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28-04-2020, 07:12
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/04/bitter-on-eve-of-ww-ii.html)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2it_vxkpQc/Xqakbq4NzGI/AAAAAAAAh5E/90FZqjprw-8rDknBxdEby99ddy3P4pFoACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Tetleys_Yorkshire_Pale_Ale.JPG (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2it_vxkpQc/Xqakbq4NzGI/AAAAAAAAh5E/90FZqjprw-8rDknBxdEby99ddy3P4pFoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Tetleys_Yorkshire_Pale_Ale.JPG)
No, this isn't another preview of my new book. But rather something to settle a Twitter argument. Or not, as the case might be.
Martyn Cornell and Dominic Driscoll were arguing about whether Northern Bitters were more heavily hopped than Southern ones to take into account the use of a sparkler, which would reduce the perceived bitterness.
It just so happens that I've written a large number of recipes for Bitters from all over the country. Part of the process being to calculate the IBUs using BeerSmith. I wouldn't take the numbers as gospel, but they give a general idea.
Are the Northern versions more Bitter than Southern ones? Well, yes and no. Boddington Bitter comes out top at 48 IBU. But Tetley comes bottom at 14 IBU. While all the London beers in the table are reasonably well-hopped.
Surprisingly, for a brewery in the middle of hop country, most of Shepherd Neame's beers weren't that bitter. Other than their PA.
About the only real discernible pattern is in the Scottish beers. Which are mostly not very bitter at all. Except for the Maclay beers.
Bitter on the eve of WW II
Year
Brewery
Beer
OG
IBU
1939
Adnams
PA
1039
33
1939
Barclay Perkins
IPA
1044
30
1939
Barclay Perkins
XLK (trade)
1046
30
1939
Barclay Perkins
PA
1053
38
1939
Boddington
IP
1045
48
1939
Drybrough
54/-
1032
19
1939
Drybrough
60/-
1038
21
1939
Drybrough
80/-
1050
26
1939
Fullers
AK
1033.5
35
1939
Fullers
XK
1039.5
40
1939
Fullers
PA
1050
43
1939
Lees
Bitter
1047
30
1939
Maclay
PA 5d
1032
28
1939
Maclay
PA 6d
1038
30
1939
Maclay
PA 7d
1042
32
1940
Shepherd Neame
AK
1030.5
19
1940
Shepherd Neame
BB
1038
21
1940
Shepherd Neame
PA
1047
39
1940
Shepherd Neame
SXX
1055
28
1941
Tetley
Bitter
1038
14
1939
Truman
Pale 2
1047.5
27
1939
Truman
Pale 1B
1053.5
30
1939
Whitbread
IPA
1037
36
1939
Whitbread
PA
1048
29
1938
William Younger
XP
1037
14
1938
William Younger
XXP
1042
16
1939
William Younger
XXPS
1046
12
1939
William Younger
Export
1054
22
Sources:
various brewing records
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/04/bitter-on-eve-of-ww-ii.html)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2it_vxkpQc/Xqakbq4NzGI/AAAAAAAAh5E/90FZqjprw-8rDknBxdEby99ddy3P4pFoACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Tetleys_Yorkshire_Pale_Ale.JPG (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q2it_vxkpQc/Xqakbq4NzGI/AAAAAAAAh5E/90FZqjprw-8rDknBxdEby99ddy3P4pFoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Tetleys_Yorkshire_Pale_Ale.JPG)
No, this isn't another preview of my new book. But rather something to settle a Twitter argument. Or not, as the case might be.
Martyn Cornell and Dominic Driscoll were arguing about whether Northern Bitters were more heavily hopped than Southern ones to take into account the use of a sparkler, which would reduce the perceived bitterness.
It just so happens that I've written a large number of recipes for Bitters from all over the country. Part of the process being to calculate the IBUs using BeerSmith. I wouldn't take the numbers as gospel, but they give a general idea.
Are the Northern versions more Bitter than Southern ones? Well, yes and no. Boddington Bitter comes out top at 48 IBU. But Tetley comes bottom at 14 IBU. While all the London beers in the table are reasonably well-hopped.
Surprisingly, for a brewery in the middle of hop country, most of Shepherd Neame's beers weren't that bitter. Other than their PA.
About the only real discernible pattern is in the Scottish beers. Which are mostly not very bitter at all. Except for the Maclay beers.
Bitter on the eve of WW II
Year
Brewery
Beer
OG
IBU
1939
Adnams
PA
1039
33
1939
Barclay Perkins
IPA
1044
30
1939
Barclay Perkins
XLK (trade)
1046
30
1939
Barclay Perkins
PA
1053
38
1939
Boddington
IP
1045
48
1939
Drybrough
54/-
1032
19
1939
Drybrough
60/-
1038
21
1939
Drybrough
80/-
1050
26
1939
Fullers
AK
1033.5
35
1939
Fullers
XK
1039.5
40
1939
Fullers
PA
1050
43
1939
Lees
Bitter
1047
30
1939
Maclay
PA 5d
1032
28
1939
Maclay
PA 6d
1038
30
1939
Maclay
PA 7d
1042
32
1940
Shepherd Neame
AK
1030.5
19
1940
Shepherd Neame
BB
1038
21
1940
Shepherd Neame
PA
1047
39
1940
Shepherd Neame
SXX
1055
28
1941
Tetley
Bitter
1038
14
1939
Truman
Pale 2
1047.5
27
1939
Truman
Pale 1B
1053.5
30
1939
Whitbread
IPA
1037
36
1939
Whitbread
PA
1048
29
1938
William Younger
XP
1037
14
1938
William Younger
XXP
1042
16
1939
William Younger
XXPS
1046
12
1939
William Younger
Export
1054
22
Sources:
various brewing records
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/04/bitter-on-eve-of-ww-ii.html)