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27-06-2023, 07:35
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1h8jv10HaW9yIDOVSO62sOc0Wyw92VZ3aYCRQgghF_3 Fg8Hszacwjgt2gFpOdEp7inh2Rnt-4MOApXJg54iX_b8c4RcpPPzuxTyMVaHUvSM1uAvja1E0GOKhNP uVTlcrqNLoMjcB0GMqeOYwUlSAg-nZk5zV2srSrQhx7UyC_qwSHf8jlHQhlCZdHgKU/w323-h400/Carlisle_Light_Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1h8jv10HaW9yIDOVSO62sOc0Wyw92VZ3aYCRQgghF_3 Fg8Hszacwjgt2gFpOdEp7inh2Rnt-4MOApXJg54iX_b8c4RcpPPzuxTyMVaHUvSM1uAvja1E0GOKhNP uVTlcrqNLoMjcB0GMqeOYwUlSAg-nZk5zV2srSrQhx7UyC_qwSHf8jlHQhlCZdHgKU/s586/Carlisle_Light_Ale.jpg)
Where next with Bitter? I know - let's stay in the North. Just flipping over the Pennines to the Northwest.
When I started my, still unfinished, drinking career back in the 1970s, Manchester was renowned for its cheap beer. Something which might have been related to the survival of many regional and small breweries.
So let's start with the prices. Which average out to 12.4p per pint. Exactly the same in the Northeast. Which sounds pretty good. Except that the average OG is 1.6º lower. Though a higher degree of attenuation leaves the average ABV only a little lower.
Which segues nicely into a look at value for money. From what we've already learnt, it should be expected that in terms of OG, this set scores worse than the Northeast. And that in terms of ABV, it's roughly similar.
Once again, the Carlisle State Brewery is the cheapest pint and the best value at 10.5p for a beer of 1036º. You just can't beat nationalised breweries for price. I like that both the cask and keg version of the beer are included. It demonstrates just what bad value most keg beers were. 2p more per pint in this case. For a beer which probably tasted worse. Though it's still better value than three of the other beers in the set.
Crappiest value is another keg beer, Greenall's Festival Keg. Again, the cask version is also in the table. This time a full 4p per pint more expensive. One of the reasons I was never tempted by keg beers as a youngster was the terrible value they represented.
Not that many in this bunch that I drank. Threlfalls and Duttons were still brewing when I started drinking. But I completely ignored them as they produced no cask beer. In common with all Whitbread's northern breweries, other than Castle Eden. Note that the two versions of Trophy are clearly different beers.
I drank Wilsons and Greenalls. Not sure if I had their Bitters, as I mostly stuck to Mild. The same is true of Tetley Walker. Drank in their pubs a few times, but almost certainly only drank the Mild. Boddies Bitter I definitely tried. As you can see a very dry and surprisingly strong beer, given its modest gravity.
Northwestern Bitter in 1971
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint (p)
º gravity per p
% ABV per p
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Whitbread (Duttons)
Trophy
12
2.92
0.28
1035.1
1009
3.38
74.36%
Whitbread (Threllfalls)
Trophy
13
2.58
0.28
1033.6
1005.8
3.62
82.89%
Carlisle State Brewery
Bitter
10.5
3.46
0.35
1036.3
1008.2
3.65
77.41%
Carlisle State Brewery
Keg Bitter
12.5
2.93
0.27
1036.6
1010.2
3.42
72.13%
Wilson
Bitter
12.5
2.86
0.29
1035.8
1007.5
3.68
79.05%
Tetley Walker
Bitter
12.5
2.86
0.29
1035.8
1007.5
3.68
79.05%
Greenall Whitley
Bitter
11.5
3.13
0.33
1036
1007
3.77
80.56%
Greenall Whitley
Festival Keg
15.5
2.37
0.24
1036.8
1007.6
3.79
79.35%
Boddington
Bitter
12
2.99
0.33
1035.9
1005.1
4.01
85.79%
Average
12.4
2.90
0.30
1035.8
1007.5
3.67
78.95%
Source:
Sunday Mirror - Sunday 21 March 1971, page 25.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2023/06/northwestern-bitter-in-1971.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1h8jv10HaW9yIDOVSO62sOc0Wyw92VZ3aYCRQgghF_3 Fg8Hszacwjgt2gFpOdEp7inh2Rnt-4MOApXJg54iX_b8c4RcpPPzuxTyMVaHUvSM1uAvja1E0GOKhNP uVTlcrqNLoMjcB0GMqeOYwUlSAg-nZk5zV2srSrQhx7UyC_qwSHf8jlHQhlCZdHgKU/w323-h400/Carlisle_Light_Ale.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1h8jv10HaW9yIDOVSO62sOc0Wyw92VZ3aYCRQgghF_3 Fg8Hszacwjgt2gFpOdEp7inh2Rnt-4MOApXJg54iX_b8c4RcpPPzuxTyMVaHUvSM1uAvja1E0GOKhNP uVTlcrqNLoMjcB0GMqeOYwUlSAg-nZk5zV2srSrQhx7UyC_qwSHf8jlHQhlCZdHgKU/s586/Carlisle_Light_Ale.jpg)
Where next with Bitter? I know - let's stay in the North. Just flipping over the Pennines to the Northwest.
When I started my, still unfinished, drinking career back in the 1970s, Manchester was renowned for its cheap beer. Something which might have been related to the survival of many regional and small breweries.
So let's start with the prices. Which average out to 12.4p per pint. Exactly the same in the Northeast. Which sounds pretty good. Except that the average OG is 1.6º lower. Though a higher degree of attenuation leaves the average ABV only a little lower.
Which segues nicely into a look at value for money. From what we've already learnt, it should be expected that in terms of OG, this set scores worse than the Northeast. And that in terms of ABV, it's roughly similar.
Once again, the Carlisle State Brewery is the cheapest pint and the best value at 10.5p for a beer of 1036º. You just can't beat nationalised breweries for price. I like that both the cask and keg version of the beer are included. It demonstrates just what bad value most keg beers were. 2p more per pint in this case. For a beer which probably tasted worse. Though it's still better value than three of the other beers in the set.
Crappiest value is another keg beer, Greenall's Festival Keg. Again, the cask version is also in the table. This time a full 4p per pint more expensive. One of the reasons I was never tempted by keg beers as a youngster was the terrible value they represented.
Not that many in this bunch that I drank. Threlfalls and Duttons were still brewing when I started drinking. But I completely ignored them as they produced no cask beer. In common with all Whitbread's northern breweries, other than Castle Eden. Note that the two versions of Trophy are clearly different beers.
I drank Wilsons and Greenalls. Not sure if I had their Bitters, as I mostly stuck to Mild. The same is true of Tetley Walker. Drank in their pubs a few times, but almost certainly only drank the Mild. Boddies Bitter I definitely tried. As you can see a very dry and surprisingly strong beer, given its modest gravity.
Northwestern Bitter in 1971
Brewer
Beer
Price per pint (p)
º gravity per p
% ABV per p
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
Whitbread (Duttons)
Trophy
12
2.92
0.28
1035.1
1009
3.38
74.36%
Whitbread (Threllfalls)
Trophy
13
2.58
0.28
1033.6
1005.8
3.62
82.89%
Carlisle State Brewery
Bitter
10.5
3.46
0.35
1036.3
1008.2
3.65
77.41%
Carlisle State Brewery
Keg Bitter
12.5
2.93
0.27
1036.6
1010.2
3.42
72.13%
Wilson
Bitter
12.5
2.86
0.29
1035.8
1007.5
3.68
79.05%
Tetley Walker
Bitter
12.5
2.86
0.29
1035.8
1007.5
3.68
79.05%
Greenall Whitley
Bitter
11.5
3.13
0.33
1036
1007
3.77
80.56%
Greenall Whitley
Festival Keg
15.5
2.37
0.24
1036.8
1007.6
3.79
79.35%
Boddington
Bitter
12
2.99
0.33
1035.9
1005.1
4.01
85.79%
Average
12.4
2.90
0.30
1035.8
1007.5
3.67
78.95%
Source:
Sunday Mirror - Sunday 21 March 1971, page 25.
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2023/06/northwestern-bitter-in-1971.html)