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14-01-2014, 07:05
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Since I've already covered M & B and Ansell's Mild, I thought I may as well finish off the West Midlands. After all, it was a heartland of Mild.
Dare, Atkinson and Davenport were all in Birmingham itself. The other breweries are from the Black Country.
It's an odd set, this lot. I could find frustratingly few examples in the Whitbread Gravity Book. They don't seem to have analysed many draught beers in this part of the world. Which means I've only two from before WW II. Form Wall & District Clubs and Dare. Intriguingly, they're both around 1047 - quite a high gravity for a Mild in the 1930's. In London, Best Mild was only about 1042 back then.
Hang on. Why don't I work out the average OG of the Milds I have in my Mega Gravity Table? You can never have too many tables, can you?
Average values for Mild Ales 1936 - 2006
no examples
Years
Price
Acidity
FG
OG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
184
1936 - 1938
5.07
0.06
1009.5
1036.5
3.56
74.20%
95
1948 - 1949
12.8
0.06
1007.3
1030.3
3.00
75.94%
170
1977 - 1979
1032.8
290
1981 - 1983
1033.4
113
1989 - 1994
1008.6
1034.0
3.30
74.50%
76
2004 - 2006
1009.0
1037.7
3.75
76.12%
That makes things clearer. The pre-war examples are more than 10 points above the average. I think that tells us something, as the Milds I used for the average came from all over Britain.
It's a similar story for the 1949 examples, two of which were 1034.6 and the other 1032. All above the 1030.3 average.
I should average out the values for the West Midland Milds, too. Make my life much easier. You can see that they remain above the average until after 2000. Fascinating, isn't it? If I didn't collect this type of information so obsessively, I'd never be able to observe this sort of regional variation.
Average OG of West Midlands Milds
Years
OG
1972 - 1979
1035.1
1981 - 1986
1035.6
1989 - 2004
1035.8
I know from browsing through the entries in my Mega Gravity Table that Milds from country districts tended to be weaker. And that before WW II London Milds were above average strength. Though they fell back to about average after the war.
Other observations? From the 1970's onwards the gravities of the West Midlands Milds are grouped very closely in the 1035 - 1036 range. Presumably because the beers were in direct competition with each other.
It's also revealing how the average gravity of Milds in general has crept up since WW II, eventually ending up higher than in the late 1930's. I find that quite surprising. But I suppose it reflects a change in the role of Mild, away from being the working class's slurper. Though note how the level of attenuation is very constant at around 75%.
As at least one person seems to have liked the stuff I've been writing recently about Mild, I'll be doing more. Possibly based on the Milds of a particular region.
West Midlands Mild Ales 1938 - 2004
Year
Brewer
Beer
Acidity
FG
OG
colour
ABV
App. Atten-uation
1949
Atkinsons
Mild Ale
0.07
1004.8
1034.6
2.5 + 40
3.88
86.13%
1972
Banks
Mild
1008.3
1035.3
3.60
76.49%
1977
Banks
Mild
1035.5
1979
Banks
Mild
1035.5
1981
Banks
Mild
1036
1982
Banks
Mild
1036
1983
Banks
Mild
1036
1986
Banks
Mild
1035
1989
Banks
Mild
1008
1035
3.50
77.14%
1994
Banks
Mild Ale
3.50
2004
Banks
Hanson's Mild Ale
1010.3
1035
3.2
70.57%
2004
Banks
Bank's Original
1010.2
1036
3.35
71.67%
1972
Batham
Mild
1007.1
1035.6
3.70
80.06%
1977
Batham
Mild
1036
1979
Batham
Mild
1036
1981
Batham
Mild
1036
1982
Batham
Mild
1036
1983
Batham
Mild
1036
1986
Batham
Mild
1036
1993
Batham
Mild Ale
1008.3
1036
3.6
76.94%
2004
Batham
Mild Ale
1009.5
1036.5
3.5
73.97%
1935
Dare
Ale
0.05
1013.7
1047
4.32
70.85%
1949
Dare
Mild Ale
0.08
1006.9
1034.6
4.5 + 40
3.60
80.06%
1949
Davenport
Mild Ale
0.07
1007.9
1032
4.5 + 40
3.12
75.31%
1977
Davenport
Mild
1033
1979
Davenport
Mild
1033
1981
Davenport
Mild
1034.5
1982
Davenport
Mild
1034.5
1983
Davenport
Mild
1034.5
1986
Davenport
Mild
1034.8
1989
Davenport
Best Mild
1010.25
1035
3.20
70.71%
1977
Hansons
Mild
1035
1977
Hansons
Mild
1035
1979
Hansons
Mild
1035.5
1979
Hansons
Mild
1035.5
1981
Hansons
Mild
1035.5
1981
Hansons
Mild
1035.5
1982
Hansons
Mild
1036
1982
Hansons
Mild
1036
1983
Hansons
Mild
1036
1983
Hansons
Mild
1036
1986
Hansons
Mild
1035
1986
Hansons
Mild
1035
1989
Hansons
Mild
1008
1035
3.50
77.14%
1989
Hansons
Mild
1008
1035
3.50
77.14%
1977
Holden
Mild
1036
1979
Holden
Mild
1036
1981
Holden
Mild
1036
1982
Holden
Mild
1036
1983
Holden
Mild
1036
1989
Holden
Black Country Mild
1010.2
1038
3.60
73.16%
1994
Holden
Holden's Mild
3.70
1989
Sarah Hughes Brewery
Original Dark Ruby Mild
1058
1977
Simpkiss
Mild
1034
1979
Simpkiss
Mild
1034
1938
Walsall & District Clubs
Mild
0.06
1005.4
1047.9
0.5 + 40
5.56
88.73%
Sources:
The Best of British Bottled Beer
Daily Mirror July 10th 1972, page 15
Good Beer Guide 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984,1987, 1990, 2005
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.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/01/west-midlands-mild-ales-1938-2004.html)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GBgkBHIet-A/UtABex4qv4I/AAAAAAAAS0Y/6nrcRAM72RA/s1600/Atkinsons_Special_Aston_1955.jpg (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GBgkBHIet-A/UtABex4qv4I/AAAAAAAAS0Y/6nrcRAM72RA/s1600/Atkinsons_Special_Aston_1955.jpg)
Since I've already covered M & B and Ansell's Mild, I thought I may as well finish off the West Midlands. After all, it was a heartland of Mild.
Dare, Atkinson and Davenport were all in Birmingham itself. The other breweries are from the Black Country.
It's an odd set, this lot. I could find frustratingly few examples in the Whitbread Gravity Book. They don't seem to have analysed many draught beers in this part of the world. Which means I've only two from before WW II. Form Wall & District Clubs and Dare. Intriguingly, they're both around 1047 - quite a high gravity for a Mild in the 1930's. In London, Best Mild was only about 1042 back then.
Hang on. Why don't I work out the average OG of the Milds I have in my Mega Gravity Table? You can never have too many tables, can you?
Average values for Mild Ales 1936 - 2006
no examples
Years
Price
Acidity
FG
OG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
184
1936 - 1938
5.07
0.06
1009.5
1036.5
3.56
74.20%
95
1948 - 1949
12.8
0.06
1007.3
1030.3
3.00
75.94%
170
1977 - 1979
1032.8
290
1981 - 1983
1033.4
113
1989 - 1994
1008.6
1034.0
3.30
74.50%
76
2004 - 2006
1009.0
1037.7
3.75
76.12%
That makes things clearer. The pre-war examples are more than 10 points above the average. I think that tells us something, as the Milds I used for the average came from all over Britain.
It's a similar story for the 1949 examples, two of which were 1034.6 and the other 1032. All above the 1030.3 average.
I should average out the values for the West Midland Milds, too. Make my life much easier. You can see that they remain above the average until after 2000. Fascinating, isn't it? If I didn't collect this type of information so obsessively, I'd never be able to observe this sort of regional variation.
Average OG of West Midlands Milds
Years
OG
1972 - 1979
1035.1
1981 - 1986
1035.6
1989 - 2004
1035.8
I know from browsing through the entries in my Mega Gravity Table that Milds from country districts tended to be weaker. And that before WW II London Milds were above average strength. Though they fell back to about average after the war.
Other observations? From the 1970's onwards the gravities of the West Midlands Milds are grouped very closely in the 1035 - 1036 range. Presumably because the beers were in direct competition with each other.
It's also revealing how the average gravity of Milds in general has crept up since WW II, eventually ending up higher than in the late 1930's. I find that quite surprising. But I suppose it reflects a change in the role of Mild, away from being the working class's slurper. Though note how the level of attenuation is very constant at around 75%.
As at least one person seems to have liked the stuff I've been writing recently about Mild, I'll be doing more. Possibly based on the Milds of a particular region.
West Midlands Mild Ales 1938 - 2004
Year
Brewer
Beer
Acidity
FG
OG
colour
ABV
App. Atten-uation
1949
Atkinsons
Mild Ale
0.07
1004.8
1034.6
2.5 + 40
3.88
86.13%
1972
Banks
Mild
1008.3
1035.3
3.60
76.49%
1977
Banks
Mild
1035.5
1979
Banks
Mild
1035.5
1981
Banks
Mild
1036
1982
Banks
Mild
1036
1983
Banks
Mild
1036
1986
Banks
Mild
1035
1989
Banks
Mild
1008
1035
3.50
77.14%
1994
Banks
Mild Ale
3.50
2004
Banks
Hanson's Mild Ale
1010.3
1035
3.2
70.57%
2004
Banks
Bank's Original
1010.2
1036
3.35
71.67%
1972
Batham
Mild
1007.1
1035.6
3.70
80.06%
1977
Batham
Mild
1036
1979
Batham
Mild
1036
1981
Batham
Mild
1036
1982
Batham
Mild
1036
1983
Batham
Mild
1036
1986
Batham
Mild
1036
1993
Batham
Mild Ale
1008.3
1036
3.6
76.94%
2004
Batham
Mild Ale
1009.5
1036.5
3.5
73.97%
1935
Dare
Ale
0.05
1013.7
1047
4.32
70.85%
1949
Dare
Mild Ale
0.08
1006.9
1034.6
4.5 + 40
3.60
80.06%
1949
Davenport
Mild Ale
0.07
1007.9
1032
4.5 + 40
3.12
75.31%
1977
Davenport
Mild
1033
1979
Davenport
Mild
1033
1981
Davenport
Mild
1034.5
1982
Davenport
Mild
1034.5
1983
Davenport
Mild
1034.5
1986
Davenport
Mild
1034.8
1989
Davenport
Best Mild
1010.25
1035
3.20
70.71%
1977
Hansons
Mild
1035
1977
Hansons
Mild
1035
1979
Hansons
Mild
1035.5
1979
Hansons
Mild
1035.5
1981
Hansons
Mild
1035.5
1981
Hansons
Mild
1035.5
1982
Hansons
Mild
1036
1982
Hansons
Mild
1036
1983
Hansons
Mild
1036
1983
Hansons
Mild
1036
1986
Hansons
Mild
1035
1986
Hansons
Mild
1035
1989
Hansons
Mild
1008
1035
3.50
77.14%
1989
Hansons
Mild
1008
1035
3.50
77.14%
1977
Holden
Mild
1036
1979
Holden
Mild
1036
1981
Holden
Mild
1036
1982
Holden
Mild
1036
1983
Holden
Mild
1036
1989
Holden
Black Country Mild
1010.2
1038
3.60
73.16%
1994
Holden
Holden's Mild
3.70
1989
Sarah Hughes Brewery
Original Dark Ruby Mild
1058
1977
Simpkiss
Mild
1034
1979
Simpkiss
Mild
1034
1938
Walsall & District Clubs
Mild
0.06
1005.4
1047.9
0.5 + 40
5.56
88.73%
Sources:
The Best of British Bottled Beer
Daily Mirror July 10th 1972, page 15
Good Beer Guide 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984,1987, 1990, 2005
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.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/01/west-midlands-mild-ales-1938-2004.html)