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04-08-2014, 07:07
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/08/mann-porter-quality-1922-1923.html)
Don't worry. The torture will only last a few more weeks. Once we've dumped the vinegary Porters down the drain, there's just the Stouts left.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6eGXF-guTII/U9o9qB1kFAI/AAAAAAAAUQU/ZJK2Igv9Z44/s1600/Mann_from_the_air.jpg (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6eGXF-guTII/U9o9qB1kFAI/AAAAAAAAUQU/ZJK2Igv9Z44/s1600/Mann_from_the_air.jpg)
Mann was a brewery which ended the 19th century well and managed to survive the troubles which beset the brewing industry in the early decade of the 20th century. It helped that they were the originators of a hot new beer style, Brown Ale. Their relativley good performance is well illustrated by comparing their output with that of Barclay Perkins:
Beer output of Barclay Perkins and Mann 1900 - 1924 (barrels)
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
Barclay Perkins
589,201
573,302
541,822
539,153
534,284
549,634
560,103
555,370
527,716
Mann
500,029
557,403
593,694
624,718
644,162
672,104
657,161
650,254
625,130
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
Barclay Perkins
525,854
500,205
549,841
589,543
587,547
582,263
511,870
438,242
Mann
601,363
590,608
630,417
619,058
611,704
609,623
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
Barclay Perkins
426,170
247,089
325,965
464,033
393,045
348,576
293,728
303,676
Mann
365,525
269,475
699,297
619,608
Sources:
The British Brewing Industry, 1830-1980 T. R. Gourvish & R.G. Wilson, pages 610-611
Document ACC/2305/1/711/1 in the London Metropolitan Archives
"Albion Brewery 1808 - 1958" by Hurford Janes, 1958, pages 87, 89 and 91.
Mann overtook Barclay Perkins in 1902 and stayed a little in front up until WW I. The war years were slightly more kind to Mann: Barclay Perkins produced 42% of their 1914 output in 1918. For Mann it was 44%. But it's what happened after the war that really tells a story. Barclay Perkins never got back to anywhere near their pre-war level and in 1924 brewed just over half what they had in 1914. While Mann brewed slightly more in 1924 than 1914. Unfortunately, I don't have figures for any other breweries. My guess would be Barclay Perkins were closer to the norm than Mann. The hard times of the interwar years saw most breweries production fall.
One little titbit from the Mann's brewery history. In 1924, 88,000 of the 619,608 barrel they brewed were bottled. (They produced 6 bottled beers: London Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Extra Stout, Family Ale, Brown Ale and Bitter Ale.) That's just over 14%. By 1958 that had increased to 70% of their output*. That's extremely high, even for the 1950's. I wonder how much of that was Brown Ale? Probably quite a bit as it was one of a handful of bottled beers - like Guinness, Bass and Worthington - which were regularly sold in other breweries' tied houses.
Now it's time to review Mann's season so far. In the Mild competition they topped the table of 17, with an average score of 1.33. Their Burton Ale came third of fourteen, averaging 1.25. But their Pale Ale let them down a little, coming tenth of fourteen, just staying positive with a score of 0.07.
Hoare's Porter is the strongest of the bunch, with the highhest average OG, ABV and rate of attenuation. So good value for money for all you pisshead. But what about its quality?
Mann Porter quality 1922 - 1923
Year
Beer
FG
OG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Flavour
score
Price
1922
Porter
1009.6
1040.3
3.99
76.18%
v fair
2
6d
1922
Porter
1007
1034
3.51
79.41%
v poor
-3
6d
1922
Porter
1009.6
1041.1
4.09
76.64%
v poor
-3
6d
1923
Porter
1009.6
1039.6
3.89
75.76%
fair
1
6d
1923
Porter
1010.6
1038.6
3.63
72.54%
fair
1
5d
1923
Porter
1009.3
1039.3
3.89
76.34%
fairly good
1
6d
1923
Porter
1008.9
1039.9
4.03
77.69%
nasty flavour
-3
6d
1923
Porter
1009.2
1037.2
3.63
75.27%
v fair
2
6d
Average
1009.2
1038.8
3.83
76.23%
-0.25
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001
Bit of a mixed bag, eh? Three real stinkers (literally, based on the descriptions) leave it with a negative average score of -0.25. But the other five score fairly well, five of eight having a positive score, including two twos. That would leave me to believe that the problem lies in the pub cellar rather than the brewery.
Time traveller advice? Choose your Mann's pub wisely if you're drinking Porter.
* "Albion Brewery 1808 - 1958" by Hurford Janes, 1958, page 91.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/08/mann-porter-quality-1922-1923.html)
Don't worry. The torture will only last a few more weeks. Once we've dumped the vinegary Porters down the drain, there's just the Stouts left.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6eGXF-guTII/U9o9qB1kFAI/AAAAAAAAUQU/ZJK2Igv9Z44/s1600/Mann_from_the_air.jpg (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6eGXF-guTII/U9o9qB1kFAI/AAAAAAAAUQU/ZJK2Igv9Z44/s1600/Mann_from_the_air.jpg)
Mann was a brewery which ended the 19th century well and managed to survive the troubles which beset the brewing industry in the early decade of the 20th century. It helped that they were the originators of a hot new beer style, Brown Ale. Their relativley good performance is well illustrated by comparing their output with that of Barclay Perkins:
Beer output of Barclay Perkins and Mann 1900 - 1924 (barrels)
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
Barclay Perkins
589,201
573,302
541,822
539,153
534,284
549,634
560,103
555,370
527,716
Mann
500,029
557,403
593,694
624,718
644,162
672,104
657,161
650,254
625,130
1909
1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
Barclay Perkins
525,854
500,205
549,841
589,543
587,547
582,263
511,870
438,242
Mann
601,363
590,608
630,417
619,058
611,704
609,623
1917
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
Barclay Perkins
426,170
247,089
325,965
464,033
393,045
348,576
293,728
303,676
Mann
365,525
269,475
699,297
619,608
Sources:
The British Brewing Industry, 1830-1980 T. R. Gourvish & R.G. Wilson, pages 610-611
Document ACC/2305/1/711/1 in the London Metropolitan Archives
"Albion Brewery 1808 - 1958" by Hurford Janes, 1958, pages 87, 89 and 91.
Mann overtook Barclay Perkins in 1902 and stayed a little in front up until WW I. The war years were slightly more kind to Mann: Barclay Perkins produced 42% of their 1914 output in 1918. For Mann it was 44%. But it's what happened after the war that really tells a story. Barclay Perkins never got back to anywhere near their pre-war level and in 1924 brewed just over half what they had in 1914. While Mann brewed slightly more in 1924 than 1914. Unfortunately, I don't have figures for any other breweries. My guess would be Barclay Perkins were closer to the norm than Mann. The hard times of the interwar years saw most breweries production fall.
One little titbit from the Mann's brewery history. In 1924, 88,000 of the 619,608 barrel they brewed were bottled. (They produced 6 bottled beers: London Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Extra Stout, Family Ale, Brown Ale and Bitter Ale.) That's just over 14%. By 1958 that had increased to 70% of their output*. That's extremely high, even for the 1950's. I wonder how much of that was Brown Ale? Probably quite a bit as it was one of a handful of bottled beers - like Guinness, Bass and Worthington - which were regularly sold in other breweries' tied houses.
Now it's time to review Mann's season so far. In the Mild competition they topped the table of 17, with an average score of 1.33. Their Burton Ale came third of fourteen, averaging 1.25. But their Pale Ale let them down a little, coming tenth of fourteen, just staying positive with a score of 0.07.
Hoare's Porter is the strongest of the bunch, with the highhest average OG, ABV and rate of attenuation. So good value for money for all you pisshead. But what about its quality?
Mann Porter quality 1922 - 1923
Year
Beer
FG
OG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Flavour
score
Price
1922
Porter
1009.6
1040.3
3.99
76.18%
v fair
2
6d
1922
Porter
1007
1034
3.51
79.41%
v poor
-3
6d
1922
Porter
1009.6
1041.1
4.09
76.64%
v poor
-3
6d
1923
Porter
1009.6
1039.6
3.89
75.76%
fair
1
6d
1923
Porter
1010.6
1038.6
3.63
72.54%
fair
1
5d
1923
Porter
1009.3
1039.3
3.89
76.34%
fairly good
1
6d
1923
Porter
1008.9
1039.9
4.03
77.69%
nasty flavour
-3
6d
1923
Porter
1009.2
1037.2
3.63
75.27%
v fair
2
6d
Average
1009.2
1038.8
3.83
76.23%
-0.25
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001
Bit of a mixed bag, eh? Three real stinkers (literally, based on the descriptions) leave it with a negative average score of -0.25. But the other five score fairly well, five of eight having a positive score, including two twos. That would leave me to believe that the problem lies in the pub cellar rather than the brewery.
Time traveller advice? Choose your Mann's pub wisely if you're drinking Porter.
* "Albion Brewery 1808 - 1958" by Hurford Janes, 1958, page 91.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/08/mann-porter-quality-1922-1923.html)