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25-12-2011, 07:10
Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/12/scottish-ipa-1947-2004.html)
Look at that. I'm getting so modern. Writing about something in the 21st century. It makes me feel all weird.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YSUr1A1DlOo/TvCS_1IzLJI/AAAAAAAAIeY/J3KL1Mj8JqI/s320/George_Younger_India_Pale_Ale.JPG (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YSUr1A1DlOo/TvCS_1IzLJI/AAAAAAAAIeY/J3KL1Mj8JqI/s1600/George_Younger_India_Pale_Ale.JPG)
IPA has been brewed in Scotland for a long time. More than 170 years, to be precise. Despite the fact that few outside Britain associate Scotland with the style at all. Or are only away of such latecomers as Deuchars or Twisted Thistle. As we've learned these beers are just the most recent in a long lineage.
The Scottish IPA that's been around the longest - it was one of the first to be brewed - is Younger's IPA. It's one of the first IPA's I tried. Believe me, that was yonks ago. Back when I could still see my feet and walk up two flights of stairs without collapsing in a wheezy heap. It's not many people's idea of an IPA nowadays, but it has been around for an awfully long time. Let's think. Is there one that's been brewed longer? It depends if you count Draught Bass an IPA, I suppose. Other than that and White Shield, I don't think there are any contenders.
The two conflicting strands of Scottish IPA are clearly visible in the table below. There's the type typified by William Younger's draught IPA and McEwan's Export IPA. Beers somewhere in the 1040's. It's nice to see that some of the more modern versions - Broughton and Deuchars - fit into this mould.
The other type is the piss-weak bottled variety. As epitomised by Younger's bottled IPA from 1954. Beers with a gravity around 1030º. You'll notice one - Bernard's from 1949 - is billed as a 90/-, despite having a gravity below 1030º. Remember what I told you about the use of 90/- for Strong Ale being very recent? This is an example of 90/- being used with a completely different meaning.
One thing just about every beer in the table has in common is a decent level of attenuation. Something which isn't always the case with Scottish beer. Only one beers has an apparent attenuation of less than 70%. High attenuation is something you would expect in an IPA. One of the skills in brewing IPA for export to the tropics in the 19th century was to get the attenuation as low as possible, so there was no food for anything nasty during the long voyage.
One last point about colour. Somewhere in the low 20's EBC is what you'd expect an IPA to be. The canned Bernard's from 1958 is more than double that at 50. But as we've already learned, the Scots often liked their Pale Ales quite dark.
Here's the table:
Late 20th century Scottish IPA
Year
Brewer
country
Price
size
package
Acidity
FG
OG
colour
ABV
App. Atten-uation
1947
Younger, Geo
India Pale Ale 120/-
14d
half
bottled
1010
1042
4.16
76.19%
1949
Bernard
90/- India Pale Ale
pint
bottled
1006.5
1029.5
2.98
77.97%
1949
Fowler
India Pale Ale (Extra Pale)
pint
bottled
1009
1030
2.72
70.00%
1949
McEwan
India Pale Ale Export
pint
bottled
1008
1045.5
4.89
82.42%
1949
McEwan & Co.
Export IPA
half
bottled
0.06
1008.5
1046.8
19.5 brown
4.99
81.84%
1950
McEwan
Export IPA
1/1.5d
half
bottled
0.05
1012.6
1048.8
25 B
4.70
74.18%
1954
McEwan
India Pale Ale
bottled
0.05
1008.2
1048.6
24
5.27
83.13%
1955
Younger, Wm.
India Pale Ale
9.5d
half
bottled
0.04
1006.9
1030.2
22
3.02
77.15%
1957
McEwan
Export India Pale Ale
2/2d
16 oz
can
0.05
1010.7
1046.4
22
4.64
76.94%
1958
Bernard
India Pale Ale
21d
16 oz
can
0.04
1008.9
1030.6
50
2.71
70.92%
1958
Bernard
IPA (Bottling)
pint
bottled
1010
1030
2.59
66.67%
1959
Usher
India Pale Ale
10d
half
bottled
0.03
1008.4
1032.3
18
2.99
73.99%
1961
Jeffrey & Co
Export IPA
15d
half
bottled
0.05
1010.8
1042.3
24
3.94
74.47%
1961
McEwan
Export India Pale Ale
17d
half
bottled
0.04
1011.6
1045
20
4.18
74.22%
1961
McEwan
Export IPA
15d
half
bottled
0.05
1012.2
1048.1
22
4.49
74.64%
1972
Younger, Wm.
IPA
13.5p
pint
draught
1008.2
1043.5
4.59
81.15%
1977
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1043.2
1979
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1043.2
1981
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1043.2
1982
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1042.2
1983
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1043
1986
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1042
1989
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1042
1993
Caledonian
R&D Deuchars IPA
draught
1008
1038
3.9
78.95%
1994
Borve
Tall Ships IPA
pint
bottled
5.00
1994
Caledonian
Deuchars IPA
pint
bottled
4.60
2001
Caledonian
Deuchars IPA
IPA
1008.7
1038
3.8
77.11%
2001
Caledonian
Lorimers IPA
IPA
1014
1054
5.2
74.07%
2004
Broughton
Clipper IPA
IPA
1009.7
1042
4.2
76.90%
2004
Broughton
Greenmantle IPA
IPA
1009.7
1042
4.2
76.90%
2004
Cairngorm
Highland IPA
IPA
1008.3
1036
3.6
76.94%
2004
Caledonian
Deuchars IPA
IPA
1009.7
1039
3.8
75.13%
2011
Belhaven
Twisted Thistle
bottled
5.3
Sources:
Thomas Usher Gravity Book document TU/6/11
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002
T & J Bernard's brewing records held at the Scottish Brewing Archive
1993 Real Ale Drinker's Almanac
Good Beer Guide 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990, 2002, 2005
The Best of British Bottled Beer
Daily Mirror July 10th 1972, page 15
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5445569787371915337-2787025390059471447?l=barclayperkins.blogspot.com
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/12/scottish-ipa-1947-2004.html)
Look at that. I'm getting so modern. Writing about something in the 21st century. It makes me feel all weird.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YSUr1A1DlOo/TvCS_1IzLJI/AAAAAAAAIeY/J3KL1Mj8JqI/s320/George_Younger_India_Pale_Ale.JPG (http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YSUr1A1DlOo/TvCS_1IzLJI/AAAAAAAAIeY/J3KL1Mj8JqI/s1600/George_Younger_India_Pale_Ale.JPG)
IPA has been brewed in Scotland for a long time. More than 170 years, to be precise. Despite the fact that few outside Britain associate Scotland with the style at all. Or are only away of such latecomers as Deuchars or Twisted Thistle. As we've learned these beers are just the most recent in a long lineage.
The Scottish IPA that's been around the longest - it was one of the first to be brewed - is Younger's IPA. It's one of the first IPA's I tried. Believe me, that was yonks ago. Back when I could still see my feet and walk up two flights of stairs without collapsing in a wheezy heap. It's not many people's idea of an IPA nowadays, but it has been around for an awfully long time. Let's think. Is there one that's been brewed longer? It depends if you count Draught Bass an IPA, I suppose. Other than that and White Shield, I don't think there are any contenders.
The two conflicting strands of Scottish IPA are clearly visible in the table below. There's the type typified by William Younger's draught IPA and McEwan's Export IPA. Beers somewhere in the 1040's. It's nice to see that some of the more modern versions - Broughton and Deuchars - fit into this mould.
The other type is the piss-weak bottled variety. As epitomised by Younger's bottled IPA from 1954. Beers with a gravity around 1030º. You'll notice one - Bernard's from 1949 - is billed as a 90/-, despite having a gravity below 1030º. Remember what I told you about the use of 90/- for Strong Ale being very recent? This is an example of 90/- being used with a completely different meaning.
One thing just about every beer in the table has in common is a decent level of attenuation. Something which isn't always the case with Scottish beer. Only one beers has an apparent attenuation of less than 70%. High attenuation is something you would expect in an IPA. One of the skills in brewing IPA for export to the tropics in the 19th century was to get the attenuation as low as possible, so there was no food for anything nasty during the long voyage.
One last point about colour. Somewhere in the low 20's EBC is what you'd expect an IPA to be. The canned Bernard's from 1958 is more than double that at 50. But as we've already learned, the Scots often liked their Pale Ales quite dark.
Here's the table:
Late 20th century Scottish IPA
Year
Brewer
country
Price
size
package
Acidity
FG
OG
colour
ABV
App. Atten-uation
1947
Younger, Geo
India Pale Ale 120/-
14d
half
bottled
1010
1042
4.16
76.19%
1949
Bernard
90/- India Pale Ale
pint
bottled
1006.5
1029.5
2.98
77.97%
1949
Fowler
India Pale Ale (Extra Pale)
pint
bottled
1009
1030
2.72
70.00%
1949
McEwan
India Pale Ale Export
pint
bottled
1008
1045.5
4.89
82.42%
1949
McEwan & Co.
Export IPA
half
bottled
0.06
1008.5
1046.8
19.5 brown
4.99
81.84%
1950
McEwan
Export IPA
1/1.5d
half
bottled
0.05
1012.6
1048.8
25 B
4.70
74.18%
1954
McEwan
India Pale Ale
bottled
0.05
1008.2
1048.6
24
5.27
83.13%
1955
Younger, Wm.
India Pale Ale
9.5d
half
bottled
0.04
1006.9
1030.2
22
3.02
77.15%
1957
McEwan
Export India Pale Ale
2/2d
16 oz
can
0.05
1010.7
1046.4
22
4.64
76.94%
1958
Bernard
India Pale Ale
21d
16 oz
can
0.04
1008.9
1030.6
50
2.71
70.92%
1958
Bernard
IPA (Bottling)
pint
bottled
1010
1030
2.59
66.67%
1959
Usher
India Pale Ale
10d
half
bottled
0.03
1008.4
1032.3
18
2.99
73.99%
1961
Jeffrey & Co
Export IPA
15d
half
bottled
0.05
1010.8
1042.3
24
3.94
74.47%
1961
McEwan
Export India Pale Ale
17d
half
bottled
0.04
1011.6
1045
20
4.18
74.22%
1961
McEwan
Export IPA
15d
half
bottled
0.05
1012.2
1048.1
22
4.49
74.64%
1972
Younger, Wm.
IPA
13.5p
pint
draught
1008.2
1043.5
4.59
81.15%
1977
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1043.2
1979
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1043.2
1981
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1043.2
1982
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1042.2
1983
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1043
1986
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1042
1989
Younger, Wm.
IPA
pint
draught
1042
1993
Caledonian
R&D Deuchars IPA
draught
1008
1038
3.9
78.95%
1994
Borve
Tall Ships IPA
pint
bottled
5.00
1994
Caledonian
Deuchars IPA
pint
bottled
4.60
2001
Caledonian
Deuchars IPA
IPA
1008.7
1038
3.8
77.11%
2001
Caledonian
Lorimers IPA
IPA
1014
1054
5.2
74.07%
2004
Broughton
Clipper IPA
IPA
1009.7
1042
4.2
76.90%
2004
Broughton
Greenmantle IPA
IPA
1009.7
1042
4.2
76.90%
2004
Cairngorm
Highland IPA
IPA
1008.3
1036
3.6
76.94%
2004
Caledonian
Deuchars IPA
IPA
1009.7
1039
3.8
75.13%
2011
Belhaven
Twisted Thistle
bottled
5.3
Sources:
Thomas Usher Gravity Book document TU/6/11
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002
T & J Bernard's brewing records held at the Scottish Brewing Archive
1993 Real Ale Drinker's Almanac
Good Beer Guide 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990, 2002, 2005
The Best of British Bottled Beer
Daily Mirror July 10th 1972, page 15
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/5445569787371915337-2787025390059471447?l=barclayperkins.blogspot.com
More... (http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2011/12/scottish-ipa-1947-2004.html)