Blog Tracker
04-01-2017, 07:07
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2017/01/lets-brew-wednesday-1969-truman-ll.html)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5blOjdSGfJI/WGqT78kB1MI/AAAAAAAAbNA/D-MCneIjh9kfj9k9ZwrXOIB-lS1b5bUPACLcB/s400/Red_Tower_Lager_Beer_3a.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5blOjdSGfJI/WGqT78kB1MI/AAAAAAAAbNA/D-MCneIjh9kfj9k9ZwrXOIB-lS1b5bUPACLcB/s1600/Red_Tower_Lager_Beer_3a.jpg)
I was so pleased to find this beer. Because it’s an example of a short-lived type of beer: a regional brewery’s own brand of Lager.
The first British Lagers were mostly brewed in specialist breweries. Either standalone enterprises like the Wrexham Lager Brewery and the Red Tower Lager Brewery. Or a specialist plant within a larger brewery – examples being Tennent in Glasgow and Barclay Perkins in London. There were only a handful of such specialist plants in the first half of the 20th century.
When Lager started to take off in the late 1950’s, just about everyone wanted to get in on the act and market their own brand of Lager. These were usually just brewed on the standard kit and weren’t even necessarily bottom fermented. As the 1960’s and 1970’s progressed, most of these regional Lagers disappeared, replaced by national or international brands. Only weird breweries like Sam Smiths have persisted.
Truman’s London Lager – which is what I assume LL stands for – was such a beer. And true to tradition, it was replaced by an international brand, Tuborg, which Truman’s brewed under licence.
Here’s a selection of the Lagers from regional breweries in the 1950’s and 1960’s:
British regional Lagers 1954 - 1962
Year
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint d
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1954
Steel Coulson
Lager Beer
30
1032
1004.3
3.60
86.56%
11
1955
Tennent
Lager
30
1036.1
1007.7
3.69
78.67%
9
1957
McEwan & Younger
"MY" Export Lager
1035.2
1007.3
3.62
79.26%
13
1960
Greene King
Lager
1034.9
1006.4
3.56
81.66%
9.5
1960
Lees
Lager
1037.0
1960
Mitchell & Butler
Export Lager
32
1039.7
1010
3.71
74.81%
7.5
1960
Tennant Bros.
Lager
31.875
1035.2
1006.8
3.55
80.68%
8.5
1960
Tollemache
Kroner Lager
1033.4
1007.5
3.24
77.54%
7
1961
Flowers
Lager
30
1044
1011.3
4.09
74.32%
12
1961
Greene King
Lager
36
1036
1005.8
3.78
83.89%
7.5
1961
Hall & Woodhouse
Brock Lager
36
1033.9
1004.1
3.73
87.91%
10
1961
Lacons
Lager
34
1034.9
1007.1
3.48
79.66%
8
1961
Phipps
Stein Lager
36
1034.8
1005.5
3.66
84.20%
7.5
1961
Tennant Bros.
Lager
33
1036
1007.6
3.55
78.89%
7.5
1961
Tollemache & Cobbold
Kroner Lager
36
1033.1
1005.7
3.42
82.78%
9.5
1961
Charrington
Pilsner Lager
32
1036.3
1008.1
3.66
77.69%
8
1961
Eldridge Pope
König Pilsener
36
1038.6
1007.3
3.91
81.09%
8
1961
McEwan
MY Export Lager
42
1032.9
1010.1
2.85
69.30%
10
1962
Flowers
Lager
48
1044.9
1011.6
4.16
74.16%
8
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
Lees brewing records held at the brewery.
Tennent’s Lager is the only one to still exist. M & B and Charrington, which both ended up in Bass Charrington, had their Lagers replaced by Carling Black Label and Tennent’s. Flowers, which ended up in Whitbread, had their Lager replaced by Heineken. Not sure what happened at the smaller regionals, but I’d be very surprised if any still brewed their own Lager.
Back to Truman’s Lager. It’s not a very complicated grist, just lager malt, sugar and flaked barley. Unlike all their other beers of the time, it doesn’t use English hops, but ones described as “Styrian”, which I presume means Styrian Goldings. The level of hopping is extremely low. So more of a Helles than a Pilsner.
I’m not sure about the mashing. It looks like a step mash, with strike heats of 125º F and 170º F. Not sure what that equates to in terms of initial heats. The fermentation, though cooler than for their other beers, still hit a maximum temperature of 60º F, which looks too warm for a true Lager. Though it was crashed down to 41º F just before racking.
Looks like a great example of a pseudo-Lager. Or semi-Lager. Though I’m not sure why exactly you’d want to brew one, other than for academic purposes.
1969 Truman LL
lager malt
6.25 lb
83.33%
flaked barley
0.75 lb
10.00%
cane sugar
0.50 lb
6.67%
Styrian Goldings 90 min
0.25 oz
Styrian Goldings 60 min
0.25 oz
Styrian Goldings 30 min
0.25 oz
OG
1034.6
FG
1008.9
ABV
3.40
Apparent attenuation
74.28%
IBU
11.5
SRM
4
Mash at
125º F
Sparge at
170º F
Boil time
120 minutes
pitching temp
53º F
Yeast
Wyeast 2042 Danish lager
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2017/01/lets-brew-wednesday-1969-truman-ll.html)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5blOjdSGfJI/WGqT78kB1MI/AAAAAAAAbNA/D-MCneIjh9kfj9k9ZwrXOIB-lS1b5bUPACLcB/s400/Red_Tower_Lager_Beer_3a.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5blOjdSGfJI/WGqT78kB1MI/AAAAAAAAbNA/D-MCneIjh9kfj9k9ZwrXOIB-lS1b5bUPACLcB/s1600/Red_Tower_Lager_Beer_3a.jpg)
I was so pleased to find this beer. Because it’s an example of a short-lived type of beer: a regional brewery’s own brand of Lager.
The first British Lagers were mostly brewed in specialist breweries. Either standalone enterprises like the Wrexham Lager Brewery and the Red Tower Lager Brewery. Or a specialist plant within a larger brewery – examples being Tennent in Glasgow and Barclay Perkins in London. There were only a handful of such specialist plants in the first half of the 20th century.
When Lager started to take off in the late 1950’s, just about everyone wanted to get in on the act and market their own brand of Lager. These were usually just brewed on the standard kit and weren’t even necessarily bottom fermented. As the 1960’s and 1970’s progressed, most of these regional Lagers disappeared, replaced by national or international brands. Only weird breweries like Sam Smiths have persisted.
Truman’s London Lager – which is what I assume LL stands for – was such a beer. And true to tradition, it was replaced by an international brand, Tuborg, which Truman’s brewed under licence.
Here’s a selection of the Lagers from regional breweries in the 1950’s and 1960’s:
British regional Lagers 1954 - 1962
Year
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint d
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour
1954
Steel Coulson
Lager Beer
30
1032
1004.3
3.60
86.56%
11
1955
Tennent
Lager
30
1036.1
1007.7
3.69
78.67%
9
1957
McEwan & Younger
"MY" Export Lager
1035.2
1007.3
3.62
79.26%
13
1960
Greene King
Lager
1034.9
1006.4
3.56
81.66%
9.5
1960
Lees
Lager
1037.0
1960
Mitchell & Butler
Export Lager
32
1039.7
1010
3.71
74.81%
7.5
1960
Tennant Bros.
Lager
31.875
1035.2
1006.8
3.55
80.68%
8.5
1960
Tollemache
Kroner Lager
1033.4
1007.5
3.24
77.54%
7
1961
Flowers
Lager
30
1044
1011.3
4.09
74.32%
12
1961
Greene King
Lager
36
1036
1005.8
3.78
83.89%
7.5
1961
Hall & Woodhouse
Brock Lager
36
1033.9
1004.1
3.73
87.91%
10
1961
Lacons
Lager
34
1034.9
1007.1
3.48
79.66%
8
1961
Phipps
Stein Lager
36
1034.8
1005.5
3.66
84.20%
7.5
1961
Tennant Bros.
Lager
33
1036
1007.6
3.55
78.89%
7.5
1961
Tollemache & Cobbold
Kroner Lager
36
1033.1
1005.7
3.42
82.78%
9.5
1961
Charrington
Pilsner Lager
32
1036.3
1008.1
3.66
77.69%
8
1961
Eldridge Pope
König Pilsener
36
1038.6
1007.3
3.91
81.09%
8
1961
McEwan
MY Export Lager
42
1032.9
1010.1
2.85
69.30%
10
1962
Flowers
Lager
48
1044.9
1011.6
4.16
74.16%
8
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
Lees brewing records held at the brewery.
Tennent’s Lager is the only one to still exist. M & B and Charrington, which both ended up in Bass Charrington, had their Lagers replaced by Carling Black Label and Tennent’s. Flowers, which ended up in Whitbread, had their Lager replaced by Heineken. Not sure what happened at the smaller regionals, but I’d be very surprised if any still brewed their own Lager.
Back to Truman’s Lager. It’s not a very complicated grist, just lager malt, sugar and flaked barley. Unlike all their other beers of the time, it doesn’t use English hops, but ones described as “Styrian”, which I presume means Styrian Goldings. The level of hopping is extremely low. So more of a Helles than a Pilsner.
I’m not sure about the mashing. It looks like a step mash, with strike heats of 125º F and 170º F. Not sure what that equates to in terms of initial heats. The fermentation, though cooler than for their other beers, still hit a maximum temperature of 60º F, which looks too warm for a true Lager. Though it was crashed down to 41º F just before racking.
Looks like a great example of a pseudo-Lager. Or semi-Lager. Though I’m not sure why exactly you’d want to brew one, other than for academic purposes.
1969 Truman LL
lager malt
6.25 lb
83.33%
flaked barley
0.75 lb
10.00%
cane sugar
0.50 lb
6.67%
Styrian Goldings 90 min
0.25 oz
Styrian Goldings 60 min
0.25 oz
Styrian Goldings 30 min
0.25 oz
OG
1034.6
FG
1008.9
ABV
3.40
Apparent attenuation
74.28%
IBU
11.5
SRM
4
Mash at
125º F
Sparge at
170º F
Boil time
120 minutes
pitching temp
53º F
Yeast
Wyeast 2042 Danish lager
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2017/01/lets-brew-wednesday-1969-truman-ll.html)