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20-04-2013, 08:12
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Time for the next installment in my series on the beers of Birmingham. We'll be looking at the Light Ale and Pale Ales of M & B.

A word of explanation first about Cape Ale. I've called it a Light Ale, but don't read too much into that. These were entries that I transcribed from the Whitbread Gravity Book early on. By the time I'd got further through, I'd given up trying to classify beers as Light Ale unless they had Light Ale in the name.

As you can see, there are also some examples of Family Ale, classed as Pale Ale. Basically because of the colour. So a bit arbitrary, really.

All Bright Ale is an intriguing one. It seems to have lost almost not gravity across WW II, which is unusual. 1044º in 1932, it was almost unchanged on 1042º in 1951. It was one opf many bottled Pale Ale type beers M & B brewed.

In the 1950's there was Cape Ale at about 1033º, All Bright Ale at 1042º and Export Pale Ale at 1047º. It's a surprisingly large number, especially when you throw in the confusing Family Ale at 1032º.

Moving onto beers I have personal experince of, there are the two draught Bitters from the 1970's and 1980's: Brew XI 1039º and DPA, also known as Dunkirk Pale Ale or Darby Pale Ale, at 1032º. As I said in my earlyier post, I wasn't a fan of Brew XI. At the time, it was sometimes compared to a Light Mild, due to its iunderlying sweetness.

DPA was a much better beer, but, frustratingly, much harder to find. It was discontinued sometime in the 1980's, which was a real shame. How often has that happened top me? Where a brewery drops the good beer and continues to brew a crapper alternative. To give it its due, Brew XI was a decent gravity for a Big Six Ordinary Bitter. Just not much cop.

I'm sure that you're all as excited by this series as I am. You'll be delighted to hear that there's another installment still to come. Or maybe two. Not quite decided yet.





Mitchell & Butler Light Ale and Pale Ale 1929 - 1993


Year
Beer
Style
Price
size
package
Acidity
FG
OG
colour
ABV
App. Atten-uation


1951
All Bright Ale
Light Ale
1/4.5d
pint
bottled
0.04
1010.1
1041.9
21 B
4.1
75.89%


1951
Cape Ale
Light Ale
7.5d
half
bottled
0.04
1008.3
1034
31 B
3.3
75.59%


1951
Cape Ale
Light Ale
7.5d
half
bottled
0.06
1007.3
1034.8
19
3.6
79.02%


1953
Cape Ale
Light Ale
8.5d
half
bottled
0.06
1007.3
1033.8
33 B
3.4
78.40%


1954
Cape Ale
Light Ale
9d
half
bottled
0.05
1007.7
1033.5
28
3.3
77.01%


1956
Cape Ale
Light Ale
1/3d
half
bottled
0.04
1008.5
1032.7
31
3.1
74.01%


1929
All Bright Ale
Pale Ale
7.5d
pint
bottled
0.07
1009.1
1046.9

4.9
80.60%


1931
Family Ale
Pale Ale
7d
pint
bottled

1007.2
1039.4

4.2
81.73%


1932
Family Ale
Pale Ale
7d
pint
bottled
0.05
1006.5
1037

4.0
82.43%


1932
All Bright Ale
Pale Ale
8.5d
pint
bottled
0.05
1007.5
1044

4.8
82.95%


1932
Export Ale
Pale Ale
6d
half
bottled
0.06
1006.6
1049

5.5
86.53%


1935
Export Pale Ale
Pale Ale
5.5d
half
bottled
0.05
1008.4
1053

5.8
84.15%


1935
All Bright Ale
Pale Ale
7.5d
pint
bottled
0.05
1008.6
1046
24
4.9
81.30%


1935
Cape Ale
Pale Ale
3.5d
half
bottled
0.04
1008.3
1040

4.1
79.25%


1949
PA
Pale Ale
1/10d
pint
draught
0.05
1006.5
1042.6
17 Brown
4.7
84.74%


1950
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
21d
pint
draught


1045.4
30




1951
Export Pale Ale
Pale Ale
10.5d
half
bottled
0.05
1010.3
1047.5
19 B
4.8
78.32%


1953
Allbright Ale
Pale Ale
1/7.5d
pint
bottled
0.05
1009.5
1040.9
21 B
4.1
76.77%


1955
Export Pale Ale
Pale Ale
1/1d
half
bottled
0.04
1011.8
1045.7
20
4.4
74.18%


1955
Allbright Ale
Pale Ale
1/8.5d
pint
bottled
0.05
1011.5
1041.2
25
3.8
72.09%


1955
Cape Ale
Pale Ale
9.5d
half
bottled
0.04
1008.7
1033.1
28
3.2
73.72%


1959
Export Pale Ale
Pale Ale
13d
half
bottled
0.03
1012.4
1046.6
19
4.3
73.39%


1961
Anker
Pale Ale
23d
pint
draught
0.04
1010.9
1043.4
16
4.1
74.88%


1966
Family Ale
Pale Ale
19.5d
pint
bottled
0.04
1005.8
1031.6
25
3.2
81.65%


1966
Export Pale Ale
Pale Ale
17d
half
bottled
0.04
1009.1
1044.9
19
4.5
79.73%


1977
Brew XI
Pale Ale

pint
draught


1038.8





1977
DPA
Pale Ale

pint
draught


1032





1979
Brew XI
Pale Ale

pint
draught


1038.8





1979
DPA
Pale Ale

pint
draught


1032





1981
Brew XI
Pale Ale

pint
draught


1038.8





1982
Brew XI
Pale Ale

pint
draught


1040





1983
Brew XI
Pale Ale

pint
draught


1040





1986
Brew XI
Pale Ale

pint
draught


1040





1989
Brew XI
Pale Ale

pint
draught

1008.45
1040

4.1
78.87%


1993
Brew XI
Pale Ale


draught

1008
1038
18
3.9
78.95%


Sources:


Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001


Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002


1993 Real Ale Drinker's Almanac


Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252


Good Beer Guide 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1990.



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