S.M. HAWKES, SWAN BREWERY, WALTHAM GREEN [ENGLISH BREWERY PRODUCT GUIDE, 1853]

Hawkes, Sidney Milnes and The Proprietors of Swan Brewery

Published by Swan Brewery, Waltham Green, 1853

About this Item

16mo. 6 1/2 in. x 4 in. a 15-page promotional booklet, rebound in royal blue smooth calf, bordered on three sides by a chain of triangles, in blind, and ruled at spine (both top and bottom boards) with gilt roll. Multi-chaptered, rather chatty "brochure" whose apparent aim was to educate, entertain, and of course promote. In Issue 126 of the publication "Brewing History" Rob Wooley who discussed Sidney Milne Hawkes and the Swan Brewery at some length, is quoted below to provide wider context of why this little gem of a pamphlet figures so prominently in both educating the public about beermaking, placing it within the backdrop of social, legal and cultural atmospheres then prevalent. Includes small sections on: Historical Notes on Beer and Brewing; Our Engraving; The Malt Kiln; The Hop-Garden; Adulteration of Beer; Our Plan; Description of the Different Sorts of Beer; Popular Directions for the Management of the Beer-Cask. Quite Rare. .The Proprietors of the Swan Brewery, etc., offer real insight on contemporary English beer styles in point of flavour (viewed as body or richness), aging, and strength, from a consumer standpoint. "The pamphlet's descriptions for its range of beers [the pamphlet highlights ten styles of currently available beer] are compelling as nothing similar exists in brewery historical literature that we are aware of. Brewing texts and journal articles of the era contain similar information, in more summary or fragmented form. Swan Brewery's promotional literature reveals early marketing skill,.especially in the bucolic artwork and lyrical-poetic content. "But the document was still a sales tool and includes a serial description of the beers, like a modern pocket handbook guide. It was designed for wholesalers, public houses and hotels, and probably too, home purchasers, with something extra to entertain or instruct. The key part is the statement that each class of beers, mild, pale, black, is distinguished by a gradation of strength, body, and (especially) age." (from "Garry Gilman's Beer Et Seq") Sidney Milnes Hawkes first produced this pamphlet sometime between 1850 and 1852, the purpose of which was to freshly promote the business of Swan Brewery. But Hawkes's effort was not merely the promotion of his own "Swan-branded" enterprise - like the fabled bird - strong, eloquent, classically emblematic. Culturally the per-capita consumption of beer was at a comparatively low point, sifting if not shifting from the public house to drinking at home and there was a larger marketing push afoot to sell beer drinking to the working class. Hawkes deeply understood that people needed to know something about what was in their beer and how it was manufactured, and despite the fact that "little was known of the scientific principles involved in the brewing process", for him "the brewer's experience was the only [available] guide." At base Hawkes ".understood that the basic brewing process was a chemical reaction involving the extraction of a 'saccharine solution' from malt and converting it into a fermented beverage called beer or ale" Hawkes sought at once to demystify and perhaps destigmatize the beer-making/beer-consuming process and in this cheerful, raconteur-ish pamphlet, he sought to present beer and its making as less dangerous by virtue of all the storied adulturation occurring in the manufacture of beer, and purer by way of his more exacting and ethical standards. Not being a scientist per se, Hawkes championed on the job training. To this end, [in the pamphlet] Hawkes offered only what he himself understood, leaving out that about the scientific details, about which he thus far, knew little. "The whole process of preparing malt and hops and ultimately brewing was represented by the engraving on the cover of Hawkes's pamphlet. On the top left side of the cover was a scene depicting countrymen harvesting barley. In the distance stands a windmill, below the harvest scene stands the malting. Down the right hand s.

Seller Inventory # 88050

Bibliographic Details

• Title: S.M. HAWKES, SWAN BREWERY, WALTHAM GREEN [ENGLISH BREWERY PRODUCT GUIDE, 1853]
• Publisher: Swan Brewery, Waltham Green
• Publication Date: 1853
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Good Plus
• Seller catalogs:
  • Cooking, Drinking