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07-08-2016, 07:09
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2016/08/light-ale-vs-pale-ale.html)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8M35yBQ58ug/V53GoxSWZII/AAAAAAAAaSY/zV5CwUjBzWcgCI57yUaseUti-RpyFL4JACLcB/s400/Whitbread_Pale_Ale.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8M35yBQ58ug/V53GoxSWZII/AAAAAAAAaSY/zV5CwUjBzWcgCI57yUaseUti-RpyFL4JACLcB/s1600/Whitbread_Pale_Ale.jpg)
I’ve said many times that British brewers were rather inconsistent in their naming of beers. Especially when it came to Pale Ales.
IPA, Pale Ale and Bitter could all be used to describe exactly the same beer. After seeing this advert, I realise that I can add Light Ale to that list.
"Lots of people ask for 'light ale’ but you’d be surprised how many say Whitbread’s.
Still, that's a taste That I've no quarrel with. Whitbread's make a fine Pale Ale; they do all their own bottling and their beers keep in top condition
It stands out— the best of the light ales is a WHITBREAD.
Hastings and St Leonards Observer - Saturday 16 August 1952, page 2.
So a beer with Whitbread Pale Ale on the label was what you got if you asked for a Light Ale in a Whitbread pub. Whitbread Pale Ale is a great example of the confusion of terms. But you need to look at its history to comprehend the full horror.
Before WW II, Whitbread brewed two Pale Ales: PA at 1048.5º which was their draught Bitter and IPA at 1037.4º which was a bottled beer. Both beers continued through the war and into the 1950’s albeit with reduced gravities. And their roles, one as a bottled and the other as a draught beer, continued. But I can see that though it retained the name IPA in the Brewhouse, the bottle was labelled “Whitbread Pale Ale”. It wasn’t until 1958 that it was called WPA in the Brewhouse.
Whitbread Pale Ale, IPA, Bitter Light Ale 1951 - 1955
Year
Beer
Style
package
Price
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1951
Pale Ale
IPA
bottled
21
1034.5
1951
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
draught
16
1038.4
30
1951
PA
Pale Ale
1039.8
1007.0
4.34
82.41%
30
1952
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
draught
17
1038.12
28
1953
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
draught
16
1035.05
22
1953
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
draught
17
1036.97
24
1954
Pale Ale
IPA
bottled
21
1034
1005.2
3.75
84.71%
22
1954
PA
Pale Ale
draught
17
1039.5
1955
Pale Ale
IPA
bottled
22
1034.5
1955
IPA
IPA
1034.5
1004.5
3.97
86.96%
20
1955
PA
Pale Ale
1039.3
1010.5
3.81
73.28%
22
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
Whitbread brewing records
Around the same time PA was rebadged as Tankard. Which Whitbread pushed heavily in keg form. But there was yet another name change is store for IPA. It started being sold on draught, sometime around 1960. Under the name of Trophy. Meaning Whitbread Trophy started life as an IPA.
I did promise to reveal this a while ago. But I sort of forgot. Sorry about that. Quite an impressive history for Whitbread IPA. It managed to be IPA, Pale Ale, Light Ale and Bitter. If only it had lasted long enough to become a Double IPA.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2016/08/light-ale-vs-pale-ale.html)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8M35yBQ58ug/V53GoxSWZII/AAAAAAAAaSY/zV5CwUjBzWcgCI57yUaseUti-RpyFL4JACLcB/s400/Whitbread_Pale_Ale.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8M35yBQ58ug/V53GoxSWZII/AAAAAAAAaSY/zV5CwUjBzWcgCI57yUaseUti-RpyFL4JACLcB/s1600/Whitbread_Pale_Ale.jpg)
I’ve said many times that British brewers were rather inconsistent in their naming of beers. Especially when it came to Pale Ales.
IPA, Pale Ale and Bitter could all be used to describe exactly the same beer. After seeing this advert, I realise that I can add Light Ale to that list.
"Lots of people ask for 'light ale’ but you’d be surprised how many say Whitbread’s.
Still, that's a taste That I've no quarrel with. Whitbread's make a fine Pale Ale; they do all their own bottling and their beers keep in top condition
It stands out— the best of the light ales is a WHITBREAD.
Hastings and St Leonards Observer - Saturday 16 August 1952, page 2.
So a beer with Whitbread Pale Ale on the label was what you got if you asked for a Light Ale in a Whitbread pub. Whitbread Pale Ale is a great example of the confusion of terms. But you need to look at its history to comprehend the full horror.
Before WW II, Whitbread brewed two Pale Ales: PA at 1048.5º which was their draught Bitter and IPA at 1037.4º which was a bottled beer. Both beers continued through the war and into the 1950’s albeit with reduced gravities. And their roles, one as a bottled and the other as a draught beer, continued. But I can see that though it retained the name IPA in the Brewhouse, the bottle was labelled “Whitbread Pale Ale”. It wasn’t until 1958 that it was called WPA in the Brewhouse.
Whitbread Pale Ale, IPA, Bitter Light Ale 1951 - 1955
Year
Beer
Style
package
Price
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1951
Pale Ale
IPA
bottled
21
1034.5
1951
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
draught
16
1038.4
30
1951
PA
Pale Ale
1039.8
1007.0
4.34
82.41%
30
1952
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
draught
17
1038.12
28
1953
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
draught
16
1035.05
22
1953
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
draught
17
1036.97
24
1954
Pale Ale
IPA
bottled
21
1034
1005.2
3.75
84.71%
22
1954
PA
Pale Ale
draught
17
1039.5
1955
Pale Ale
IPA
bottled
22
1034.5
1955
IPA
IPA
1034.5
1004.5
3.97
86.96%
20
1955
PA
Pale Ale
1039.3
1010.5
3.81
73.28%
22
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
Whitbread brewing records
Around the same time PA was rebadged as Tankard. Which Whitbread pushed heavily in keg form. But there was yet another name change is store for IPA. It started being sold on draught, sometime around 1960. Under the name of Trophy. Meaning Whitbread Trophy started life as an IPA.
I did promise to reveal this a while ago. But I sort of forgot. Sorry about that. Quite an impressive history for Whitbread IPA. It managed to be IPA, Pale Ale, Light Ale and Bitter. If only it had lasted long enough to become a Double IPA.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2016/08/light-ale-vs-pale-ale.html)