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16-04-2015, 07:09
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The triumph of sloth means we will indeed be looking at Old Ale this time. You’re lucky I can be arsed at all.
It’s Easter weekend but I’m, chained to my keyboard, trying to pump out enough posts to cover for next week when I’m in the US. This week, when you’re reading this. That’s what I get for insisting on having a new post every day.
This is getting repetitive, but it’s true. Old Ale is yet another beer designation which is used in an arbitrary way. Stronger ones could easily be called Barley Wine. Weaker ones could be just Strong Ale. There’s no way I can think to define them other than what the brewer called them.
I realise that there are many who prefer the world of beer styles to be neater. But it isn’t. Especially not in the UK, where inconsistencies go back 150 years or more.
At one time I wouldn’t have been so reticent. I’d have said pale colour = Barley Wine or Strong Ale, dark colour = Old Ale. I realised a while ago that wasn’t really true. Though Old Ale is mostly dark, there are also dark Barley Wines. In fact in the 1950’s, as we’ve already seen, most Barley Wines were dark.
And, just to make everything complicated, there’s one beer clearly labelled “Old Ale” that’s pale, M & B Amba Pale Old Ale. It’s a bit awkward with the colour because Whitbread changed system. The older ones are in Lovibond, red and brown cells. The later ones are EBC. I’ve done a sort of rough conversion to EBC and I get an average colour of 82.5 EBC. Which is dark brown. The Gale’s and JW Green examples are significantly paler than the others.
Old Ale in the 1950's
Year
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint (d)
Acidity
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1959
Websters
Old Tom
26
0.05
1045.1
1012.5
4.23
72.28%
150
1958
Mitchell & Butler
Amba Pale Old Ale
45
0.04
1056.3
1012.4
5.49
77.98%
18
1955
?????
Stingo
29
0.04
1058.1
1022.2
4.64
61.79%
90
1953
Duttons
O.B.J. Old English Ale
32
0.07
1060.9
1013.7
6.15
77.50%
11+40
1953
McMullen
Old Time Ale
45
0.06
1062.1
1015.1
6.12
75.68%
16+40
1953
Greene King
Suffolk Ale
36
0.05
1062.8
1020.7
5.46
67.04%
4+40
1953
G??????
Stingo
45
0.07
1065.8
1017
6.35
74.16%
20+40
1953
Courage
Double Courage
45
0.06
1068.4
1016.4
6.78
76.02%
19+40
1953
John Smith
Magnet Old Ale
39
0.07
1068.5
1024.5
5.70
64.23%
11+40
1953
John Smith
Magnet Old Ale
42
0.06
1072.5
1022.9
6.44
68.41%
11+40
1953
JW Green
Dragon's Blood Old English Ale
48
0.06
1073.4
1024.5
6.34
66.62%
4+40
1953
JW Green
Dragon's Blood
45
0.05
1073.6
1028.1
5.88
61.82%
56
1953
Youngs, Crawshay & Youngs
Old John
54
0.06
1075.2
1025.3
6.47
66.36%
10+40
1953
Bentley
Old Timothy
45
0.07
1075.6
1014.7
7.98
80.56%
15+40
1953
Steward & Patteson
Old Ale
48
0.06
1080.3
1011
9.13
86.30%
10+40
1953
Bullard
Old Ale
48
0.06
1080.5
1026.2
7.06
67.45%
7+40
1959
George Gale
Prize Old Ale
0.07
1089.3
1006.9
10.95
92.27%
56
Average
42.0
0.06
1068.7
1018.5
6.54
72.73%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
In terms of strength, diverse is all I can say. Gravities range from 1045º to 1090º and the ABV 4.25% to 11%. Though the vast majority are over 1060º, which was pretty strong for the day.
My guess is that many recipes were just beefed up versions of the brewery’s Dark Mild. That’s certainly what Fullers did. Their Old Harry was parti-gyled (OG 1052º) with Hock (OG 1032º). I’m sure they weren’t the only ones. Which reminds me. I really should put together some recipes to go with this series.
By this time Old Ale didn’t really mean an aged beer. I doubt many of this set were aged. Though there’s one obvious exception: Prize Old Ale. With attenuation of over 90%, looks to me like Brettanomyces had been time for a leisurely meal. That was possibly also the case with Steward & Patteson’s.
That’s me done for now. I think I might go for Brown Ale next time. Or at least one sort of Brown Ale.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2015/04/old-ale-in-1950s.html)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IF018VQ1PVU/VR-2ZdZ8hAI/AAAAAAAAW-k/U_27CioMl8Y/s1600/Courage_Double_Courage_Old_Ale.jpg (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IF018VQ1PVU/VR-2ZdZ8hAI/AAAAAAAAW-k/U_27CioMl8Y/s1600/Courage_Double_Courage_Old_Ale.jpg)
The triumph of sloth means we will indeed be looking at Old Ale this time. You’re lucky I can be arsed at all.
It’s Easter weekend but I’m, chained to my keyboard, trying to pump out enough posts to cover for next week when I’m in the US. This week, when you’re reading this. That’s what I get for insisting on having a new post every day.
This is getting repetitive, but it’s true. Old Ale is yet another beer designation which is used in an arbitrary way. Stronger ones could easily be called Barley Wine. Weaker ones could be just Strong Ale. There’s no way I can think to define them other than what the brewer called them.
I realise that there are many who prefer the world of beer styles to be neater. But it isn’t. Especially not in the UK, where inconsistencies go back 150 years or more.
At one time I wouldn’t have been so reticent. I’d have said pale colour = Barley Wine or Strong Ale, dark colour = Old Ale. I realised a while ago that wasn’t really true. Though Old Ale is mostly dark, there are also dark Barley Wines. In fact in the 1950’s, as we’ve already seen, most Barley Wines were dark.
And, just to make everything complicated, there’s one beer clearly labelled “Old Ale” that’s pale, M & B Amba Pale Old Ale. It’s a bit awkward with the colour because Whitbread changed system. The older ones are in Lovibond, red and brown cells. The later ones are EBC. I’ve done a sort of rough conversion to EBC and I get an average colour of 82.5 EBC. Which is dark brown. The Gale’s and JW Green examples are significantly paler than the others.
Old Ale in the 1950's
Year
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint (d)
Acidity
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1959
Websters
Old Tom
26
0.05
1045.1
1012.5
4.23
72.28%
150
1958
Mitchell & Butler
Amba Pale Old Ale
45
0.04
1056.3
1012.4
5.49
77.98%
18
1955
?????
Stingo
29
0.04
1058.1
1022.2
4.64
61.79%
90
1953
Duttons
O.B.J. Old English Ale
32
0.07
1060.9
1013.7
6.15
77.50%
11+40
1953
McMullen
Old Time Ale
45
0.06
1062.1
1015.1
6.12
75.68%
16+40
1953
Greene King
Suffolk Ale
36
0.05
1062.8
1020.7
5.46
67.04%
4+40
1953
G??????
Stingo
45
0.07
1065.8
1017
6.35
74.16%
20+40
1953
Courage
Double Courage
45
0.06
1068.4
1016.4
6.78
76.02%
19+40
1953
John Smith
Magnet Old Ale
39
0.07
1068.5
1024.5
5.70
64.23%
11+40
1953
John Smith
Magnet Old Ale
42
0.06
1072.5
1022.9
6.44
68.41%
11+40
1953
JW Green
Dragon's Blood Old English Ale
48
0.06
1073.4
1024.5
6.34
66.62%
4+40
1953
JW Green
Dragon's Blood
45
0.05
1073.6
1028.1
5.88
61.82%
56
1953
Youngs, Crawshay & Youngs
Old John
54
0.06
1075.2
1025.3
6.47
66.36%
10+40
1953
Bentley
Old Timothy
45
0.07
1075.6
1014.7
7.98
80.56%
15+40
1953
Steward & Patteson
Old Ale
48
0.06
1080.3
1011
9.13
86.30%
10+40
1953
Bullard
Old Ale
48
0.06
1080.5
1026.2
7.06
67.45%
7+40
1959
George Gale
Prize Old Ale
0.07
1089.3
1006.9
10.95
92.27%
56
Average
42.0
0.06
1068.7
1018.5
6.54
72.73%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
In terms of strength, diverse is all I can say. Gravities range from 1045º to 1090º and the ABV 4.25% to 11%. Though the vast majority are over 1060º, which was pretty strong for the day.
My guess is that many recipes were just beefed up versions of the brewery’s Dark Mild. That’s certainly what Fullers did. Their Old Harry was parti-gyled (OG 1052º) with Hock (OG 1032º). I’m sure they weren’t the only ones. Which reminds me. I really should put together some recipes to go with this series.
By this time Old Ale didn’t really mean an aged beer. I doubt many of this set were aged. Though there’s one obvious exception: Prize Old Ale. With attenuation of over 90%, looks to me like Brettanomyces had been time for a leisurely meal. That was possibly also the case with Steward & Patteson’s.
That’s me done for now. I think I might go for Brown Ale next time. Or at least one sort of Brown Ale.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2015/04/old-ale-in-1950s.html)