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18-08-2019, 08:10
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By the end of 1949 few genuinely strong beers were starteing to escape from breweries. Some were even confident enough of their ability to supply such beers that they advertised them. Like Friary, with their Audit Ale.

Audit Ales were extremely strong beers originally brewed once a year for colleges at Oxford and Cambridge. After they closed down their own brewhouses, the colleges contracted the brewing out to commercial brewers.

I'm not sure that Friary's Audit Ale has any connection with either university and genuine Audit Ales. Other than it being pretty strong.


https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wY1Robyobpk/XT68Pb6Y-nI/AAAAAAAAg0w/Qpb7mlD4T6EcvN6ubW_Vltj67E_IX5NkgCLcBGAs/s640/Friary_Audit_Ale_1949_a.jpg (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wY1Robyobpk/XT68Pb6Y-nI/AAAAAAAAg0w/Qpb7mlD4T6EcvN6ubW_Vltj67E_IX5NkgCLcBGAs/s1600/Friary_Audit_Ale_1949_a.jpg)


"A nip in the air calls for FRIARY AUDIT ALE
There's nothing like a nip of Friary Audit Ale for making you forget the weather. Extra strong, and specially brewed to take the sting out of an English Winter, Friary Audit at 15/6d. per dozen nips coats that little extra — but by Jove it’s worth it!
THE STRONG ALE THAT WARMS LIKE WINE
TYLER & CO LTD
WOKING SURREY"
Chichester Observer - Saturday 03 December 1949, page 7.
And exactly how strong was extra strong? Around 8% ABV is the answer. So genuinely pretty strong. Here are the details of it and some other beers of the period, inlcuding several Audit Ales.




Audit Ale and other Strong Ales 1948 - 1958


Year
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint (d)
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
colour


1948
Usher
Strong Ale

1090.5
1024.5
8.63
72.93%



1949
Flower
Extra Strong

1078
1012
8.68
84.62%



1949
Fowler
Prestonpans Twelve Guinea Ale
45
1077.7
1030.3
6.13
61.00%
100


1949
Mann Crossman
Strong Ale
30
1071.2



128


1951
Barclay Perkins
Strong Ale
37
1079
1011
8.96
86.08%
120


1951
Friary
Audit Strong Ale
46.5
1084.6
1022.1
8.17
73.88%
52


1953
Friary Holroyd
Audit Ale
45
1084
1025.1
7.67
70.12%
52


1955
Dales (Brewed by Wells & Winch)
Audit Ale
36
1062.2
1023.5
5.00
62.22%
115


1955
Greene King
Audit Ale
36
1083.2
1017.7
8.59
78.73%
100


1955
Wells & Winch
Audit Ale
36
1062.2
1023.3
5.03
62.54%
115


1958
Lacons
Audit Ale
54
1095
1017.8
9.65
81.26%
90


Sources:


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


Thomas Usher Gravity Book held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document TU/6/11.


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



Not that the Friary beer was quite a bit paler than all the other Audit Ales.

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