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19-06-2015, 07:07
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Time to look at the rest of Ind Coope’s bottled beers. Which tell us a little about brewing of the period.
I’ll go through the styles alphabetically because I can’t be arsed to think of anything more clever. Dull old me. Which means we start with Barley Wine. Of which they had two: Arctic Ale and Colne Spring Ale. The former was the descendent of beer really made for Arctic voyages and the other a brand acquired with the purchase of Benskin.
Arctic Ale is pretty strong for the 1950’s, at a little under 8% ABV. But it’s puny compared to its ancestor. These are the vital statistics of the 1875 version, analysed in 1961*:
Present gravity
1053.4º
Original gravity
1126.4º
Alcohol (v/v)
9.65%
Colour (E.B.C.)
156º
Note the massive finishing gravity, which isn’t that much lower than the OG of the 1950’s version. It says much about how British beer had changed since the 19th century.
I was surprised to see that Colne Spring Ale was cheaper, despite being considerably stronger than Arctic Ale. It’s actually not bad value when you consider it has four times the ABV of the weaker Stouts and Brown Ales.
Ind Coope other bottled beers 1950 - 1960
Date
Beer
Style
Price per pint d
Acidity
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1950
Arctic Ale
Barley Wine
54
0.05
1079.8
1020.1
7.80
74.81%
18 + 40
1951
Arctic Ale
Barley Wine
52.5
0.08
1078.1
1019.1
7.71
75.54%
1952
Arctic Ale
Barley Wine
54
0.07
1080.3
1020.2
7.85
74.84%
21 + 40
1953
Arctic Ale
Barley Wine
54
0.08
1079
1018
7.98
77.22%
18 + 40
1950
Arctic Ale No. 1
Barley Wine
0.10
1079.9
1020.8
7.72
73.97%
40 + 16
1956
Arctic Barley Wine
Barley Wine
54
0.05
1077.1
1019.7
7.49
74.45%
105
1959
Benskins Colne Spring Ale
Barley Wine
47
0.10
1092.8
1009.3
11.08
89.98%
80
1950
Allsopp Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
15
0.04
1029.9
1007.7
2.88
74.25%
7.5 + 40
1955
Double Brown Ale
Brown Ale
25
0.04
1047.8
1012.6
4.57
73.64%
45
1950
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
0.06
1029
1009.5
2.52
67.24%
40 + 9
1950
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
18
0.05
1032.3
1008.6
3.07
73.37%
40 + 9
1951
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
18
0.04
1032.6
1007.7
3.23
76.38%
40 + 8
1951
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
19
0.05
1031.9
1008.3
3.06
73.98%
17 + 40
1952
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
19
0.05
1030.9
1011.7
2.48
62.14%
11 + 40
1954
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
19
0.04
1030.7
1009.7
2.72
68.40%
11 + 40
1955
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
22
0.04
1033.6
1011.2
2.90
66.67%
105
1956
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
20
0.04
1032.2
1012.3
2.57
61.80%
90
1959
"Dry Club" Stout
Stout
26
0.02
1038.7
1013.2
3.30
65.89%
240
1950
Allsopp Special Stout
Stout
36
0.05
1034.4
1010.4
3.11
69.77%
1 + 40
1951
Allsopp Special Stout
Stout
24
0.05
1037.8
1011.9
3.35
68.52%
1953
Allsopp Special Stout
Stout
30
0.05
1038.1
1013.4
3.19
64.83%
1 + 11
1959
Allsopp's Sweet Stout
Stout
28
1037.8
1015.4
2.89
59.26%
275
1960
Allsopp's Sweet Stout
Stout
26
0.04
1037.7
1017.3
2.63
54.11%
300
1960
Nourishing Stout
Stout
20
0.04
1031.9
1015
2.18
52.98%
275
1950
Special Stout
Stout
0.05
1035.9
1011.7
3.13
67.41%
1 + 14
1950
Special Stout
Stout
24
0.05
1038.2
1014.9
3.01
60.99%
1 + 14
1951
Special Stout
Stout
24
0.08
1038.3
1013.4
3.22
65.01%
1 + 14
1951
Special Stout
Stout
29
0.07
1037.1
1015.3
2.81
58.76%
1 + 16
1952
Special Stout
Stout
23
0.05
1037.9
1011.5
3.42
69.66%
1 + 11.5
1956
Special Stout
Stout
26
0.04
1038.1
1014.9
2.99
60.89%
250
1956
Sweet Stout (lactose present)
Stout
28
0.05
1038.5
1016.5
2.83
57.14%
250
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
I’ve not much to say about Nut Brown Ale. Other than that they clearly deliberately made it sweeter after 1952 by dropping the level of attenuation. Oh, and they seem to have upped the gravity a bit when tax fell in 1950.
It’s nice to see a Double Brown, a stronger type of Brown Ale that mostly died out in the 1950’s. This one is a bit weaker than Whitbread’s, which was over 1050º and disappeared in 1955. The colour is quite pale (80 is Dark Mild). So more in the direction of Newcastle Brown.
All that’s left are the Stouts. All two of them. Clearly Special Stout was rechristened Sweet Stout in 1956. Looks like they raised the FG by adding lactose at the same time. Leaving a beer you’d need to drink several gallons of to get any kind of buzz. You can see that the gravity of the Stout was also raised a bit in 1950.
Draught beers next time.
* The Brewer, volume 67, 1961, pages 511 - 513.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2015/06/ind-coope-other-bottled-beers-1950-1960.html)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iD7eUS7iEUw/VW7s9lF06vI/AAAAAAAAXfo/ZkdUy_5iq08/s400/Ind_Coope_Nut_Brown_Ale_1939.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iD7eUS7iEUw/VW7s9lF06vI/AAAAAAAAXfo/ZkdUy_5iq08/s1600/Ind_Coope_Nut_Brown_Ale_1939.jpg)
Time to look at the rest of Ind Coope’s bottled beers. Which tell us a little about brewing of the period.
I’ll go through the styles alphabetically because I can’t be arsed to think of anything more clever. Dull old me. Which means we start with Barley Wine. Of which they had two: Arctic Ale and Colne Spring Ale. The former was the descendent of beer really made for Arctic voyages and the other a brand acquired with the purchase of Benskin.
Arctic Ale is pretty strong for the 1950’s, at a little under 8% ABV. But it’s puny compared to its ancestor. These are the vital statistics of the 1875 version, analysed in 1961*:
Present gravity
1053.4º
Original gravity
1126.4º
Alcohol (v/v)
9.65%
Colour (E.B.C.)
156º
Note the massive finishing gravity, which isn’t that much lower than the OG of the 1950’s version. It says much about how British beer had changed since the 19th century.
I was surprised to see that Colne Spring Ale was cheaper, despite being considerably stronger than Arctic Ale. It’s actually not bad value when you consider it has four times the ABV of the weaker Stouts and Brown Ales.
Ind Coope other bottled beers 1950 - 1960
Date
Beer
Style
Price per pint d
Acidity
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1950
Arctic Ale
Barley Wine
54
0.05
1079.8
1020.1
7.80
74.81%
18 + 40
1951
Arctic Ale
Barley Wine
52.5
0.08
1078.1
1019.1
7.71
75.54%
1952
Arctic Ale
Barley Wine
54
0.07
1080.3
1020.2
7.85
74.84%
21 + 40
1953
Arctic Ale
Barley Wine
54
0.08
1079
1018
7.98
77.22%
18 + 40
1950
Arctic Ale No. 1
Barley Wine
0.10
1079.9
1020.8
7.72
73.97%
40 + 16
1956
Arctic Barley Wine
Barley Wine
54
0.05
1077.1
1019.7
7.49
74.45%
105
1959
Benskins Colne Spring Ale
Barley Wine
47
0.10
1092.8
1009.3
11.08
89.98%
80
1950
Allsopp Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
15
0.04
1029.9
1007.7
2.88
74.25%
7.5 + 40
1955
Double Brown Ale
Brown Ale
25
0.04
1047.8
1012.6
4.57
73.64%
45
1950
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
0.06
1029
1009.5
2.52
67.24%
40 + 9
1950
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
18
0.05
1032.3
1008.6
3.07
73.37%
40 + 9
1951
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
18
0.04
1032.6
1007.7
3.23
76.38%
40 + 8
1951
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
19
0.05
1031.9
1008.3
3.06
73.98%
17 + 40
1952
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
19
0.05
1030.9
1011.7
2.48
62.14%
11 + 40
1954
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
19
0.04
1030.7
1009.7
2.72
68.40%
11 + 40
1955
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
22
0.04
1033.6
1011.2
2.90
66.67%
105
1956
Nut Brown Ale
Brown Ale
20
0.04
1032.2
1012.3
2.57
61.80%
90
1959
"Dry Club" Stout
Stout
26
0.02
1038.7
1013.2
3.30
65.89%
240
1950
Allsopp Special Stout
Stout
36
0.05
1034.4
1010.4
3.11
69.77%
1 + 40
1951
Allsopp Special Stout
Stout
24
0.05
1037.8
1011.9
3.35
68.52%
1953
Allsopp Special Stout
Stout
30
0.05
1038.1
1013.4
3.19
64.83%
1 + 11
1959
Allsopp's Sweet Stout
Stout
28
1037.8
1015.4
2.89
59.26%
275
1960
Allsopp's Sweet Stout
Stout
26
0.04
1037.7
1017.3
2.63
54.11%
300
1960
Nourishing Stout
Stout
20
0.04
1031.9
1015
2.18
52.98%
275
1950
Special Stout
Stout
0.05
1035.9
1011.7
3.13
67.41%
1 + 14
1950
Special Stout
Stout
24
0.05
1038.2
1014.9
3.01
60.99%
1 + 14
1951
Special Stout
Stout
24
0.08
1038.3
1013.4
3.22
65.01%
1 + 14
1951
Special Stout
Stout
29
0.07
1037.1
1015.3
2.81
58.76%
1 + 16
1952
Special Stout
Stout
23
0.05
1037.9
1011.5
3.42
69.66%
1 + 11.5
1956
Special Stout
Stout
26
0.04
1038.1
1014.9
2.99
60.89%
250
1956
Sweet Stout (lactose present)
Stout
28
0.05
1038.5
1016.5
2.83
57.14%
250
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
I’ve not much to say about Nut Brown Ale. Other than that they clearly deliberately made it sweeter after 1952 by dropping the level of attenuation. Oh, and they seem to have upped the gravity a bit when tax fell in 1950.
It’s nice to see a Double Brown, a stronger type of Brown Ale that mostly died out in the 1950’s. This one is a bit weaker than Whitbread’s, which was over 1050º and disappeared in 1955. The colour is quite pale (80 is Dark Mild). So more in the direction of Newcastle Brown.
All that’s left are the Stouts. All two of them. Clearly Special Stout was rechristened Sweet Stout in 1956. Looks like they raised the FG by adding lactose at the same time. Leaving a beer you’d need to drink several gallons of to get any kind of buzz. You can see that the gravity of the Stout was also raised a bit in 1950.
Draught beers next time.
* The Brewer, volume 67, 1961, pages 511 - 513.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2015/06/ind-coope-other-bottled-beers-1950-1960.html)