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19-07-2016, 08:41
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You’ve probably forgotten the series I started on post-war beer styles. I know I had.
Then I was wondering today: what the hell can I write about? I need something quick and easy to write and full of numbers. Mild Ale in the late 1940’s seems obvious. But there’s rather a lot of them. Narrowing it down to just London-brewed beers makes the set more manageable.
Back then, Mild was still very popular in London. Though its popularity began to collapse in the 1950’s as Bitter became the capital’s favourite style. The first time I drank in London in the mid-1970’s, cask Mild had all but disappeared. And many pubs didn’t sell Mild at all, not even keg.
The immediate post-war years are also when average gravity hit a new nadir, though not quite as low as during WW I. Mild, as a cheap mass drink, suffered the most in terms of reduced gravity. You can see the average gravity of all the Milds in the table is just over 1030. And the highest gravity is just 1033.7º. For Mainline, a beer sold as a strong Mild.
Whoops. I missed the Truman Best Mild at 1042.5º. But it did cost about 50% more at 19d a pint. Back in the 1920’s, that would have counted as an Ordinary Mild. Sad, isn’t it?
There’s a reason why none of the beers has an OG under 1027º. The minimum tax on a barrel of beer assumed an OG of 1027º. A beer with a lower OG still paid that rate of tax, so it made no economic sense to have a beer weaker.
All but one example is a dark Mild. And most are pretty dark. Certainly darker than many Milds were pre-war. When many were what I’d call semi-dark, with colour values of 40-50º Lovibond. I’d reckon 80º Lovibond to be about the minimum for a properly dark Mild.
London Mild Ale 1946 -1949
Year
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint
package
Acidity
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1946
Barclay Perkins
Ale
13.5
bottled
0.06
1031.1
1008.8
2.89
71.70%
19.5
1946
Charrington
X
11
draught
0.05
1028.7
1008.4
2.63
70.73%
120
1946
Courage
X
11
draught
0.07
1030.4
1006.8
3.06
77.63%
90
1946
Mann Crossman
X
12
draught
0.05
1032.5
1011.5
2.71
64.62%
100
1946
Meux
X
11
draught
0.05
1028.1
1008.8
2.50
68.68%
105
1946
Taylor Walker
X
11
draught
0.05
1028.4
1009.9
2.39
65.14%
100
1946
Taylor Walker
Mainline
12
draught
0.04
1032
1010.9
2.73
65.94%
85
1946
Truman
X
11
draught
0.05
1030.1
1010.8
2.49
64.12%
130
1946
Watney
X
11
draught
0.08
1030.8
1006.5
3.15
78.90%
1946
Wenlock
X
11
draught
0.05
1029.8
1010.4
2.51
65.10%
80
1946
Whitbread
XX
11
draught
0.05
1030.8
1012.1
2.41
60.71%
85
1947
Watney
X
11
draught
0.04
1030.7
1010.6
2.60
65.47%
100
1947
Whitbread
XX
1027.6
1006.5
2.79
76.45%
90
1948
Barclay Perkins
XX
14
draught
0.05
1031.4
1011.3
2.60
64.01%
108
1948
Charrington
XX
14
draught
0.06
1028.9
1007
2.84
75.78%
105
1948
Courage
XX
14
draught
0.07
1031.3
1005.1
3.41
83.71%
55
1948
Mann Crossman
XX
14
draught
0.07
1032.3
1009.3
2.98
71.21%
110
1948
Meux
XX
13
draught
0.06
1028.1
1006
2.87
78.65%
215
1948
Taylor Walker
Mainline
15
draught
0.05
1033.7
1012.1
2.79
64.09%
95
1948
Taylor Walker
XX
13
draught
0.07
1026.8
1006.9
2.58
74.25%
80
1948
Truman
XX
13
draught
0.06
1028.9
1007.7
2.75
73.36%
95
1948
Truman
B MA
19
draught
0.06
1042.5
1010.4
4.17
75.53%
105
1948
Watney
Best Ale
13
draught
0.07
1031.5
1010.3
2.74
67.30%
95
1948
Whitbread
XX
13
draught
0.06
1029.1
1006.5
2.93
77.66%
85
1949
Barclay Perkins
X
13
draught
1030.47
128
1949
Charrington
MA
12
draught
0.05
1029.4
1010.3
2.47
64.97%
130
1949
Charrington
MA
12
draught
0.06
1028.5
1009.8
2.42
65.61%
130
1949
Courage
MA
12
draught
0.05
1028.3
1007.5
2.69
73.50%
100
1949
Mann Crossman
Mild Ale
13
draught
0.07
1032
1004
3.64
87.50%
100
1949
Meux
XX
12
draught
0.06
1028.4
1005.3
3.00
81.34%
190
1949
Taylor Walker
MA
12
draught
0.05
1029.7
1009.5
2.61
68.01%
75
1949
Tollemache
Mild Ale
11
draught
0.06
1027.7
1005.4
2.89
80.51%
70
1949
Truman
MA
12
draught
0.06
1029.7
1005.8
3.10
80.47%
85
1949
Watney
X
12
draught
1028.62
104
1949
Wenlock
MA
12
draught
0.05
1031.1
1011.7
2.50
62.38%
85
1949
Whitbread
Best Ale
13
draught
0.05
1032.5
1009
3.04
72.31%
100
Average
12.5
0.06
1030.3
1008.6
2.82
71.69%
101.4
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252
Whitbread brewing records
Attenuation isn’t great, averaging just over 70%. I reckon they were leaving the FG reasonably high so the beer didn’t taste too watery. But it does mean that the average ABV is below 3% ABV. Meaning you’d need to be very determined to get more than mildly intoxicated.
There are examples from 11 different London breweries in the table. And not all the breweries of the day are represented. Until recently, it would have seem weird that so many different beers of one style were brewed in the capital. Then London’s brewing industry was reborn in a very happy development. Though for all the number of brewers today, I bet there aren’t 11 Milds regularly brewed in the capital.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2016/07/london-mild-ale-1946-1949.html)
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tFR9UV7VztI/V4tuUXsfgvI/AAAAAAAAaMs/w2hIlR3nrxM2l3g5JaoPiNFNCDbzNUmtQCLcB/s400/Barclay_Perkins_Ale.jpg (https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tFR9UV7VztI/V4tuUXsfgvI/AAAAAAAAaMs/w2hIlR3nrxM2l3g5JaoPiNFNCDbzNUmtQCLcB/s1600/Barclay_Perkins_Ale.jpg)
You’ve probably forgotten the series I started on post-war beer styles. I know I had.
Then I was wondering today: what the hell can I write about? I need something quick and easy to write and full of numbers. Mild Ale in the late 1940’s seems obvious. But there’s rather a lot of them. Narrowing it down to just London-brewed beers makes the set more manageable.
Back then, Mild was still very popular in London. Though its popularity began to collapse in the 1950’s as Bitter became the capital’s favourite style. The first time I drank in London in the mid-1970’s, cask Mild had all but disappeared. And many pubs didn’t sell Mild at all, not even keg.
The immediate post-war years are also when average gravity hit a new nadir, though not quite as low as during WW I. Mild, as a cheap mass drink, suffered the most in terms of reduced gravity. You can see the average gravity of all the Milds in the table is just over 1030. And the highest gravity is just 1033.7º. For Mainline, a beer sold as a strong Mild.
Whoops. I missed the Truman Best Mild at 1042.5º. But it did cost about 50% more at 19d a pint. Back in the 1920’s, that would have counted as an Ordinary Mild. Sad, isn’t it?
There’s a reason why none of the beers has an OG under 1027º. The minimum tax on a barrel of beer assumed an OG of 1027º. A beer with a lower OG still paid that rate of tax, so it made no economic sense to have a beer weaker.
All but one example is a dark Mild. And most are pretty dark. Certainly darker than many Milds were pre-war. When many were what I’d call semi-dark, with colour values of 40-50º Lovibond. I’d reckon 80º Lovibond to be about the minimum for a properly dark Mild.
London Mild Ale 1946 -1949
Year
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint
package
Acidity
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1946
Barclay Perkins
Ale
13.5
bottled
0.06
1031.1
1008.8
2.89
71.70%
19.5
1946
Charrington
X
11
draught
0.05
1028.7
1008.4
2.63
70.73%
120
1946
Courage
X
11
draught
0.07
1030.4
1006.8
3.06
77.63%
90
1946
Mann Crossman
X
12
draught
0.05
1032.5
1011.5
2.71
64.62%
100
1946
Meux
X
11
draught
0.05
1028.1
1008.8
2.50
68.68%
105
1946
Taylor Walker
X
11
draught
0.05
1028.4
1009.9
2.39
65.14%
100
1946
Taylor Walker
Mainline
12
draught
0.04
1032
1010.9
2.73
65.94%
85
1946
Truman
X
11
draught
0.05
1030.1
1010.8
2.49
64.12%
130
1946
Watney
X
11
draught
0.08
1030.8
1006.5
3.15
78.90%
1946
Wenlock
X
11
draught
0.05
1029.8
1010.4
2.51
65.10%
80
1946
Whitbread
XX
11
draught
0.05
1030.8
1012.1
2.41
60.71%
85
1947
Watney
X
11
draught
0.04
1030.7
1010.6
2.60
65.47%
100
1947
Whitbread
XX
1027.6
1006.5
2.79
76.45%
90
1948
Barclay Perkins
XX
14
draught
0.05
1031.4
1011.3
2.60
64.01%
108
1948
Charrington
XX
14
draught
0.06
1028.9
1007
2.84
75.78%
105
1948
Courage
XX
14
draught
0.07
1031.3
1005.1
3.41
83.71%
55
1948
Mann Crossman
XX
14
draught
0.07
1032.3
1009.3
2.98
71.21%
110
1948
Meux
XX
13
draught
0.06
1028.1
1006
2.87
78.65%
215
1948
Taylor Walker
Mainline
15
draught
0.05
1033.7
1012.1
2.79
64.09%
95
1948
Taylor Walker
XX
13
draught
0.07
1026.8
1006.9
2.58
74.25%
80
1948
Truman
XX
13
draught
0.06
1028.9
1007.7
2.75
73.36%
95
1948
Truman
B MA
19
draught
0.06
1042.5
1010.4
4.17
75.53%
105
1948
Watney
Best Ale
13
draught
0.07
1031.5
1010.3
2.74
67.30%
95
1948
Whitbread
XX
13
draught
0.06
1029.1
1006.5
2.93
77.66%
85
1949
Barclay Perkins
X
13
draught
1030.47
128
1949
Charrington
MA
12
draught
0.05
1029.4
1010.3
2.47
64.97%
130
1949
Charrington
MA
12
draught
0.06
1028.5
1009.8
2.42
65.61%
130
1949
Courage
MA
12
draught
0.05
1028.3
1007.5
2.69
73.50%
100
1949
Mann Crossman
Mild Ale
13
draught
0.07
1032
1004
3.64
87.50%
100
1949
Meux
XX
12
draught
0.06
1028.4
1005.3
3.00
81.34%
190
1949
Taylor Walker
MA
12
draught
0.05
1029.7
1009.5
2.61
68.01%
75
1949
Tollemache
Mild Ale
11
draught
0.06
1027.7
1005.4
2.89
80.51%
70
1949
Truman
MA
12
draught
0.06
1029.7
1005.8
3.10
80.47%
85
1949
Watney
X
12
draught
1028.62
104
1949
Wenlock
MA
12
draught
0.05
1031.1
1011.7
2.50
62.38%
85
1949
Whitbread
Best Ale
13
draught
0.05
1032.5
1009
3.04
72.31%
100
Average
12.5
0.06
1030.3
1008.6
2.82
71.69%
101.4
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252
Whitbread brewing records
Attenuation isn’t great, averaging just over 70%. I reckon they were leaving the FG reasonably high so the beer didn’t taste too watery. But it does mean that the average ABV is below 3% ABV. Meaning you’d need to be very determined to get more than mildly intoxicated.
There are examples from 11 different London breweries in the table. And not all the breweries of the day are represented. Until recently, it would have seem weird that so many different beers of one style were brewed in the capital. Then London’s brewing industry was reborn in a very happy development. Though for all the number of brewers today, I bet there aren’t 11 Milds regularly brewed in the capital.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2016/07/london-mild-ale-1946-1949.html)