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09-10-2020, 07:10
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Following up on yesterday's post, here's some more about the reduction in hopping rates. Hope this isn't too rabbit-holey. I genuinely find this sort of stuff fascinating.
Cutting hopping rates to stretch out the available hops made sense. But what about brewers who already hopped at low rates? There was fear that a blanket percentage cut night leave the hopping levels of such brewers too low for safety.
"Reduction in Hop Rates:
The Committee had had under consideration the position of brewers who, after observing the 20% reduction in hop rate per standard barrel, are left with a dangerously low rate. It was proposed to ask the permission of the Ministry of Food to allow some concession in such eases by fixing a minimum rate of hops per standard barrel below which no brewer need go. Calculation was being made to ascertain at what level it was possible to fix such a minimum having regard to the extra consumption of hops which it would entail and to the: available supply."
The Brewing Trade Review, February 1943, page 39.The solution was to impose a minimum level of hopping at 1 lb per standard barrel. That's a theoretical 36 imperial gallons of beer with an OG of 1055º. So for a beer of 1027.5º, the rate per bulk barrel would be 0.5 lb, half the standard barrel rate.
But there was one exception to the rule.
"Reduction in Hop Rates:
On the recommendation of the Society, the Ministry of Food had agreed to the minimum rate of hops of 1 lb. per standard barrel, except in the case of a brewer who used less than 1 lb. in the datum year ended September, 1939, when the minimum rate would be his 1939 rate. The Committee considered a proposal that this minimum rate should be set at a higher figure but, after full consideration, they came to the conclusion that, having regard to the grave shortage of hops, it would be undesirable to do so."
The Brewing Trade Review, April 1943, page 99. Who was hopping at below the 1 lb per standard barrel rate in 1943? Let's have a look. I've picked four breweries from different parts of the country. Adnams (East Anglia), Tetley (Yorkshire), Whitbread (London) and William Younger (Edinburgh).
Hopping rates in 1943
Brewer
Beer
Style
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/bulk brl
hops lb/standard brl
Adnams
XX
Mild Ale
1027.0
1005.5
2.84
79.48%
4.63
0.51
1.04
Adnams
PA
Pale Ale
1036.0
1010.5
3.37
70.76%
7.20
1.02
1.57
Adnams
DS
Stout
1039.0
1012.7
3.47
67.33%
5.88
0.96
1.36
Tetley
LM
Mild
1028.8
1008.0
2.75
72.12%
3.16
0.37
0.70
Tetley
M
Mild
1033.5
1004.2
3.88
87.60%
3.18
0.44
0.72
Tetley
B
Pale Ale
1041.3
1005.5
4.73
86.58%
3.37
0.55
0.73
Whitbread
XX
Mild
1028.2
1008.0
2.67
71.63%
6.07
0.73
1.43
Whitbread
IPA
IPA
1031.3
1007.5
3.15
76.04%
8.53
1.11
1.96
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
1039.2
1010.5
3.80
73.21%
6.03
1.00
1.41
Whitbread
XXXX
Strong Ale
1043.1
1010.0
4.38
76.80%
6.67
1.23
1.57
Younger, Wm.
XXX
Mild
1033.0
1014.0
2.51
57.58%
2.94
0.38
0.63
Younger, Wm.
XXPS
Pale Ale
1038.0
1013.5
3.24
64.47%
3.57
0.52
0.76
Younger, Wm.
Pale XXPS
Pale Ale
1041.0
1013.0
3.70
68.29%
4.05
0.63
0.85
Younger, Wm.
3
Strong Ale
1044.0
1016.0
3.70
63.64%
3.83
0.65
0.81
Sources:
Adnams brewing record held at the brewery, Book 30.
Tetley brewing record held at the West Yorkshire Archive Cervice, document number WYL756/ACC3349/561
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/01/110.
William Younger brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document number WY/6/1/2/81.
Unsurprisingly, one under the minimum rate was from Scotland. Though it was an brewery from the North of England, Tetley, with the lowest hopping rate. What had their rates been like in 1939?
Hopping rates in 1939
Brewer
Beer
Style
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
hops lb/standard brl
Tetley
X1
Mild
1042.9
1011.4
4.18
73.55%
4.23
0.71
0.91
Tetley
X1 Pale
Mild
1042.9
1013.9
3.85
67.74%
4.23
0.71
0.91
Tetley
K
Pale Ale
1047.6
1011.6
4.76
75.58%
4.77
0.89
1.03
Tetley
X2
Mild
1055.4
1011.9
5.75
78.50%
4.72
1.08
1.07
Tetley
XXX
Strong Ale
1090.9
1030.2
8.03
66.77%
4.72
1.76
1.07
Younger, Wm.
XXX
Mild
1037.0
1012.0
3.31
67.57%
2.50
0.35
0.52
Younger, Wm.
XXPS
Pale Ale
1046.0
1015.0
4.10
67.39%
3.04
0.53
0.63
Younger, Wm.
Pale XXPS
Pale Ale
1046.0
1014.0
4.23
69.57%
4.13
0.73
0.87
Younger, Wm.
3
Strong Ale
1053.0
1017.0
4.76
67.92%
3.00
0.60
0.62
Sources:
Tetley brewing record held at the West Yorkshire Archive Cervice, document number WYL756/ACC3349/557.
William Younger brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document number WY/6/1/2/76.
Well under the minimum in the case of Younger. But probably only just for Tetley. Three of their beers were just over. However, they were the stronger, less popular beers.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/10/hopping-rates-in-1943.html)
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Following up on yesterday's post, here's some more about the reduction in hopping rates. Hope this isn't too rabbit-holey. I genuinely find this sort of stuff fascinating.
Cutting hopping rates to stretch out the available hops made sense. But what about brewers who already hopped at low rates? There was fear that a blanket percentage cut night leave the hopping levels of such brewers too low for safety.
"Reduction in Hop Rates:
The Committee had had under consideration the position of brewers who, after observing the 20% reduction in hop rate per standard barrel, are left with a dangerously low rate. It was proposed to ask the permission of the Ministry of Food to allow some concession in such eases by fixing a minimum rate of hops per standard barrel below which no brewer need go. Calculation was being made to ascertain at what level it was possible to fix such a minimum having regard to the extra consumption of hops which it would entail and to the: available supply."
The Brewing Trade Review, February 1943, page 39.The solution was to impose a minimum level of hopping at 1 lb per standard barrel. That's a theoretical 36 imperial gallons of beer with an OG of 1055º. So for a beer of 1027.5º, the rate per bulk barrel would be 0.5 lb, half the standard barrel rate.
But there was one exception to the rule.
"Reduction in Hop Rates:
On the recommendation of the Society, the Ministry of Food had agreed to the minimum rate of hops of 1 lb. per standard barrel, except in the case of a brewer who used less than 1 lb. in the datum year ended September, 1939, when the minimum rate would be his 1939 rate. The Committee considered a proposal that this minimum rate should be set at a higher figure but, after full consideration, they came to the conclusion that, having regard to the grave shortage of hops, it would be undesirable to do so."
The Brewing Trade Review, April 1943, page 99. Who was hopping at below the 1 lb per standard barrel rate in 1943? Let's have a look. I've picked four breweries from different parts of the country. Adnams (East Anglia), Tetley (Yorkshire), Whitbread (London) and William Younger (Edinburgh).
Hopping rates in 1943
Brewer
Beer
Style
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/bulk brl
hops lb/standard brl
Adnams
XX
Mild Ale
1027.0
1005.5
2.84
79.48%
4.63
0.51
1.04
Adnams
PA
Pale Ale
1036.0
1010.5
3.37
70.76%
7.20
1.02
1.57
Adnams
DS
Stout
1039.0
1012.7
3.47
67.33%
5.88
0.96
1.36
Tetley
LM
Mild
1028.8
1008.0
2.75
72.12%
3.16
0.37
0.70
Tetley
M
Mild
1033.5
1004.2
3.88
87.60%
3.18
0.44
0.72
Tetley
B
Pale Ale
1041.3
1005.5
4.73
86.58%
3.37
0.55
0.73
Whitbread
XX
Mild
1028.2
1008.0
2.67
71.63%
6.07
0.73
1.43
Whitbread
IPA
IPA
1031.3
1007.5
3.15
76.04%
8.53
1.11
1.96
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
1039.2
1010.5
3.80
73.21%
6.03
1.00
1.41
Whitbread
XXXX
Strong Ale
1043.1
1010.0
4.38
76.80%
6.67
1.23
1.57
Younger, Wm.
XXX
Mild
1033.0
1014.0
2.51
57.58%
2.94
0.38
0.63
Younger, Wm.
XXPS
Pale Ale
1038.0
1013.5
3.24
64.47%
3.57
0.52
0.76
Younger, Wm.
Pale XXPS
Pale Ale
1041.0
1013.0
3.70
68.29%
4.05
0.63
0.85
Younger, Wm.
3
Strong Ale
1044.0
1016.0
3.70
63.64%
3.83
0.65
0.81
Sources:
Adnams brewing record held at the brewery, Book 30.
Tetley brewing record held at the West Yorkshire Archive Cervice, document number WYL756/ACC3349/561
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/01/110.
William Younger brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document number WY/6/1/2/81.
Unsurprisingly, one under the minimum rate was from Scotland. Though it was an brewery from the North of England, Tetley, with the lowest hopping rate. What had their rates been like in 1939?
Hopping rates in 1939
Brewer
Beer
Style
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
hops lb/standard brl
Tetley
X1
Mild
1042.9
1011.4
4.18
73.55%
4.23
0.71
0.91
Tetley
X1 Pale
Mild
1042.9
1013.9
3.85
67.74%
4.23
0.71
0.91
Tetley
K
Pale Ale
1047.6
1011.6
4.76
75.58%
4.77
0.89
1.03
Tetley
X2
Mild
1055.4
1011.9
5.75
78.50%
4.72
1.08
1.07
Tetley
XXX
Strong Ale
1090.9
1030.2
8.03
66.77%
4.72
1.76
1.07
Younger, Wm.
XXX
Mild
1037.0
1012.0
3.31
67.57%
2.50
0.35
0.52
Younger, Wm.
XXPS
Pale Ale
1046.0
1015.0
4.10
67.39%
3.04
0.53
0.63
Younger, Wm.
Pale XXPS
Pale Ale
1046.0
1014.0
4.23
69.57%
4.13
0.73
0.87
Younger, Wm.
3
Strong Ale
1053.0
1017.0
4.76
67.92%
3.00
0.60
0.62
Sources:
Tetley brewing record held at the West Yorkshire Archive Cervice, document number WYL756/ACC3349/557.
William Younger brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document number WY/6/1/2/76.
Well under the minimum in the case of Younger. But probably only just for Tetley. Three of their beers were just over. However, they were the stronger, less popular beers.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2020/10/hopping-rates-in-1943.html)