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04-12-2011, 08:27
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As we're discussing Tennent, it seems like a good time to take a look at some of their beers.


http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QnBv2YPBRS0/TtYMMf2kwpI/AAAAAAAAIbI/AJ6hbJyKeRI/s320/Tennents_Sweet_Stout_1962.JPG (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QnBv2YPBRS0/TtYMMf2kwpI/AAAAAAAAIbI/AJ6hbJyKeRI/s1600/Tennents_Sweet_Stout_1962.JPG)
Sadly, there's only one Pilsner and one Lager amongst them. As they are the most famous Tennent products, let's start with them.

1043º looks like a reasonable gravity for a Lager today. But what about in the 1930's? Before the war, British Lager was usually brewed to about Continental strength. I've analyses of 15 British Lagers for the inter-war years. The average OG is 1046º. Only two a weaker than the Tennent's Lager. At 78%, its apparent attenuation is a touch higher than the average of 1076º. But not much. All in all, a fairly typical beer of its type and time.

I've only 5 pre-was British Pilsener analyses. So not much to compare the Tennent's beer to. The average OG is 1050º and the apparent attenuation 80%. Tennent's Pilsener, at 1051.2º and 79% attenuation, is about dead on average.

How does that compare with the modern versions? According to RateBeer, Tennent's Lager is 4% ABV and Tennent's Pilsner. Fascinating, eh? The Lager isn't far away from the pre-war version in terms of strength. While the Pilsener has lost both one of the E's from its name and about a third of its ABV. Odd that the Pilsner is now the weaker of the two. I wonder when the change happenend?

Once again, a majority of the beers are Pale Ales. They fall into three strength groups: 1027º - 1032º, 1035º - 1039º, and 1050. The latter is a single Export PA. All of these strengths are pretty low compared to London beers. A typical Best Bitter in London was 1048º - 1050º, and an ordinary Bitter around 1040º. Beers around 1030º only existed as Light bottled Pale Ales. Though in the English provinces Pale Ales were more commonly in the low to mid 1030ºs.

The most striking difference - and one that must have struck drinkers, too - is the colour. Quite a few of the samples are over 40º Lovibond. That's pretty dark. London Pale Ales were 20º to 25º Lovibond. Only a couple of Tennent's beers are that colour. The variation in colour, from 25º to 48º is very large. It leads me to suspect that Tennent, like other Scottish breweries, had colour variations of the same basic beer.

The changes in Tennent's Nourishing Stout are revealing of the trends within Scotland. The FG remains fairly constant while the OG plummets. Changing the attenuation from a fairly normal 70% to only around 50% or less. When the change started, 1932, is no surprise. There was a big rise in beer duty in 1931 that led many brewers to cut their gravities so they could keep the same retail price. It's a ph3enomenon which has repeated itself several times over the years. By the end of the 1930's, it looks like a typical sweet Scottish Stout.

The one Strong Ale doesn't tell us much. The gravity is a bit low. Closer to 1080º was more typical.

Here's the table. If you're lucky there will be a second part tomorrow.




J & R Tennent Beers 1923 – 1939


Year
Beer
Style
Price
size
package
Acidity
FG
OG
colour
ABV
App. Attenuation


1931
Lager Beer
Lager

pint
bottled

1009.3
1043.1
8
4.39
78.42%


1937
Pilsener Beer
Pils

pint
bottled
0.08
1010.8
1051.2

5.26
78.91%


1923
Beer
Pale Ale

pint
draught

1006
1038
45
4.17
84.21%


1923
Carbonated Beer
Pale Ale
4d
half pint
bottled

1007
1038
44
4.03
81.58%


1923
Carbonated Beer
Pale Ale
4d
half pint
bottled

1005.5
1039.61
45
4.44
86.04%


1923
PA 90/-
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1006
1039

4.30
84.62%


1924
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
4d
half pint
bottled

1009.8
1037.3
48
3.57
73.73%


1926
90/-
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1005
1035
40
3.91
85.71%


1926
PA
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1007
1035
35
3.64
80.00%


1928
90/-
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1008
1036
30
3.64
77.78%


1928
Export PA
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1009
1050
25
5.35
82.00%


1929
90/- Glasgow Pale Ale
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1008
1039.25
No. 9 Same as our standard.
4.06
79.62%


1929
90/- Glasgow Pale Ale
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1008.5
1039.5
Between 9 - 10.
4.03
78.48%


1931
Pale Ale
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1008
1031
31
2.98
74.19%


1931
90/-
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1007
1031.5
30
3.18
77.78%


1931
90/-
Pale Ale

nip
bottled

1006.5
1031.5
31
3.25
79.37%


1932
Light Beer
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1006
1047

5.36
87.23%


1933
3d Pale Ale
Pale Ale
3d
half pint
bottled

1008
1027.5

2.52
70.91%


1933
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
3d
half pint
bottled

1007
1024
25
2.20
70.83%


1938
90/- Pale Ale
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1005
1031.5
9 – 10
3.45
84.13%


1939
60/- Ale
Pale Ale

pint
bottled

1007.8
1037.75
13 – 14
3.90
79.47%


1924
Nourishing Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1010.8
1038.3

3.56
71.80%


1925
Nourishing Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1011
1037

3.37
70.27%


1927
Nourishing Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1014
1039

3.23
64.10%


1928
Nourishing Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1015
1039

3.10
61.54%


1931
Nourishing Stout
Stout
3d
nip
bottled

1016
1039

2.97
58.97%


1932
Nourishing Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1012
1030

2.32
60.00%


1933
Light Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1014
1032

2.32
56.25%


1933
Nourishing Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1015
1024

1.16
37.50%


1933
Nourishing Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1014
1029

1.93
51.72%


1933
Nourishing Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1013
1031

2.32
58.06%


1924
Strong Ale
Strong Ale

pint
bottled

1022
1063.3
74
5.35
65.24%


Sources:


Younger, Wm. & Co Gravity Book document WY/6/1/1/19 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive


Thomas Usher Gravity Book document TU/6/11 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive


Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001


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