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13-01-2014, 07:12
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What sort of condition was Burton Ale in down the pub in the 1920's? It's the sort of answer I wouldn't expect to get an answer to. Yet, courtesy of the Whitbread Gravity Book, some evidence does exist.
Because in the early years it also included information about the appearance and flavour of the beer being analysed.
Let's begin with Watney's Burton:
Watney's Strong Ale condition 1922 - 1924
Year
Beer
FG
OG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Appearance
Flavour
1922
KK
1012.5
1058.5
6.00
78.63%
cloudy
v fair
1922
KK
1012.2
1057.2
5.87
78.67%
bright
fairly full
1922
KK
1013.9
1055.9
5.46
75.13%
v bright
good
1922
KK
1010.8
1056.3
5.94
80.82%
bright
unpleasantly bitter
1923
KK
1012.9
1059.4
6.06
78.28%
fairly bright
good
1923
KK
1013.6
1056.6
5.60
75.97%
bright
poor
1923
KK
1015
1059.5
5.79
74.79%
hazy
only fair
1923
KK
1015
1059
5.72
74.58%
bright
good
1923
KK
1014.2
1058.2
5.73
75.60%
bright
going off
1923
KK
1014.8
1061.8
6.12
76.05%
bright
fair
1923
KK
1010.6
1061.6
6.67
82.79%
not bright
fair
1924
KK
1014.1
1059.5
5.91
76.30%
bright
fair
1924
KK
1015.1
1060
5.84
74.83%
bright
v good
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Only three of the 13 examples weren't bright. Not too bad at all. Perhaps the other three pubs were marketing it as "unfined" beer. The beers came out a little worse in terms of flavour, with 4 examples not up to snuff.
The Burtons from other London brewers were much more of a mixed bunch:
London Strong Ale condition in 1922
Brewer
Beer
FG
OG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Appearance
Flavour
Barclay Perkins
KK
1011.7
1056.2
5.80
79.18%
cloudy
fair
Beasley
KK
1014.4
1056.6
5.49
74.56%
Cannon Brewery
KK
1015.4
1054.4
5.06
71.69%
not bright no head
v poor
Charrington
KK
1015.6
1055.9
5.23
72.09%
bright
American cask
City of London
KK
1008.5
1056.7
6.30
85.01%
cloudy
fair
Courage
KK
1013.2
1053.7
5.27
75.42%
bright
v good
Hoare
KK
1015.5
1056.5
5.33
72.57%
cloudy
fair
Huggins
KK
1012.6
1056.1
5.67
77.54%
bright
good
Lion Brewery
KK
1010.7
1056.7
6.00
81.13%
cloudy
fair
Mann
KK
1013
1057
5.73
77.19%
bright
not good too sweet
Meux
KK
1007.4
1058.4
6.68
87.33%
cloudy
good
Truman
KK
1013.8
1052.8
5.07
73.86%
rather bitter
Wenlock
KK
1010
1054
5.74
81.48%
cloudy
poor
Whitbread
KK
1016.3
1054
4.89
69.81%
almost bright
fair
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Only four out of 14 were properly bright, though for a couple of examples the clarity isn't noted. On the upside, 8 of 14 didn't taste bad. But what really struck me was what is said about Charrington KK: "American cask".
I know exactly what that refers to. It means that the cask was made of American oak and its tainted the beer. Although they usually used unlined casks, the last thing British brewers wanted was any wood flavour in their beer. That was seen as a fault.
Overall, the condition of Burton Ales wasn't that bad. If you entered a random set of London pubs today, what percentage of their cask beers would be in good condition? Probably lower than the percentage of well-kept Watney's Burton in the table above.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-condition-of-burton-ale-in-1920s.html)
What sort of condition was Burton Ale in down the pub in the 1920's? It's the sort of answer I wouldn't expect to get an answer to. Yet, courtesy of the Whitbread Gravity Book, some evidence does exist.
Because in the early years it also included information about the appearance and flavour of the beer being analysed.
Let's begin with Watney's Burton:
Watney's Strong Ale condition 1922 - 1924
Year
Beer
FG
OG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Appearance
Flavour
1922
KK
1012.5
1058.5
6.00
78.63%
cloudy
v fair
1922
KK
1012.2
1057.2
5.87
78.67%
bright
fairly full
1922
KK
1013.9
1055.9
5.46
75.13%
v bright
good
1922
KK
1010.8
1056.3
5.94
80.82%
bright
unpleasantly bitter
1923
KK
1012.9
1059.4
6.06
78.28%
fairly bright
good
1923
KK
1013.6
1056.6
5.60
75.97%
bright
poor
1923
KK
1015
1059.5
5.79
74.79%
hazy
only fair
1923
KK
1015
1059
5.72
74.58%
bright
good
1923
KK
1014.2
1058.2
5.73
75.60%
bright
going off
1923
KK
1014.8
1061.8
6.12
76.05%
bright
fair
1923
KK
1010.6
1061.6
6.67
82.79%
not bright
fair
1924
KK
1014.1
1059.5
5.91
76.30%
bright
fair
1924
KK
1015.1
1060
5.84
74.83%
bright
v good
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Only three of the 13 examples weren't bright. Not too bad at all. Perhaps the other three pubs were marketing it as "unfined" beer. The beers came out a little worse in terms of flavour, with 4 examples not up to snuff.
The Burtons from other London brewers were much more of a mixed bunch:
London Strong Ale condition in 1922
Brewer
Beer
FG
OG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Appearance
Flavour
Barclay Perkins
KK
1011.7
1056.2
5.80
79.18%
cloudy
fair
Beasley
KK
1014.4
1056.6
5.49
74.56%
Cannon Brewery
KK
1015.4
1054.4
5.06
71.69%
not bright no head
v poor
Charrington
KK
1015.6
1055.9
5.23
72.09%
bright
American cask
City of London
KK
1008.5
1056.7
6.30
85.01%
cloudy
fair
Courage
KK
1013.2
1053.7
5.27
75.42%
bright
v good
Hoare
KK
1015.5
1056.5
5.33
72.57%
cloudy
fair
Huggins
KK
1012.6
1056.1
5.67
77.54%
bright
good
Lion Brewery
KK
1010.7
1056.7
6.00
81.13%
cloudy
fair
Mann
KK
1013
1057
5.73
77.19%
bright
not good too sweet
Meux
KK
1007.4
1058.4
6.68
87.33%
cloudy
good
Truman
KK
1013.8
1052.8
5.07
73.86%
rather bitter
Wenlock
KK
1010
1054
5.74
81.48%
cloudy
poor
Whitbread
KK
1016.3
1054
4.89
69.81%
almost bright
fair
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Only four out of 14 were properly bright, though for a couple of examples the clarity isn't noted. On the upside, 8 of 14 didn't taste bad. But what really struck me was what is said about Charrington KK: "American cask".
I know exactly what that refers to. It means that the cask was made of American oak and its tainted the beer. Although they usually used unlined casks, the last thing British brewers wanted was any wood flavour in their beer. That was seen as a fault.
Overall, the condition of Burton Ales wasn't that bad. If you entered a random set of London pubs today, what percentage of their cask beers would be in good condition? Probably lower than the percentage of well-kept Watney's Burton in the table above.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-condition-of-burton-ale-in-1920s.html)