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26-05-2013, 07:14
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/05/hop-usage-in-ww-ii.html)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtYBqhqEfu4/UZzNhWSF-0I/AAAAAAAARGQ/0ZhwuYnXNPk/s400/Barclays_IPA.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtYBqhqEfu4/UZzNhWSF-0I/AAAAAAAARGQ/0ZhwuYnXNPk/s1600/Barclays_IPA.jpg)
I can't help checking things, when I have the information available. There's something from yesterday's post that I just had to check.
I'll remind you, in case you've forgotten already:
"Consumption of hops by brewers was cut in June, 1941, under instructions of the Ministry of Food, by 20% of the rate used per standard barrel."
1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 64.
I've enough WW II brewing records to be able to check this easily enough.Through the medium of Whitbread and Barclay Perkins.
Let's start with Whitbread. There's something you wouldn't expect. Taking into account its lower gravity, their Mild was more heavily hopped than their Bitter. Now isn't that weird? Even after the hopping rate had been knocked down by 26%, the Mild was still more heavily hopped than the Bitter.
It looks to me as if Whitbread has reduced its overall hop usage by 20%, but not evenly across all their beers. In 1939, Whitbread brewed 232,453 barrels of Mild and 51,643 barrels of Bitter. That's a ratio of more than four to one. If you take into account the different quantity of each brewed, the reduction comes out to almost bang on 20%. As this table demonstrates:
beer
barrels
hops lb/brl
lbs hops used
total hops used PA and XX
% decrease in hops used
PA
50,740
1.11
56,321
XX
232,453
0.98
227,804
284,125
PA
50,740
1
50,740
XX
232,453
0.76
176,664
227,404
19.96%
Sources:
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/107 and LMA/4453/D/01/108
Now let's turn our attention to Barclay Perkins. I'll be honest. I can make no sense out of their numbers. For four of their beers - A, BS, LS and X - the hopping rate increased. Only IPA and KK and the rate decreased. As their biggest seller, X Ale, had its rate go up by almost 30%, I can see no way it could have been compensated for by a big drop in another beer. I have no explanation for this.
Whitbread hopping rates
Date
Year
Beer
Style
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
hops lb. standard barrel
% decrease lb/standard brl
6th Feb
1941
PA
Pale Ale
1042.9
1015.0
3.69
65.03%
6.54
1.11
1.43
11th Oct
1941
PA
Pale Ale
1042.5
1011.5
4.10
72.94%
5.62
1.00
1.29
9.76%
1st Feb
1941
XX
Mild
1029.7
1008.5
2.80
71.38%
8.10
0.98
1.82
10th Oct
1941
XX
Mild
1031.2
1009.0
2.94
71.15%
6.38
0.76
1.34
26.26%
Source:
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives document number LMA/4453/D/01/108
Barclay Perkins hopping rates
Date
Year
Beer
Style
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
hops lb. standard barrel
% decrease lb/ standard brl
11th Apr
1941
A
Mild
1028.7
1008.0
2.74
72.12%
5.00
0.56
1.08
13th Jul
1942
A
Mild
1027.3
1007.0
2.69
74.36%
5.62
0.67
1.34
-24.09%
4th Jun
1941
BS
Stout
1044.7
1015.0
3.92
66.41%
6.00
1.04
1.28
25th Jun
1942
BS
Stout
1041.4
1015.0
3.49
63.77%
6.40
1.26
1.68
-30.86%
1st May
1941
IPA (bottling)
IPA
1036.9
1007.5
3.89
79.69%
6.00
1.00
1.49
7th May
1942
IPA (bottling)
IPA
1031.3
1007.0
3.21
77.64%
5.61
0.74
1.31
12.23%
17th Apr
1941
KK (trade)
Strong Ale
1051.4
1015.0
4.81
70.80%
7.50
2.07
2.22
11th May
1942
KK (trade)
Strong Ale
1043.3
1012.0
4.14
72.29%
6.76
1.22
1.55
29.81%
8th Apr
1941
LS
Stout
1040.5
1015.0
3.37
62.97%
6.00
0.97
1.32
13th May
1942
LS
Stout
1033.5
1012.0
2.84
64.18%
6.00
0.88
1.45
-9.70%
10th Apr
1941
X
Mild
1031.8
1007.0
3.28
77.96%
5.00
0.63
1.09
11th Jul
1942
X
Mild
1028.7
1007.5
2.80
73.87%
5.60
0.73
1.39
-28.05%
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives document number ACC/2305/1/624.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/05/hop-usage-in-ww-ii.html)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtYBqhqEfu4/UZzNhWSF-0I/AAAAAAAARGQ/0ZhwuYnXNPk/s400/Barclays_IPA.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtYBqhqEfu4/UZzNhWSF-0I/AAAAAAAARGQ/0ZhwuYnXNPk/s1600/Barclays_IPA.jpg)
I can't help checking things, when I have the information available. There's something from yesterday's post that I just had to check.
I'll remind you, in case you've forgotten already:
"Consumption of hops by brewers was cut in June, 1941, under instructions of the Ministry of Food, by 20% of the rate used per standard barrel."
1955 Brewers' Almanack, page 64.
I've enough WW II brewing records to be able to check this easily enough.Through the medium of Whitbread and Barclay Perkins.
Let's start with Whitbread. There's something you wouldn't expect. Taking into account its lower gravity, their Mild was more heavily hopped than their Bitter. Now isn't that weird? Even after the hopping rate had been knocked down by 26%, the Mild was still more heavily hopped than the Bitter.
It looks to me as if Whitbread has reduced its overall hop usage by 20%, but not evenly across all their beers. In 1939, Whitbread brewed 232,453 barrels of Mild and 51,643 barrels of Bitter. That's a ratio of more than four to one. If you take into account the different quantity of each brewed, the reduction comes out to almost bang on 20%. As this table demonstrates:
beer
barrels
hops lb/brl
lbs hops used
total hops used PA and XX
% decrease in hops used
PA
50,740
1.11
56,321
XX
232,453
0.98
227,804
284,125
PA
50,740
1
50,740
XX
232,453
0.76
176,664
227,404
19.96%
Sources:
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/107 and LMA/4453/D/01/108
Now let's turn our attention to Barclay Perkins. I'll be honest. I can make no sense out of their numbers. For four of their beers - A, BS, LS and X - the hopping rate increased. Only IPA and KK and the rate decreased. As their biggest seller, X Ale, had its rate go up by almost 30%, I can see no way it could have been compensated for by a big drop in another beer. I have no explanation for this.
Whitbread hopping rates
Date
Year
Beer
Style
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
hops lb. standard barrel
% decrease lb/standard brl
6th Feb
1941
PA
Pale Ale
1042.9
1015.0
3.69
65.03%
6.54
1.11
1.43
11th Oct
1941
PA
Pale Ale
1042.5
1011.5
4.10
72.94%
5.62
1.00
1.29
9.76%
1st Feb
1941
XX
Mild
1029.7
1008.5
2.80
71.38%
8.10
0.98
1.82
10th Oct
1941
XX
Mild
1031.2
1009.0
2.94
71.15%
6.38
0.76
1.34
26.26%
Source:
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives document number LMA/4453/D/01/108
Barclay Perkins hopping rates
Date
Year
Beer
Style
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
hops lb. standard barrel
% decrease lb/ standard brl
11th Apr
1941
A
Mild
1028.7
1008.0
2.74
72.12%
5.00
0.56
1.08
13th Jul
1942
A
Mild
1027.3
1007.0
2.69
74.36%
5.62
0.67
1.34
-24.09%
4th Jun
1941
BS
Stout
1044.7
1015.0
3.92
66.41%
6.00
1.04
1.28
25th Jun
1942
BS
Stout
1041.4
1015.0
3.49
63.77%
6.40
1.26
1.68
-30.86%
1st May
1941
IPA (bottling)
IPA
1036.9
1007.5
3.89
79.69%
6.00
1.00
1.49
7th May
1942
IPA (bottling)
IPA
1031.3
1007.0
3.21
77.64%
5.61
0.74
1.31
12.23%
17th Apr
1941
KK (trade)
Strong Ale
1051.4
1015.0
4.81
70.80%
7.50
2.07
2.22
11th May
1942
KK (trade)
Strong Ale
1043.3
1012.0
4.14
72.29%
6.76
1.22
1.55
29.81%
8th Apr
1941
LS
Stout
1040.5
1015.0
3.37
62.97%
6.00
0.97
1.32
13th May
1942
LS
Stout
1033.5
1012.0
2.84
64.18%
6.00
0.88
1.45
-9.70%
10th Apr
1941
X
Mild
1031.8
1007.0
3.28
77.96%
5.00
0.63
1.09
11th Jul
1942
X
Mild
1028.7
1007.5
2.80
73.87%
5.60
0.73
1.39
-28.05%
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives document number ACC/2305/1/624.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/05/hop-usage-in-ww-ii.html)