Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Whitbread Porter 1850 - 1859

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Another decade of Whitbread Porter. In some ways, quite a dull decade. At least in terms of recipes. It does contain, however, a good example of a recurring phenomenon in British beer history.

A tiny rise in the amount of black malt aside, the grist was unchaged over the whole decade. The hopping rate - at 2.75 to 3.25 lbs per barrel was also pretty constant. "But some only have 1 lb or less." I can hear you say. That's very true. But those beers seem to have been reusing the spent hops from Keeping Porter. I say "seem" because it's not explicitly stated. But I can't believe it's a coincidence that every time the ordinary Porter had far fewer hops it was immediately after a brew of Keeping Porter.

Of course, there is one pretty significant change: the gravity. It suddenly drops 10%, from 1063-64º to 1056-1057º at the end of 1853. Students of history might be able to guess the cause. The answer appears after the table.


Whitbread Porter 1850 - 1859
Date
Year
Beer
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
boil time (hours)
boil time (hours)
boil time (hours)
boil time (hours)
Pitch temp
pale malt
brown malt
black malt
total
24th Jan
1850
P

1061.2

1019.4

5.53

68.33%

12.50

3.26

1.5

2

2

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

20th Sep
1850
P

1065.9

1020.8

5.97

68.49%

11.84

3.09

1.5

2

2

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

18th Sep
1850
P

1062.9

1016.6

6.12

73.57%

11.17

2.90

1.5

2

2

64º

77.86%

18.85%

3.30%

100.00%

11th Sep
1850
P

1063.7

1016.9

6.19

73.48%

11.84

3.08

1.5

2

2

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

14th Sep
1850
P

1062.3

1017.2

5.97

72.44%

10.58

2.78

1.5

2

2

64º

77.86%

18.85%

3.30%

100.00%

2nd Jan
1851
P

1062.3

1017.2

5.97

72.44%

10.21

2.67

1.5

2

2

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

16th Aug
1851
P

1064.5

1021.9

5.64

66.09%

11.19

3.12

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.86%

18.85%

3.30%

100.00%

11th Aug
1851
P

1065.1

1020.8

5.86

68.09%

11.11

3.55

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

1st Sep
1851
P

1063.2

1019.4

5.79

69.30%

11.15

3.14

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

8th Sep
1851
P

1063.4

1018.3

5.97

71.18%

11.19

3.13

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

27th Aug
1852
P

1056.0

1019.4

4.84

65.35%

10.41

2.88

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

31st Jul
1852
P

1062.9

1017.7

5.97

71.81%

11.14

2.95

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.86%

18.85%

3.30%

100.00%

18th Aug
1852
P

1063.2

1017.7

6.01

71.93%

11.22

3.25

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

11th Sep
1852
P

1060.9

1017.2

5.79

71.82%

11.55

3.03

1.5

1.5

3

64º

77.86%

18.85%

3.30%

100.00%

9th Dec
1852
P

1064.0

1018.0

6.08

71.86%

10.18

2.93

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

9th Nov
1852
P

1064.0

10.08

2.84

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.12%

19.72%

3.16%

100.00%

5th Jul
1853
P

1062.6

1018.3

5.86

70.80%

11.32

3.06

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.86%

18.85%

3.30%

100.00%

20th Aug
1853
P

1062.0

1020.8

5.46

66.52%

12.69

3.41

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.86%

18.85%

3.30%

100.00%

22nd Dec
1853
P

1057.9

1016.3

5.50

71.77%

4.84

1.18

1.5

1.5

2

64º

76.69%

19.75%

3.56%

100.00%

7th Jul
1854
P

1056.0

1017.5

5.09

68.81%

11.24

2.75

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

17th Nov
1854
P

1057.1

1015.5

5.50

72.82%

4.02

1.00

1.5

1.5

2

64º

76.69%

19.75%

3.56%

100.00%

10th Jul
1855
P

1059.0

1015.5

5.75

73.71%

10.81

2.79

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

6th Nov
1855
P

1059.8

1018.3

5.50

69.44%

3.78

0.91

1.5

1.5

2

64º

76.69%

19.75%

3.56%

100.00%

7th Jul
1856
P

1054.8

1013.0

5.53

76.26%

10.99

2.95

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

6th Jul
1857
P

1054.8

11.14

2.75

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

21st Aug
1857
P

1054.0

1013.3

5.39

75.38%

12.21

3.17

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

6th Mar
1858
P

1052.9

1016.1

4.87

69.63%

3.33

0.79

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

24th Mar
1858
P

1056.0

1014.4

5.50

74.26%

3.27

0.80

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

22nd Jan
1858
P

1054.0

1015.2

5.13

71.79%

3.03

0.74

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

5th Jul
1858
P

1053.7

1016.9

4.87

68.56%

11.65

2.68

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

25th Nov
1858
P

1054.6

1014.7

5.28

73.10%

9.95

2.45

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

7th Sep
1858
P

1055.7

1018.8

4.87

66.17%

12.93

2.78

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

24th Sep
1858
P

1053.2

1016.6

4.84

68.75%

12.25

3.00

1.5

1.5

2

64º

77.49%

18.76%

3.75%

100.00%

25th Jan
1859
P

1056.8

1016.1

5.39

71.71%

3.56

0.91

1.5

1.5

2

64º

76.69%

19.75%

3.56%

100.00%

28th Jul
1859
P

1057.9

1018.3

5.24

68.42%

11.51

2.97

1.5

1.5

2

64º

76.69%

19.75%

3.56%

100.00%

10th Nov
1859
P

1052.1

1015.2

4.87

70.74%

1.64

0.42

1.5

1.5

2

64º

76.69%

19.75%

3.56%

100.00%

Source:
Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives
Documents:
LMA/4453/D/09/043, LMA/4453/D/09/044, LMA/4453/D/09/045, LMA/4453/D/09/046, LMA/4453/D/09/047, LMA/4453/D/09/048, LMA/4453/D/09/049, LMA/4453/D/09/050, LMA/4453/D/09/051, LMA/4453/D/09/052, LMA/4453/D/09/053

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU929..._1850_1859.JPG

Why the sudden gravity drop? It's the recurring phenomenon. The motor driving most change in British beer over the last two centuries: war. War and the taxation to pay for it. The Crimean War broke out in October 1853 and almost immediately the tax on malt was raised from 2s 7d per bushel to 4s. (About 2 bushels of malt were needed to brew a barrel of Porter.)

Gladstone, Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time, promised that the tax was for the duration of the war only. It would be repealed the July after the formal ratification of a peace treaty. Politicians and their promises, eh? A treaty was signed early in 1856 and guess what? The tax was indeed repealed. No wonder Gladstone has such a good reputation.

"Then why didn't the gravity to back up after 1856?" That's a very good question. One I wish I had an answer to.https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...s.blogspot.com


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