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30-04-2021, 09:12
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The excitement just never ends when it comes to AK. Or perhaps it just never started. For you. For me, I can't never get me enough.Someone mentioned recently that they thought AK died out between the wars. That's not really true. AK was given a good old kick in the bollocks by WW I. Many found their demise in the war's brutal gravity cuts. Others, though fatally weakened, soldiered on. Another war was the last thing they needed.
Kicking off the war at a little over 1030º, there wasn't far they could go once a new round of gravity cuts began to bite.
Greene King seem to have dropped theirs early doors. Its AK had the bad luck to have another beer, PA, that was just a tiny bit stronger. When gravities fell, it dropped into AK's slot and that was it.
At Fullers, their three pre-war Pale Ales, in ascending order of strength, AK, XK and PA, were pared back to just a single beer in 1942, PA No. 2.
Shepherd Neame's version had the good fortune that the next Pale Ale up the hierarchy of strength, BB, was a good bit stronger at the outbreak of war. 1039.3º to AK's 1031.3º. A gap large enough that, even after the drop in strength, there was still a gap of 4º at war's end. The reprieve was only temporary. AK was discontinued in 1951.
AK during WW II
Date
Year
Brewer
Beer
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
23rd Jan
1940
Greene King
AK
1031.6
1007.2
3.22
77.19%
6.00
0.75
8th May
1940
Fullers
AK
1029.1
1008.6
2.71
70.48%
9.02
1.05
20th May
1940
Shepherd Neame
AK
1030.5
1005.5
3.30
81.82%
6.89
0.80
25th May
1941
Fullers
AK
1028.4
1006.4
2.91
77.56%
7.40
0.81
4th Feb
1943
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1005.0
2.93
81.63%
4.62
0.54
18th Dec
1943
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1005.9
2.81
78.16%
4.59
0.52
21st Feb
1944
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1005.8
2.82
78.47%
4.45
0.51
27th Nov
1944
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1006.4
2.75
76.53%
4.87
0.53
22nd Feb
1945
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1005.5
2.86
79.59%
4.87
0.55
7th May
1945
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1006.0
2.80
78.06%
4.75
0.55
Sources:
Fullers brewing records held at the brewery.
Greene King brewing record held at the brewery, document number AC93/1/14 .
Shepherd Neame brewing record held at the brewery.
Grists next time.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2021/04/ak-during-ww-ii.html)
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The excitement just never ends when it comes to AK. Or perhaps it just never started. For you. For me, I can't never get me enough.Someone mentioned recently that they thought AK died out between the wars. That's not really true. AK was given a good old kick in the bollocks by WW I. Many found their demise in the war's brutal gravity cuts. Others, though fatally weakened, soldiered on. Another war was the last thing they needed.
Kicking off the war at a little over 1030º, there wasn't far they could go once a new round of gravity cuts began to bite.
Greene King seem to have dropped theirs early doors. Its AK had the bad luck to have another beer, PA, that was just a tiny bit stronger. When gravities fell, it dropped into AK's slot and that was it.
At Fullers, their three pre-war Pale Ales, in ascending order of strength, AK, XK and PA, were pared back to just a single beer in 1942, PA No. 2.
Shepherd Neame's version had the good fortune that the next Pale Ale up the hierarchy of strength, BB, was a good bit stronger at the outbreak of war. 1039.3º to AK's 1031.3º. A gap large enough that, even after the drop in strength, there was still a gap of 4º at war's end. The reprieve was only temporary. AK was discontinued in 1951.
AK during WW II
Date
Year
Brewer
Beer
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
23rd Jan
1940
Greene King
AK
1031.6
1007.2
3.22
77.19%
6.00
0.75
8th May
1940
Fullers
AK
1029.1
1008.6
2.71
70.48%
9.02
1.05
20th May
1940
Shepherd Neame
AK
1030.5
1005.5
3.30
81.82%
6.89
0.80
25th May
1941
Fullers
AK
1028.4
1006.4
2.91
77.56%
7.40
0.81
4th Feb
1943
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1005.0
2.93
81.63%
4.62
0.54
18th Dec
1943
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1005.9
2.81
78.16%
4.59
0.52
21st Feb
1944
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1005.8
2.82
78.47%
4.45
0.51
27th Nov
1944
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1006.4
2.75
76.53%
4.87
0.53
22nd Feb
1945
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1005.5
2.86
79.59%
4.87
0.55
7th May
1945
Shepherd Neame
AK
1027.1
1006.0
2.80
78.06%
4.75
0.55
Sources:
Fullers brewing records held at the brewery.
Greene King brewing record held at the brewery, document number AC93/1/14 .
Shepherd Neame brewing record held at the brewery.
Grists next time.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2021/04/ak-during-ww-ii.html)