What I've heard from my grandfather (referring to a close-by region in 1930's) was that the local pub owner ordered 12 bottles of beer each year, on Christmas.

What I've heard from my grandfather (referring to a close-by region in 1930's) was that the local pub owner ordered 12 bottles of beer each year, on Christmas. It was bought by wealthier villagers as a kind of Christmas treat. The point being that any non-locally-produced food was basically a luxury item even decades after the period in question.