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28-05-2023, 07:15
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2023/05/london-bitters-in-1978.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkUMmzIDXEMskemp1UiYu8u1vjJNS2SCi1HkgZRL0k9 _wUxEMkij1fmTKJZuhE1A-qv9MmCu-B2V247NOPYnRnjyDRS-NuIq1-CWRsMXMWolOVyJM8L2GT-skj7Mmww1uYySjFugz1-TTyi46QdOHSju57dvMYacKrfXcKUqRHY7x2t8r0IisenNE/w306-h400/Truman_Ben_Truman_Pale_Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkUMmzIDXEMskemp1UiYu8u1vjJNS2SCi1HkgZRL0k9 _wUxEMkij1fmTKJZuhE1A-qv9MmCu-B2V247NOPYnRnjyDRS-NuIq1-CWRsMXMWolOVyJM8L2GT-skj7Mmww1uYySjFugz1-TTyi46QdOHSju57dvMYacKrfXcKUqRHY7x2t8r0IisenNE/s531/Truman_Ben_Truman_Pale_Ale.jpg)
And here we are. In the capital and at the final region in this survey of 1978 Bitters.
Once again, I drank all these beers, bar one. That being Export Ben Truman. Why did I never try that? It was a keg beer. I wasn't going to waste my time drinking evil keg. It doesn't look like I missed much "Bland, slightly sweet, characterless beer.". Yum.
In 1979, however, I did drink Truman Tap Bitter, their first cask beer in a while. They sold it at the Tenterden, a Truman's tied house on Devon's Road. Not far from the squat I was living in at the time. It was around the same OG as Export Ben Truman, so may well have been a cask form of it. How good was it? So great, I usually mixed it with bottled Guinness.
The average score is pretty high at 9.5. Not sure I would rate them the same way, based on my memories. I'd rate London Pride top. Then the two Courage beers. Followed by Ordinary and Special from Youngs and ESB. I never cared for Fined Bitter. Maybe it was just never looked after properly. Watney's landlords hadn't seen cask for a long time.
Just pipping the Southeast, the average price is the highest, at 36p. But that's an average for just three of the eight samples. The three weakest samples. The real average price would have been much higher. Though, in terms of value for money, London averages slightly better than the Southeast.
Boosted by the presence of many Special Bitters, the average OG is a heady 1043.1º. The highest of any of the regions.
Are we finished? Are we hell. Next there will be an overview of the regional Bitters.
Then we'll move onto the Lagers. Don't you just love the 1970s?
London Bitters in 1978
Brewer
Beer
Price
º gravity per p
% ABV per p
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
score
Flavour
Fullers
ESB
1052.3
1012.9
5.12
75.33%
10
A powerful beer with » kick in every sip.
Youngs
Special Bitter
1047.1
1014.2
4.27
69.96%
9
A nice heavy malty brew.
Courage
Directors Bitter
1046
1012.8
4.31
72.17%
11
A classic, strong, genuine beer.
Watney
Fined Bitter
1043.6
1006.3
4.87
85.67%
10
Well flavoured. Clean, tasty. Nice bite.
Fullers
London Pride
1041.8
1007.5
4.46
82.06%
9
A good well flavoured beer with a slight bite.
Courage
Best Bitter
35
1.11
0.11
1038.7
1008.8
3.88
77.26%
10
A fine, well-flavoured, distinct bitter.
Truman
Export Ben Truman
40
0.96
0.10
1038.5
1008.9
3.85
77.01%
7
Bland, slightly sweet, characterless beer.
Youngs
Bitter
33
1.11
0.11
1036.6
1007.7
3.76
79.10%
10
Lightish bitter with pleasant, tangy taste.
Average
36
1.06
0.11
1043.1
1009.9
4.32
77.32%
9.5
Source:
Sunday Mirror - Sunday 17 September 1978, pages 22 - 23.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2023/05/london-bitters-in-1978.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkUMmzIDXEMskemp1UiYu8u1vjJNS2SCi1HkgZRL0k9 _wUxEMkij1fmTKJZuhE1A-qv9MmCu-B2V247NOPYnRnjyDRS-NuIq1-CWRsMXMWolOVyJM8L2GT-skj7Mmww1uYySjFugz1-TTyi46QdOHSju57dvMYacKrfXcKUqRHY7x2t8r0IisenNE/w306-h400/Truman_Ben_Truman_Pale_Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZkUMmzIDXEMskemp1UiYu8u1vjJNS2SCi1HkgZRL0k9 _wUxEMkij1fmTKJZuhE1A-qv9MmCu-B2V247NOPYnRnjyDRS-NuIq1-CWRsMXMWolOVyJM8L2GT-skj7Mmww1uYySjFugz1-TTyi46QdOHSju57dvMYacKrfXcKUqRHY7x2t8r0IisenNE/s531/Truman_Ben_Truman_Pale_Ale.jpg)
And here we are. In the capital and at the final region in this survey of 1978 Bitters.
Once again, I drank all these beers, bar one. That being Export Ben Truman. Why did I never try that? It was a keg beer. I wasn't going to waste my time drinking evil keg. It doesn't look like I missed much "Bland, slightly sweet, characterless beer.". Yum.
In 1979, however, I did drink Truman Tap Bitter, their first cask beer in a while. They sold it at the Tenterden, a Truman's tied house on Devon's Road. Not far from the squat I was living in at the time. It was around the same OG as Export Ben Truman, so may well have been a cask form of it. How good was it? So great, I usually mixed it with bottled Guinness.
The average score is pretty high at 9.5. Not sure I would rate them the same way, based on my memories. I'd rate London Pride top. Then the two Courage beers. Followed by Ordinary and Special from Youngs and ESB. I never cared for Fined Bitter. Maybe it was just never looked after properly. Watney's landlords hadn't seen cask for a long time.
Just pipping the Southeast, the average price is the highest, at 36p. But that's an average for just three of the eight samples. The three weakest samples. The real average price would have been much higher. Though, in terms of value for money, London averages slightly better than the Southeast.
Boosted by the presence of many Special Bitters, the average OG is a heady 1043.1º. The highest of any of the regions.
Are we finished? Are we hell. Next there will be an overview of the regional Bitters.
Then we'll move onto the Lagers. Don't you just love the 1970s?
London Bitters in 1978
Brewer
Beer
Price
º gravity per p
% ABV per p
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
score
Flavour
Fullers
ESB
1052.3
1012.9
5.12
75.33%
10
A powerful beer with » kick in every sip.
Youngs
Special Bitter
1047.1
1014.2
4.27
69.96%
9
A nice heavy malty brew.
Courage
Directors Bitter
1046
1012.8
4.31
72.17%
11
A classic, strong, genuine beer.
Watney
Fined Bitter
1043.6
1006.3
4.87
85.67%
10
Well flavoured. Clean, tasty. Nice bite.
Fullers
London Pride
1041.8
1007.5
4.46
82.06%
9
A good well flavoured beer with a slight bite.
Courage
Best Bitter
35
1.11
0.11
1038.7
1008.8
3.88
77.26%
10
A fine, well-flavoured, distinct bitter.
Truman
Export Ben Truman
40
0.96
0.10
1038.5
1008.9
3.85
77.01%
7
Bland, slightly sweet, characterless beer.
Youngs
Bitter
33
1.11
0.11
1036.6
1007.7
3.76
79.10%
10
Lightish bitter with pleasant, tangy taste.
Average
36
1.06
0.11
1043.1
1009.9
4.32
77.32%
9.5
Source:
Sunday Mirror - Sunday 17 September 1978, pages 22 - 23.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2023/05/london-bitters-in-1978.html)