy that subsisted for many years between him, his wife, and Dr. Johnson. This gentleman considerably enlarged and improved it. Soon after his death, in 1781, it was sold for 135,000 pounds to Messrs. Barclay, Perkins, and Co. who have considerably extended the buildings and trade. In 1752, there were only 34,000 barrels of porter brewed; in 1794 they amounted to 134,000; in 1827, to 341,330 barrels.

This porter is sent to all parts of the world, and used to be in great request with the empress Catherine at Petersburgh, till a Mr. Stein, member for Bletchingly, in 1706, established a porter brewery at Petersburgh and obtained a patent for the vending of it, to the exclusion of any from London. The premises comprise shops for all the different trades requisite for the use of the brewery, such as cooperage, carpenter, &c. The stables form a quadrangle, holding 126 horses. The brewhouse is 250 feet in length, and 80 in width. The storehouses are numerous, and are capable of containing 120,000 barrels. The malt lofts will contain 20,000 quarters. Here is a steam engine erected by Boulton and Watts, in 1787, of the power of twenty-four horses.

The number of persons employed in the different departments of this business are about 200; of carriages about 60.

These buildings escaped destruction by lord George Gordon's mob, through the presence of mind of Mr. Perkins, who led away those frantic rioters by a dexterous manoeuvre of lending them a horse to draw some things which they were dragging themselves, and leading them to a public house, where he gave them plenty of porter."
"The History and Antiquities of London, Westminster, Southwark, and Parts Adjacent" by Thomas 1839, page 528 - 529.

The story in the last paragraph is new to me. Not the Gordon riots, but the saving of the Barclay Perkins brewery through judiciously applied Porter. Also nice to see an early mention of Russian Stout. It's reassuring to think that I still have more than a crate of it in my cellar.