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02-02-2021, 07:18
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Lots of interesting comments after my first post about Boddington's Bitter. I'll be getting back to them - and answering them - in a later post. For the moment, however, I'll be unloading some more information on you. Namely the hops employed by Boddington.
Unfortunately, the information is patchy. For the 1970s, only the grower in listed. No harvest year (mostly) and no variety. About the only thing I know for certain is that all the hops were English. I suspect that at least some came from Kent, one of the growers being Neame.
The information for the 1980s is much better, mostly including both the harvest year and the variety. You'd be surprised how rare having all this useful data is. The presence of higher alpha varieties such as Bramling Cross and Northern Brewer could explain a drop in the hopping rate in 1984.
Was the appearance of Whitbread Goldings Varieties a result of an increased Whitbread influence?
One trend with the hops is clear. After 1982 more different types were used in each brew. Earlier, just two or three types were employed. Later, it was between five and seven types. That's an awful lot. Between two and four different hops was standard. Severn is really excessive.
Why have so many different hops? Usually, it's to even out the flavour from batch to batch. If you used a single type of Golding then switched to all Norther Brewer, there would be a sudden change in a beer's character.
Boddington Bitter hops 1971 - 1987
Date
Year
hop 1
hop 2
hop 3
hop 4
hop 5
hop 6
hop 7
4th Jan
1971
English
English
28th Oct
1974
English
English
English
28th Apr
1975
English
English
English
29th Apr
1976
English
English
English
18th Apr
1977
English 1976
English 1976
English
30th Oct
1978
English
English
17th Oct
1979
English
English
English
31st Dec
1979
English
English
English
31st Mar
1980
English 1978
English 1979
English 1979
4th Jan
1982
English 1980
English 1980
English 1980
9th Jan
1984
Bramling Cross
Bramling Cross
Goldings
Goldings
Northern Brewer
14th May
1984
English 1980
English 1982
English 1982
English 1982
English 1982
25th Mar
1985
Bramling Cross 1982
Fuggles 1983
Whitbread GV 1982
Goldings 1982
Goldings 1983
24th Feb
1986
Bramling Cross 1983
Fuggles 1984
Whitbread GV 1983
Goldings 1984
Northern Brewer 1982
29th Dec
1987
English
English
English
English
English
English
English
Sources:
Boddington brewing records held at Manchester Central Library, document numbers M693/405/134, M693/405/135 and M693/405/136.
Boddington brewing record held at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, document number 2006.4/Z/7/1 and 2006.4/Z/7/2.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2021/02/boddington-bitter-1971-1987-part-two.html)
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Lots of interesting comments after my first post about Boddington's Bitter. I'll be getting back to them - and answering them - in a later post. For the moment, however, I'll be unloading some more information on you. Namely the hops employed by Boddington.
Unfortunately, the information is patchy. For the 1970s, only the grower in listed. No harvest year (mostly) and no variety. About the only thing I know for certain is that all the hops were English. I suspect that at least some came from Kent, one of the growers being Neame.
The information for the 1980s is much better, mostly including both the harvest year and the variety. You'd be surprised how rare having all this useful data is. The presence of higher alpha varieties such as Bramling Cross and Northern Brewer could explain a drop in the hopping rate in 1984.
Was the appearance of Whitbread Goldings Varieties a result of an increased Whitbread influence?
One trend with the hops is clear. After 1982 more different types were used in each brew. Earlier, just two or three types were employed. Later, it was between five and seven types. That's an awful lot. Between two and four different hops was standard. Severn is really excessive.
Why have so many different hops? Usually, it's to even out the flavour from batch to batch. If you used a single type of Golding then switched to all Norther Brewer, there would be a sudden change in a beer's character.
Boddington Bitter hops 1971 - 1987
Date
Year
hop 1
hop 2
hop 3
hop 4
hop 5
hop 6
hop 7
4th Jan
1971
English
English
28th Oct
1974
English
English
English
28th Apr
1975
English
English
English
29th Apr
1976
English
English
English
18th Apr
1977
English 1976
English 1976
English
30th Oct
1978
English
English
17th Oct
1979
English
English
English
31st Dec
1979
English
English
English
31st Mar
1980
English 1978
English 1979
English 1979
4th Jan
1982
English 1980
English 1980
English 1980
9th Jan
1984
Bramling Cross
Bramling Cross
Goldings
Goldings
Northern Brewer
14th May
1984
English 1980
English 1982
English 1982
English 1982
English 1982
25th Mar
1985
Bramling Cross 1982
Fuggles 1983
Whitbread GV 1982
Goldings 1982
Goldings 1983
24th Feb
1986
Bramling Cross 1983
Fuggles 1984
Whitbread GV 1983
Goldings 1984
Northern Brewer 1982
29th Dec
1987
English
English
English
English
English
English
English
Sources:
Boddington brewing records held at Manchester Central Library, document numbers M693/405/134, M693/405/135 and M693/405/136.
Boddington brewing record held at the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester, document number 2006.4/Z/7/1 and 2006.4/Z/7/2.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2021/02/boddington-bitter-1971-1987-part-two.html)