The precursor to the Beer Act – The Alehouse Act (9 Geo.4 c.61) had been introduced in 1828 by George IV’s government and established a General Annual Licensing Meeting to be held in every city, town, division, county and riding, for the purposes of granting licences to inns, alehouses and victualling houses to sell exciseable liquors to be drunk on the premises. Two years later William IV’s government took the legislation further by introducing the Beer Act which enabled anyone to brew and sell beer on payment of a licence costing two guineas (£2.10 in modern currency). The intention was to increase competition between brewers, and it resulted in the opening of hundreds of new beerhouses, public houses and breweries throughout the country. According to the Act itself, Parliament considered it “expedient for the better supplying the public with Beer in England, to give greater facilities for the sale thereof, than was then afforded by licences to keepers of Inns, Alehouses, and Victualling Houses. The Act’s supporters hoped that by increasing competition in the brewing and sale of beer, and thus lowering its price, the population might be weaned off more alcoholic drinks such as gin.