How beer created Belgium

A subject close to my heart. Here's the abstract from this paper (pdf) from Koen Deconinck (appropriately enough) and Johan Swinnen (via):

The present-day border between Belgium and the Netherlands traces back to the separation of the Low Countries after the Dutch Revolt (1566-1648) against Spanish rule. The capacity to finance war expenditures played a central role in the outcome of this conflict. Excise taxes on beer consumption were the single largest income source in Holland, the leading province of the Dutch Republic. Beer taxes thus played a crucial role in financing the Dutch Revolt which led to the separation of the Low Countries and, eventually, the creation of Belgium.

The Dutch Revolt was a remarkable success against the power of the Spanish Empire, but the price paid was the splitting of the Low Countries, with Spain retaining control over the southern part - what's now Belgium. As a result Protestant Holland went on to enjoy a golden age, while Catholic Belgium languished, with the main port, Antwerp, once one of the most prosperous cities in Europe, being sidelined by the rise of Amsterdam and Rotterdam. When the chance came for reunification, after the defeat of Napoleon, the difference between the two was just too great, and Belgium and Holland went their separate ways.

More detail from the body of the text:

Beer was of crucial importance to government finances in Holland during the Dutch Revolt. Not only was the beer excise at least as important as the real estate tax (making it the single largest revenue component of the province), whenever more funds were needed to finance the Revolt, beer taxes were among the first to be increased. Two factors explain this paramount importance of beer in financing the Dutch Revolt. First, in early modern times, beer played a central role in daily consumption patterns. Second, the towns of Holland had developed a very effective system of collecting the beer excise. 

The role of beer in daily life during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance can hardly be exaggerated. To most people, beer was a necessity and an important part of their diets, “a beverage for all times of the day from breakfast to dinner and into the evening” (Unger, 2004, p. xiii). Most other beverages were unsafe or too expensive: water was often polluted and unhealthy, milk was perishable, tea and coffee were only introduced in later centuries, and wine was too expensive for most people. By contrast, beer was relatively nutritious, healthy, cheap and (after the introduction of hopped beers) could be kept longer than most other beverages. As a result, beer consumption was high throughout Northern Europe.

The Low Countries in particular had a reputation for drinking vast quantities of beer. A per capita consumption of one liter per day for Dutch towns seems to be a reasonable estimate, with estimates of yearly consumption in the Netherlands ranging between 200 and 400 liters per capita. This is much higher than current per capita consumption levels, which are around 80 liters per capita for the Netherlands and around 100 liters per capita for Belgium.

The high demand for beer explains the prominence of the brewing industry in the economy of medieval and early modern towns. In 1514, there were 148 breweries in Gouda, a city of 14,000 inhabitants. Haarlem, a city of a similar size, had 98 brewers, while Delft counted 75 brewers on a population of 12,000. Many towns had brewers specializing in higher quality beers for export to other towns and regions. This production for export made beer into one of the pillars of the economy in Holland, comparable with the more famous textile industries.

Not surprisingly, the success of beer drew the attention of rulers in search of tax revenues....

Comments

[Martin Adamson]

Most people were drinking small beer, though - about 1-2% alcohol. It's well known that the standard ration in medieval monasteries was 8 pints a day. Even well into the 19th century it was normal for children to drink beer - there are dozens of references to it in Dickens.

[Dom]

A friend of mine, from Belgium, once told me that pregnant women were always told to drink a fair amount of beer. It was thought to make pregnancy more tolerable, and the extra fat was good for the fetus. Times have changed I guess ...

[Mick H]

I just asked my (Belgian) wife about that, and it's news to her. It could explain a few things, mind...

[Dom]

Of course, my friend is a guy, and he was talking about his girlfriend. Maybe he had some other motive ...

But then, I just found this: "...our B&B host in Brugge said that during her stay in the hospital (an astounding 5 days!) she was given a trappist dark brew to facilitate lactation."

http://wagamamawonderings.blogspot.com/2011/05/pregnancy-myths-debunked-during.html