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08-10-2015, 08:20
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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eT39LV_pH44/VhN3Q8QXRDI/AAAAAAAAYaA/birAMVRrJH4/s400/Simonds_Tavern_IPA_1946.JPG (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eT39LV_pH44/VhN3Q8QXRDI/AAAAAAAAYaA/birAMVRrJH4/s1600/Simonds_Tavern_IPA_1946.JPG)
Another set of Simonds beers, this time of the paler Ale variety.

I hope this is helping to give you some idea of the beers brewed just after the war. Though they don’t look that odd to anyone who, like me, drank in the 1970’s. The traditional British styles didn’t change a great deal between 1960 and 1980.

Where to start? The draught ones, I suppose. I’ve included IPA as well because, well, they’re a kind of Pale Ale, too. Despite what modern geeks might like to think, historically the difference between the two styles was arbitrary. But that’s not what people want to hear. They want nice neat little boxes for each style. Except beer styles don’t – and never have – worked like that.

Certainly Simonds IPA and Best Bitter don’t have the relationship strength-wise most would expect today. The IPA is the weaker of the two. With a gravity in the mid-1030’s, it looks like a Classic Session IPA. If it weren’t for the fact that it predates the term by around 50 years.

Once again keg proves it perennial poor value. Simonds Keg Bitter is 3d a pint more expensive, but has a gravity 5 points lower than Best Bitter. It’s one of the reasons I never even vaguely contemplated becoming a keg or Lager drinker: I couldn’t afford it.

One last point. Most of the draught beers are quite pale. I’d expect a Bitter to be somewhere in the range 22 to 28. Anything under 20 is on the pale side.

Here’s table number one.



Simonds draught Pale Ale 1949 - 1960


Year
Beer
Style
Price per pint d
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour


1949
E. IPA
IPA
18
1039.7
1007
4.26
82.37%
23 B


1960
IPA
IPA
14
1035.4
1010.2
3.15
71.19%
18


1950
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
14
1031.5



26


1959
Keg Bitter
Pale Ale
22
1037.4
1007.3
3.76
80.48%
19


1960
Best Bitter
Pale Ale
19
1042.3
1007.5
4.35
82.27%
17


Sources:


Truman Gravity Book document B/THB/C/252 held at the London Metropolitan Archives


Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.





http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oe5gmoazjdc/VhN3seEcRJI/AAAAAAAAYaE/-_p4nYRmmco/s320/Simonds_SB_Pale_Ale.jpg (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oe5gmoazjdc/VhN3seEcRJI/AAAAAAAAYaE/-_p4nYRmmco/s1600/Simonds_SB_Pale_Ale.jpg)
The bottled set is somewhat larger. But appears to contain just four beers: Bulldog, SB and Tavern. Interestingly, the description of SB seems to have changed from Pale Ale to Light Ale in the late 1950’s. Though for a while they also had a beer called “Light Pale Ale”. I assume they changed to Light Ale to fit in with the fashion of the day. With the lowest gravity bottled Pale Ales being generally referred to as Light Ale.

Bulldog was mostly an export beer, I believe. Though as there’s a price in pence for the 1953 example, that must have been purchased in Britain. It’s very strong for a 1950’s Pale Ale. In fact it would have been at the top end of the gravity range in the 19th century. I don’t think I ever had it myself. I know Courage continued to brew it until at least the 1980’s, but don’t believe it’s still made. I know some beer writers rated it very highly.

Tavern is a funny one. I remember it as Courage’s flagship Keg Bitter. Pretty sure I never drank it. If I did have to drink in a Courage pub, I’d have gone for AK or Mild. It seems like another brand Courage picked up from Simonds. Older labels bill it as “India Pale Ale”, but later ones call it “Export Ale” whatever that means.

It’s interesting that the attenuation of the draught beers is, with a couple of exceptions, generally considerably higher than for the bottled beers.

Time for table two:



Simonds bottled Pale Ale 1948 - 1960


Year
Beer
Style
Price per pint d
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour


1956
Bitter Ale
Pale Ale
24
1030.1
1010
2.60
66.78%
25


1953
Bulldog Pale Ale
Pale Ale
43.5
1066.4
1019.6
6.08
70.48%
25


1955
Bulldog Pale Ale
Pale Ale

1067
1018
6.38
73.13%
20


1949
Bulldog Pale Ale (imported into Belgium by John Martin, bought in Brussels)
Pale Ale

1069.8
1011.9
7.59
82.95%
25


1959
Light Ale
Pale Ale
22
1034.4
1012.1
2.88
64.83%
19


1948
Pale Ale
Pale Ale

1028.8
1007.8
2.72
72.92%
22.5


1960
SB. Light Ale
Light Ale
20
1034.2
1009.5
3.20
72.22%



1947
SB Ale
Pale Ale
13
1029.1
1008.2
2.71
71.82%
23.5


1959
SB Light Ale
Pale Ale
20
1034.2
1010.3
3.09
69.88%
19


1946
SB Pale Ale
Pale Ale
13
1029.4
1005.1
3.16
82.65%
25 B


1950
SB Pale Ale
Pale Ale
18
1032.5
1008.5
3.11
73.85%
26


1955
SB Pale Ale
Pale Ale
18
1033
1009
3.11
72.73%
21


1956
SB Pale Ale
Pale Ale
20
1033.4
1010.3
2.99
69.16%
21


1959
Tavern Export Ale
Pale Ale
34
1045.8
1013
4.25
71.62%
18


1953
Tavern Pale Ale
Pale Ale
30
1044.9
1012.3
4.23
72.61%
21


Sources:


Which Beer Report, 1960, pages 171 - 173.


Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.



Simonds Stouts to finish.

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