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21-06-2012, 08:12
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Advertisements can tell you a lot. That's why I actively search them out. Not with too much success when it comes to Scottish breweries. Except in the case of Aitchison, where I found a nice set of ads from the middle of the 19th century.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDljSEibK1Q/T9COu5G7hAI/AAAAAAAAJN8/lHCPX2pLviU/s320/Aitchison_XXX_Ale.JPG (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDljSEibK1Q/T9COu5G7hAI/AAAAAAAAJN8/lHCPX2pLviU/s1600/Aitchison_XXX_Ale.JPG)
Irritatingly, many of the adverts don't specify the bottle size. That's why I've put "quart?" in the table. My guess would be that they are reputed quarts. A reputed quart is two thirds of an Imperial quart, or 757.7 ml. The ones marked "pint" and "quart" look like Imperial measures. At least when I compare the price of the same beer on draught.
So they're a bit easier to see at a glance, I've put them into a table. There are five main types of beer on offer: Table Ale, Edinburgh Ale, Strong Ale, Draught Ale and Mild Ale. But on closer observation it becomes clear that the same beers are being described by different names.
Let's start with everyone's favourite nowadays, India Pale Ale. Though it isn't always called that in the adverts. It also appears as India Ale, Pale India Beer, Pale Export India Beer and Pale India Ale. Couldn't they make their mind up what to call it? It's a great demonstration of just how inconsistent British breweries were in their naming conventions.
Interesting that Aitchison were already brewing IPA in 1840. That's pretty early. But we've already learned that Scottish brewers were quick to jump on the Pale Ale train. Though Aitchison's prices were lower than those of Allsopp. In 1845 a dozen quarts of Allsopp's IPA cost 4s 6d. I guess the big Burton brewers could get away with charging more.
Handy that the 1840 advert has a description of Aitchison's IPA: "Highly hopped and attenuated India Ale." Just for the last few brainwashed style nazis out there who still believe that Scottish beer only ever had a few hops waved at it. The description pretty much sums up the characteristics of early IPA: heavily hopped and highly attenuated.
Next we come to Table Ale. Slightly odd choice of name there. Usually it was called Table Beer, especially if it was heavily hopped, as was often the case. Being low gravity it often needed a good dose of hops to stop it spoiling too quickly. We know this one was heavily hopped because the advert says so "highly Hopped, an excellent Stomachic". The price is surprisingly high: the same as the India Ale.
The Scots seem to have had a name for Table Beer. It's not a type of beer that you would normally expect to get shipped very far. Yet Scottish breweries were selling it as far away as London.
Now Edinburgh Ale. Or perhaps I should just say Ale, because the names Edinburgh, Scotch and Mild Ale seem to be used interchangeably. With some additionally being called Strong Ale. Then there's Pale Edinburgh Ale as well. My guess is that these would have been Shilling Ales within the brewery. Or Guinea Ales. You can see that in 1845 advert that guinea designations are used for what were described as Mild Ales.
Scottish Ales, even the very strong ones, were usually sold young. Which made them technically Mild Ales. Though as you can see, often the terms Edinburgh Ale or Scotch Ale were preferred. Confusing, isn't it? It's taken me years to get my head around it.
Now I just happen to have details of William Younger's beers from 1847. Assuming that Aitchison's would have been roughly similar, we can get some idea of their strength. Five guineas is 105/-, seven guineas 147/-. Younger's 100/- had an OG of 1090º and their 140/- an OG of 1112º. So pretty damn strong.
I assume Draught Ale is another beer of this type. But it's impossible to be sure. The naming is just too vague.
So we can see the main products of Aitchison: IPA and strong Mild Ales. Very typically Scottish.
Aitchison beers 1843 - 1859
year
beer
price per barrel (shillings)
price per gallon (pence)
price per doz bottles
size
source
1840
Edinburgh Table Ale, highly Hopped, an excellent Stomachic
3s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.
1840
Edinburgh Ale, strongest and best made
8s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.
1840
Draught Ale,
72
24
Newcastle Courant - Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.
1840
Strong Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart?
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
Superior Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
High hopped Table Ale
3s
quart?
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
Highly hopped and attenuated India Ale
3s
quart?
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
Best Draught Ale
72
24
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
Best Draught Porter
48
16
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1842
Edinburgh Ale
4s
quart
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1842
Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1842
Edinburgh Ale
8s
quart
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1842
Pale India Beer
4s
quart
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1842
draught Pale India Beer
48
16
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1843
Splendid Edinburgh Ale, Strongest
6s
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.
1843
Fine Pale Edinburgh Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.
1843
India Pale Ale, much esteemed
3s
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.
1843
Superior India Pale Ale
3s
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.
1843
Splendid Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.
1843
Strongest Ale
6s
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.
1843
Prime Strong Ale (Old Bottle 1)
6s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
1843
Prime Strong Ale (Old Bottle 1)
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
1843
Pale India Ale
3s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
1843
Prime Draught Ale
72
24
Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
1844
Edinburgh Ale
3s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.
1844
Edinburgh Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.
1844
Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.
1845
Pale Export India Beer
3s
quart
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Mild Ale (5 guineas a hogshead)
4s 6d
quart
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Mild Ale (7 guineas a hogshead)
6s
quart
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Mild Ale (5 guineas a hogshead)
70
23.33
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Mild Ale (7 guineas a hogshead)
98
32.67
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Draught Ale
72
24
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1846
Pale Export India Beer
3s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
1846
Rich Flavoured Edinburgh Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
1846
Strongest and Best Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
1846
Draught Ale
72
24
Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
1848
Edinburgh Ale
3s 6d
pint
Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
1848
Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart
Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
1848
Pale India Ale
3s 6d
pint
Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
1848
Pale India Ale
6s
quart
Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
1859
Pale Ale
54
18
Newcastle Courant - Friday 29 July 1859, page 1.
1859
Six Guinea Ale
84
28
Newcastle Courant - Friday 29 July 1859, page 1.
1859
Draught Scotch Ale
56
18.67
Newcastle Courant - Friday 29 July 1859, page 1.
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Advertisements can tell you a lot. That's why I actively search them out. Not with too much success when it comes to Scottish breweries. Except in the case of Aitchison, where I found a nice set of ads from the middle of the 19th century.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDljSEibK1Q/T9COu5G7hAI/AAAAAAAAJN8/lHCPX2pLviU/s320/Aitchison_XXX_Ale.JPG (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDljSEibK1Q/T9COu5G7hAI/AAAAAAAAJN8/lHCPX2pLviU/s1600/Aitchison_XXX_Ale.JPG)
Irritatingly, many of the adverts don't specify the bottle size. That's why I've put "quart?" in the table. My guess would be that they are reputed quarts. A reputed quart is two thirds of an Imperial quart, or 757.7 ml. The ones marked "pint" and "quart" look like Imperial measures. At least when I compare the price of the same beer on draught.
So they're a bit easier to see at a glance, I've put them into a table. There are five main types of beer on offer: Table Ale, Edinburgh Ale, Strong Ale, Draught Ale and Mild Ale. But on closer observation it becomes clear that the same beers are being described by different names.
Let's start with everyone's favourite nowadays, India Pale Ale. Though it isn't always called that in the adverts. It also appears as India Ale, Pale India Beer, Pale Export India Beer and Pale India Ale. Couldn't they make their mind up what to call it? It's a great demonstration of just how inconsistent British breweries were in their naming conventions.
Interesting that Aitchison were already brewing IPA in 1840. That's pretty early. But we've already learned that Scottish brewers were quick to jump on the Pale Ale train. Though Aitchison's prices were lower than those of Allsopp. In 1845 a dozen quarts of Allsopp's IPA cost 4s 6d. I guess the big Burton brewers could get away with charging more.
Handy that the 1840 advert has a description of Aitchison's IPA: "Highly hopped and attenuated India Ale." Just for the last few brainwashed style nazis out there who still believe that Scottish beer only ever had a few hops waved at it. The description pretty much sums up the characteristics of early IPA: heavily hopped and highly attenuated.
Next we come to Table Ale. Slightly odd choice of name there. Usually it was called Table Beer, especially if it was heavily hopped, as was often the case. Being low gravity it often needed a good dose of hops to stop it spoiling too quickly. We know this one was heavily hopped because the advert says so "highly Hopped, an excellent Stomachic". The price is surprisingly high: the same as the India Ale.
The Scots seem to have had a name for Table Beer. It's not a type of beer that you would normally expect to get shipped very far. Yet Scottish breweries were selling it as far away as London.
Now Edinburgh Ale. Or perhaps I should just say Ale, because the names Edinburgh, Scotch and Mild Ale seem to be used interchangeably. With some additionally being called Strong Ale. Then there's Pale Edinburgh Ale as well. My guess is that these would have been Shilling Ales within the brewery. Or Guinea Ales. You can see that in 1845 advert that guinea designations are used for what were described as Mild Ales.
Scottish Ales, even the very strong ones, were usually sold young. Which made them technically Mild Ales. Though as you can see, often the terms Edinburgh Ale or Scotch Ale were preferred. Confusing, isn't it? It's taken me years to get my head around it.
Now I just happen to have details of William Younger's beers from 1847. Assuming that Aitchison's would have been roughly similar, we can get some idea of their strength. Five guineas is 105/-, seven guineas 147/-. Younger's 100/- had an OG of 1090º and their 140/- an OG of 1112º. So pretty damn strong.
I assume Draught Ale is another beer of this type. But it's impossible to be sure. The naming is just too vague.
So we can see the main products of Aitchison: IPA and strong Mild Ales. Very typically Scottish.
Aitchison beers 1843 - 1859
year
beer
price per barrel (shillings)
price per gallon (pence)
price per doz bottles
size
source
1840
Edinburgh Table Ale, highly Hopped, an excellent Stomachic
3s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.
1840
Edinburgh Ale, strongest and best made
8s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.
1840
Draught Ale,
72
24
Newcastle Courant - Friday 17 April 1840. page 1.
1840
Strong Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart?
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
Superior Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
High hopped Table Ale
3s
quart?
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
Highly hopped and attenuated India Ale
3s
quart?
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
Best Draught Ale
72
24
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1840
Best Draught Porter
48
16
Northern Liberator - Saturday 12 December 1840, page 8.
1842
Edinburgh Ale
4s
quart
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1842
Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1842
Edinburgh Ale
8s
quart
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1842
Pale India Beer
4s
quart
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1842
draught Pale India Beer
48
16
Morning Post (London) - Monday 04 April 1842, page 1.
1843
Splendid Edinburgh Ale, Strongest
6s
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.
1843
Fine Pale Edinburgh Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.
1843
India Pale Ale, much esteemed
3s
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 06 May 1843, page 2.
1843
Superior India Pale Ale
3s
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.
1843
Splendid Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.
1843
Strongest Ale
6s
quart?
Newcastle Journal - Saturday 05 August 1843, page 1.
1843
Prime Strong Ale (Old Bottle 1)
6s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
1843
Prime Strong Ale (Old Bottle 1)
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
1843
Pale India Ale
3s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
1843
Prime Draught Ale
72
24
Newcastle Courant - Friday 22 December 1843, page 1.
1844
Edinburgh Ale
3s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.
1844
Edinburgh Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.
1844
Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 10 May 1844, page 1.
1845
Pale Export India Beer
3s
quart
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Mild Ale (5 guineas a hogshead)
4s 6d
quart
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Mild Ale (7 guineas a hogshead)
6s
quart
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Mild Ale (5 guineas a hogshead)
70
23.33
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Mild Ale (7 guineas a hogshead)
98
32.67
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1845
Draught Ale
72
24
Newcastle Courant - Friday 09 May 1845, page 1.
1846
Pale Export India Beer
3s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
1846
Rich Flavoured Edinburgh Ale
4s 6d
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
1846
Strongest and Best Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart?
Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
1846
Draught Ale
72
24
Newcastle Courant - Friday 19 June 1846, page 1.
1848
Edinburgh Ale
3s 6d
pint
Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
1848
Edinburgh Ale
6s
quart
Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
1848
Pale India Ale
3s 6d
pint
Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
1848
Pale India Ale
6s
quart
Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 25 November 1848, page 1.
1859
Pale Ale
54
18
Newcastle Courant - Friday 29 July 1859, page 1.
1859
Six Guinea Ale
84
28
Newcastle Courant - Friday 29 July 1859, page 1.
1859
Draught Scotch Ale
56
18.67
Newcastle Courant - Friday 29 July 1859, page 1.
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