Blog Tracker
23-11-2013, 07:06
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/11/lagers-during-ww-i.html)
I wonder about myself sometimes. I can't believe I've never written about this yet.
I've just been going through my photos of some of the documents other than brewing records I've photographed. Mostly to use some of the images in tweets. One as notebook from someone called R.W.R. Laws. He must have worked on the brewing staff at Barclay Perkins, because the notebooks loose lesaf pages are filled with information about brewing. But also about specific types of beer. For example, IBS, also known as Russian Stout.
But I was stopped dead in my tracks when I got to this page. It has analyses of Lagers, both British and foreign, from WW I.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AF4zzAGPi5k/Uot3kXqK3yI/AAAAAAAASZ8/dN-eb0rUN1I/s1600/BP_notebook_Lager_analyses.jpg (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AF4zzAGPi5k/Uot3kXqK3yI/AAAAAAAASZ8/dN-eb0rUN1I/s1600/BP_notebook_Lager_analyses.jpg)
How on earth had I never transcribed the details into my spreadsheets? It's full of useful information and encompasses three of my obsessions: British Lager, WW I and Scotland. It would be hard to think of something more down my street.
I knew Barclay Perkins had experimented with brewing Lager during the war. Presuambly because of an interruption in supplies from Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nice little business opportunity there. I also knew that Lager was brewed at Allsopp, the Wrexham Lager Brewery, Jeffreys and J & R Tennent (in the notebook incorrectly spelled as Tennant). But I didn't realise Peter Walker was brewing it at such an early date.
As you can see, the examples are plenty much split down the middle between Pilsener and Munich-style Dark Lager. It's only really after WW II that Lager came to associated with the pale colour of Pilsener. Before then, various shaded of Lager were both sold and brewed in the UK.
Anyway, here's the information in handy table form:
Lagers during WW I
Date
Year
Brewer
country
Beer
Style
Price
package
Acidity
FG
OG
28th Jan
1915
Allsopp
UK
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1010
1049
28th Jan
1915
Peter Walker
UK
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1010.3
1044.4
28th Jan
1915
Tennent
UK - Scotland
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1015.3
1049.2
1st Feb
1915
Salamon
UK
Non-alcoholic Lager
Lager
bottled
1027.5
1038.5
1st Feb
1915
Haantje
Holland
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1011.6
1043.8
1st Feb
1915
Haantje
Holland
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1014.4
1044.8
17th Mar
1915
Wrexham Lager Brewery
UK
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1013.9
1051.3
12th May
1915
Jeffrey & Co
UK - Scotland
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1009.8
1039.9
12th May
1915
Jeffrey & Co
UK - Scotland
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1012.1
1041.3
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Pilsener experimental
Pilsener
bottled
1008.4
1050.8
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Munich experimental
Münchner
bottled
1020.2
1051.6
26th May
1915
Tennent
UK - Scotland
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1010.3
1047
26th May
1915
Tennent
UK - Scotland
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1015.6
1050.4
26th May
1915
Peter Walker
UK
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1013.2
1048.7
26th May
1915
Carlsberg
Denmark
Light Lager
Lager
bottled
1014
1053.6
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Dark pasteurised
Münchner
bottled
1019.9
1051.9
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Dark not pasteurised
Münchner
bottled
1019.8
1051.6
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Light pasteurised
Lager
bottled
1011.8
1051.5
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Light not pasteurised
Lager
bottled
1010.5
1051.2
4th Jul
1915
F.W. Lyckholm, Gothenburg
Sweden
Red Label
Lager
bottled
0.048
1009.4
1047.5
4th Jul
1915
F.W. Lyckholm, Gothenburg
Sweden
Blue Label
Lager
bottled
0.048
1012.6
1050.5
20th Aug
1915
Anheuser Busch, St. Louis
USA
Budweiser
Lager
bottled
1015.9
1050.5
28th Aug
1915
Tuborg
Denmark
Lager
Lager
4.5d
bottled
1011.3
1045.1
22nd Apr
1919
Allsopp
UK
Lager
Lager
bottled
0.075
1007.9
1043.9
Source:
Notebook held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/712.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qt3D1EPUIIM/Uot6PIT37XI/AAAAAAAASaI/syzMjlTqF88/s320/Lagers_during_WWI.jpg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qt3D1EPUIIM/Uot6PIT37XI/AAAAAAAASaI/syzMjlTqF88/s1600/Lagers_during_WWI.jpg)
Note that most have a gravity between 1048º and 1050º, which for a Pilsener is on the high side. While for a Münchner, it's a little low.
I'd wondered when Barclay Perkins stopped experimenting and started selling their Lager. I's suspected that it wasn't until they had completed their Lager brewery in the 1920's. But that wasn't the case. BEcause the notebook also has Lager sales figures for 1919.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/11/lagers-during-ww-i.html)
I wonder about myself sometimes. I can't believe I've never written about this yet.
I've just been going through my photos of some of the documents other than brewing records I've photographed. Mostly to use some of the images in tweets. One as notebook from someone called R.W.R. Laws. He must have worked on the brewing staff at Barclay Perkins, because the notebooks loose lesaf pages are filled with information about brewing. But also about specific types of beer. For example, IBS, also known as Russian Stout.
But I was stopped dead in my tracks when I got to this page. It has analyses of Lagers, both British and foreign, from WW I.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AF4zzAGPi5k/Uot3kXqK3yI/AAAAAAAASZ8/dN-eb0rUN1I/s1600/BP_notebook_Lager_analyses.jpg (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AF4zzAGPi5k/Uot3kXqK3yI/AAAAAAAASZ8/dN-eb0rUN1I/s1600/BP_notebook_Lager_analyses.jpg)
How on earth had I never transcribed the details into my spreadsheets? It's full of useful information and encompasses three of my obsessions: British Lager, WW I and Scotland. It would be hard to think of something more down my street.
I knew Barclay Perkins had experimented with brewing Lager during the war. Presuambly because of an interruption in supplies from Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Nice little business opportunity there. I also knew that Lager was brewed at Allsopp, the Wrexham Lager Brewery, Jeffreys and J & R Tennent (in the notebook incorrectly spelled as Tennant). But I didn't realise Peter Walker was brewing it at such an early date.
As you can see, the examples are plenty much split down the middle between Pilsener and Munich-style Dark Lager. It's only really after WW II that Lager came to associated with the pale colour of Pilsener. Before then, various shaded of Lager were both sold and brewed in the UK.
Anyway, here's the information in handy table form:
Lagers during WW I
Date
Year
Brewer
country
Beer
Style
Price
package
Acidity
FG
OG
28th Jan
1915
Allsopp
UK
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1010
1049
28th Jan
1915
Peter Walker
UK
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1010.3
1044.4
28th Jan
1915
Tennent
UK - Scotland
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1015.3
1049.2
1st Feb
1915
Salamon
UK
Non-alcoholic Lager
Lager
bottled
1027.5
1038.5
1st Feb
1915
Haantje
Holland
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1011.6
1043.8
1st Feb
1915
Haantje
Holland
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1014.4
1044.8
17th Mar
1915
Wrexham Lager Brewery
UK
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1013.9
1051.3
12th May
1915
Jeffrey & Co
UK - Scotland
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1009.8
1039.9
12th May
1915
Jeffrey & Co
UK - Scotland
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1012.1
1041.3
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Pilsener experimental
Pilsener
bottled
1008.4
1050.8
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Munich experimental
Münchner
bottled
1020.2
1051.6
26th May
1915
Tennent
UK - Scotland
Pilsener
Pilsener
bottled
1010.3
1047
26th May
1915
Tennent
UK - Scotland
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1015.6
1050.4
26th May
1915
Peter Walker
UK
Munich
Münchner
bottled
1013.2
1048.7
26th May
1915
Carlsberg
Denmark
Light Lager
Lager
bottled
1014
1053.6
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Dark pasteurised
Münchner
bottled
1019.9
1051.9
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Dark not pasteurised
Münchner
bottled
1019.8
1051.6
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Light pasteurised
Lager
bottled
1011.8
1051.5
26th May
1915
Barclay Perkins
UK
Light not pasteurised
Lager
bottled
1010.5
1051.2
4th Jul
1915
F.W. Lyckholm, Gothenburg
Sweden
Red Label
Lager
bottled
0.048
1009.4
1047.5
4th Jul
1915
F.W. Lyckholm, Gothenburg
Sweden
Blue Label
Lager
bottled
0.048
1012.6
1050.5
20th Aug
1915
Anheuser Busch, St. Louis
USA
Budweiser
Lager
bottled
1015.9
1050.5
28th Aug
1915
Tuborg
Denmark
Lager
Lager
4.5d
bottled
1011.3
1045.1
22nd Apr
1919
Allsopp
UK
Lager
Lager
bottled
0.075
1007.9
1043.9
Source:
Notebook held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/712.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qt3D1EPUIIM/Uot6PIT37XI/AAAAAAAASaI/syzMjlTqF88/s320/Lagers_during_WWI.jpg (http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qt3D1EPUIIM/Uot6PIT37XI/AAAAAAAASaI/syzMjlTqF88/s1600/Lagers_during_WWI.jpg)
Note that most have a gravity between 1048º and 1050º, which for a Pilsener is on the high side. While for a Münchner, it's a little low.
I'd wondered when Barclay Perkins stopped experimenting and started selling their Lager. I's suspected that it wasn't until they had completed their Lager brewery in the 1920's. But that wasn't the case. BEcause the notebook also has Lager sales figures for 1919.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/11/lagers-during-ww-i.html)