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22-12-2013, 09:27
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http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-31PG23cB-Tk/UrGBg7oFpNI/AAAAAAAASnU/edGo32npRD4/s320/Warwicks_Milk_Maid_Stout.jpg (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-31PG23cB-Tk/UrGBg7oFpNI/AAAAAAAASnU/edGo32npRD4/s1600/Warwicks_Milk_Maid_Stout.jpg)
Here, as promised, is a look at the beers if Newark's other major brewery in the 20th century, Warwick & Richardson.

Just as with Holes, it covers disappointingly few different beers. Just three this time. Though there is at least one draught beer, Crystal Bitter.

Let's start with that. From the name, it sounds like a keg Bitter. It's certainly not their standard draught Bitter, because that was IPA. (IPA was still being brewed when I worked at the Castle Brewery, but only in small amounts. Only one pub in Newark, the Vine, still sold it. Odd that the Vine should as that was a former Holes pub. In all the other Courage pubs in Newark AK, a former Holes beer, was the standard Bitter.) And it also appears in the middle of a large set of analyses for keg Bitter. Many of them proudly including the word "keg" in their name.



Warwick & Richardson beers 1939 - 1963


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


1939
Milk Stout
Stout


bottled
0.06
1021.2
1052.4
1 + 16
4.02
59.54%


1952
Milk Maid Stout
Stout
1/2d
half
bottled
0.05
1021.7
1040.7
1R + 12B
2.44
46.68%


1953
Milk Maid Stout
Stout
1/2d
half
bottled
0.04
1022.2
1040.5
1 + 13
2.35
45.19%


1959
Milk Maid Stout
Stout
15d
half
bottled

1018.6
1039.6
250
2.70
53.03%


1961
Crystal Bitter
Pale Ale
18d
pint
draught
0.06
1009.1
1038
20
3.61
76.05%


1963
Tankard Light
Pale Ale
12d
half
bottled
0.04
1006.8
1033.6
23
3.35
79.76%


Sources:


Whitbread Gravity Book document LMA/4453/D/02/001 held at the London Metropolitan Archives


Whitbread Gravity Book document LMA/4453/D/02/002 held at the London Metropolitan Archives



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-60isQyeq_GY/UrGCkB65sQI/AAAAAAAASnc/2LrW9T52E88/s320/Warwick_and_Richardson_beers_1939_1963.jpg (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-60isQyeq_GY/UrGCkB65sQI/AAAAAAAASnc/2LrW9T52E88/s1600/Warwick_and_Richardson_beers_1939_1963.jpg)

At 1038ยบ, it's quite possible that Crystal Bitter was a kegged version of IPA. That's about the right gravity for a brewery's standard Bitter. 1s 6d a pint - how good value was that? If we take a look at other keg Bitters of the day, that should give us some idea. Handily, I've got a good set from the Whitbread Gravity Book. Forty seven in all.



1961 Keg Bitters


Year
Brewer
Beer
Price (pence)
size
package
Acidity
FG
OG
colour
ABV
App. Atten-uation


1961
Howcrofts
Silver Keg
14
pint
draught
0.04
1006.9
1037.3
20
3.80
81.50%


1961
John Smith
Golden Keg Ale
14
pint
draught
0.04
1009
1039.1
19
3.76
76.98%


1961
West Country Breweries
Star Bright Keg
16
pint
draught
0.04
1004.6
1029.8
22
3.15
84.56%


1961
Gibbs Mew
Blue Keg
18
pint
draught
0.17
1002.8
1034.7
24
3.99
91.93%


1961
Greene King
Pressure Bitter
18
pint
draught
0.11
1006.7
1034.6
25
3.49
80.64%


1961
Groves & Whitnall
Red Rose Keg Bitter
18
pint
draught
0.10
1003.1
1037.6
18
4.31
91.76%


1961
Rhymney
Silver Drum
18
pint
draught
0.04
1007.1
1035.1
17
3.50
79.77%


1961
Threllfalls
Keg Bitter
18
pint
draught
0.04
1004.9
1038.5
17
4.20
87.27%


1961
Dryborough
Keg
19
pint
draught
0.08
1006.8
1037.6
10
3.85
81.91%


1961
Walkers
Goblet Pale Ale
19
pint
draught
0.11
1006.4
1037.9
17
3.94
83.11%


1961
Birkenhead Brewery
Keg Gold
20
pint
draught
0.11
1006.5
1043.1
23
4.57
84.92%


1961
Evan Evans Bevan
Crown Bitter
20
pint
draught
0.05
1004
1036.7
20
4.09
89.10%


1961
Everards, Leicester
Golden Bitter
20
pint
draught
0.05
1003.7
1037.6
14
4.24
90.16%


1961
Newcastle Breweries
Exhibition Cannister
20
pint
draught
0.05
1005.3
1044.2
18
4.86
88.01%


1961
Rhymney
Hobby Horse
20
pint
draught
0.04
1007.3
1036.4
13
3.64
79.95%


1961
St. Austell
Extra
20
pint
draught
0.07
1005.6
1039.9
25
4.29
85.96%


1961
Vaux
Keg Beer
20
pint
draught
0.08
1002.2
1034.8
14
4.07
93.68%


1961
Brickwoods
Sunshine Keg Bitter
21
pint
draught
0.07
1008.4
1035
28
3.33
76.00%


1961
Devenish
High Life
21
pint
draught
0.05
1007.1
1038.9
24
3.98
81.75%


1961
Ind Coope
Red Hand
21
pint
draught
0.13
1011
1036.7
18
3.33
70.03%


1961
Matthew & Co.
Buffalo Ale
21
pint
draught
0.06
1013.7
1044.6
27
3.86
69.28%


1961
Tennant Bros.
Keg Bitter
21
pint
draught
0.05
1005
1036.8
15
3.97
86.41%


1961
Truman
Keg Bitter
21
pint
draught
0.06
1006.2
1039
16
4.27
84.10%


1961
Wadworth
Golden Keg
21
pint
draught
0.11
1005.6
1035.1
23
3.69
84.05%


1961
Courage, Barclay
Keg Bitter
22
pint
draught
0.06
1003.3
1041.2
19
4.95
91.99%


1961
Dares
Drum Treble Gold
22
pint
draught
0.04
1007.7
1037
10
3.66
79.19%


1961
Friary
Drum Treble Gold
22
pint
draught
0.05
1006
1041.5
26
4.44
85.54%


1961
Gibbs Mew
Red Keg
22
pint
draught
0.11
1003.7
1040.4
21
4.59
90.84%


1961
Home Brewery
5 Star
22
pint
draught
0.05
1007.7
1047.5
18
4.97
83.79%


1961
West Country Breweries
Double Gloucester Keg
22
pint
draught
0.06
1004.6
1037.9
25
4.16
87.86%


1961
Ansell
King Pin Bitter
23
pint
draught
0.05
1004.4
1044.8
17
5.05
90.18%


1961
Mitchell & Butler
Anker
23
pint
draught
0.04
1010.9
1043.4
16
4.06
74.88%


1961
Starkey, Knight & Ford
Star Keg
23
pint
draught
0.07
1008
1042.3
27
4.29
81.09%


1961
Watney
Red Barrel
23
pint
draught
0.08
1006.6
1038.6
26
4.16
82.90%


1961
Arkells
King Keg
24
pint
draught
0.04
1007.2
1040.5
20
4.16
82.22%


1961
Flowers
Keg
24
pint
draught
0.04
1012.5
1039.3
27
3.35
68.19%


1961
Fremlin
Keg
24
pint
draught
0.04
1005.8
1040.4
23
4.33
85.64%


1961
Gibbs Mew
Anchor Keg
24
pint
draught
0.06
1004.4
1040.6
24
4.52
89.16%


1961
Hancock
Barley Brite
24
pint
draught
0.10
1006.7
1038.5
17
3.97
82.60%


1961
Lacon
Keg Bitter
24
pint
draught
0.06
1007.1
1040.1
17
4.12
82.29%


1961
Norman & Pring
Tan Bitter
24
pint
draught
0.04
1005.2
1038.4
18
4.15
86.46%


1961
Southams
Pressure PA
24
pint
draught
0.16
1007.1
1045.8
17
4.84
84.50%


1961
Strongs
Barley Corn Bitter
24
pint
draught
0.04
1006.3
1037.6
23
3.91
83.24%


1961
Tomson & Wotton
Bitter
24
pint
draught
0.11
1004.1
1037.7
20
4.20
89.12%


1961
Whitbread
Tankard Bitter
24
pint
draught
0.05
1011
1038.6
18
3.58
71.50%


1961
Tollemache
Tolly Keg
26
pint
draught
0.05
1006.9
1038.1
26
3.90
81.89%



Average

21.15


0.07
1006.46
1038.94
20.04
4.08
83.43%


1961
Warwick & Richardson
Crystal Bitter
18
pint
draught
0.06
1009.1
1038
20
3.61
76.05%


Source:


Whitbread Gravity Book document LMA/4453/D/02/002 held at the London Metropolitan Archives



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-INDaExm1SSo/UrGHmf_nyJI/AAAAAAAASn4/7wmgHlV7vH8/s320/Keg_Bitters_1961.jpg (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-INDaExm1SSo/UrGHmf_nyJI/AAAAAAAASn4/7wmgHlV7vH8/s1600/Keg_Bitters_1961.jpg)

1s 6d, or 18d, is definitely at the low end, price-wise. The average of those 47 is just over 21d. Some of the more expensive examples, like Whitbread Tankard, were the same strength but considerably more expensive at 2s, or 24d, per pint. That's a third more. The equivalent cask Bitters from these breweries were several pence cheaper per pint. Just as today, keg was shit value compared to cask. It makes you wonder why anyone has ever drunk the stuff.

You can see that that Crystal Bitter is very close to being average in terms of gravity and colour. It's just attenuated a bit less than most other keg Bitters.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnaTM6BgLR4/UrGDcb7a_UI/AAAAAAAASns/JUeGZTdY8w4/s320/Warwick_Tankard_Light_1960.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jnaTM6BgLR4/UrGDcb7a_UI/AAAAAAAASns/JUeGZTdY8w4/s1600/Warwick_Tankard_Light_1960.jpg)
Of course Whitbread Tankard is probably the reason for all the other analyses. It looks like they're checking out beers competing with it. Much the same as they obsessively analysed Milk Stouts.

Which moves us nicely along to Milk Maid Stout. As I'm sure I've already mentioned, my Mum's preferred beer. She was dead pissed off when they stopped brewing it. You can see how the ABV dropped right down after WW II, under the combined weight of a fall in both gravity and rate of attenuation. Just as well my Mum wasn't drinking for the buzz. You can see what terrible value for money it was. Under 3% ABV, yet a pint would cost you more than two shillings.

And finally we come to another beer called Tankard. I'm surprised Whitbread didn't have that name tied up. Or, that if it was already in use, they didn't pick another name for their keg Bitter. I know from labels that there was a second beer, Tankard Dark. As Tankard Light is obviously a Light Ale, I don't think it's a huge leap of faith to assume that Tankard Dark was a Brown Ale.

There are two more Newark breweries whose beers I have details of. Any guesses who they are?

More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2013/12/warwick-richardson-beers-1939-1963.html)