Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Late 19th century Pale Ales
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I have various motives for posting stuff. Often not very obvious. At least that's what I like to think. See if you can guess why I've posted this.
Pale Ales, though not the biggest sellers, were all the rage in the late 19th century. As you can see from both brewers' price lists and brewing records. Many brewers produced more than one. Let's take a look, shall we:
Late 19th century Pale Ales
Date
Year
Brewer
Beer
Style
OG
FG
ABV
App. Atten-uation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
Pitch temp
dry hops (oz / barrel)
pale malt
PA malt
no. 1 sugar
no. 2 sugar
other sugar
flaked maize
flaked rice
total
15th Aug
1866
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
26th Nov
1866
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
15th Mar
1871
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
24th Mar
1871
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
6th Sep
1875
Whitbread
FA
Pale Ale
30th Aug
1875
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
7th Dec
1875
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
11th Jul
1876
Whitbread
FA
Pale Ale
11th Apr
1877
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
12th Jul
1880
Whitbread
FA
Pale Ale
9th Aug
1880
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
16th Jul
1890
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
16th Jul
1890
Whitbread
2PA
Pale Ale
20th Oct
1890
Whitbread
FA
Pale Ale
17th Nov
1890
Whitbread
PA
Pale Ale
1st Apr
1891
Whitbread
2PA
Pale Ale
12th Nov
1890
Whitbread
FA
Pale Ale
12th May
1886
Barclay Perkins
PA
Pale Ale
15th Jul
1886
Barclay Perkins
PA
Pale Ale
7th Jan
1892
Barclay Perkins
PA
Pale Ale
29th Sep
1899
Barclay Perkins
XLK
Pale Ale
20th Apr
1900
Barclay Perkins
XLK
Pale Ale
23rd Oct
1899
Barclay Perkins
XLK
Pale Ale
15th May
1900
Barclay Perkins
PA
Pale Ale
31st Dec
1869
Simonds
SB
Pale Ale
2nd Mar
1886
Hodgson
Bitter Ale
Pale Ale
19th Mar
1886
Hodgson
FP Ale
Pale Ale
29th Jul
1869
Medway
B Beer
Pale Ale
28th Aug
1869
Medway
BA
Pale Ale
28th Oct
1870
Medway
IPA
IPA
22nd Aug
1877
Truman (Burton)
P1
Pale Ale
18th Sep
1877
Truman (Burton)
P2
Pale Ale
11th Oct
1877
Truman (Burton)
Pale Ale
Pale Ale
19th Nov
1877
Truman (Burton)
P2 K
Pale Ale
19th Nov
1877
Truman (Burton)
P1 R
Pale Ale
29th Nov
1877
Truman (Burton)
P1 B
Pale Ale
10th Dec
1877
Truman (Burton)
P1 K
Pale Ale
15th Jan
1883
Truman (Burton)
P2
Pale Ale
16th Jan
1883
Truman (Burton)
P1 S
Pale Ale
18th Jan
1883
Truman (Burton)
P2 B
Pale Ale
19th Jan
1883
Truman (Burton)
P1 B
Pale Ale
22nd Jan
1883
Truman (Burton)
PA
Pale Ale
8th Feb
1883
Truman (Burton)
P1
Pale Ale
6th Mar
1883
Truman (Burton)
P2 S
Pale Ale
9th Apr
1883
Truman (Burton)
P1 export
Pale Ale
17th Jan
1887
Truman (Burton)
PA
Pale Ale
18th Jan
1887
Truman (Burton)
P1 S
Pale Ale
21st Jan
1887
Truman (Burton)
P1 S
Pale Ale
24th Jan
1887
Truman (Burton)
P2
Pale Ale
27th Jan
1887
Truman (Burton)
P2 export B
Pale Ale
7th Feb
1887
Truman (Burton)
P2 S
Pale Ale
18th Feb
1887
Truman (Burton)
P2 R
Pale Ale
Sources:
Brewing records
Whitbread at first just brewed one, the imaginatively-named PA, which had a gravity of arouund 1060. Later this was acquired two siblings, FA (Family Ale, I think) and 2PA, both around 1055. The early versions of PA were massively hopped: over 5 lbs a barrel. It must have been a seriously bitter beer. The hopping rate fell in later years, but at 3 lbs and more per barrel, was still pretty high.
At Barclay Perkins the situation was much the same. PA at around 1060 and the weaker XLK at a tad over 1050. They were also hopped at much the same level as the Whitbread beers. The Bitter Ales from Medway and Hodgson and Simond's were very similar to the PA's from the London brewers.
Truman (at their Burton brewery) had the largest range of Pale Ales of the brewers in this sample. Three basic beer: in descending order of strength P1, P2 and Pale Ale, plus various Keeping, Bottling and export versions. P1 was almost 1070 and hopped at over 5 lbs per barrel. A formidable beer.
The grists are, to be honest, pretty dull. Pale malt alone or pale malt and sugar. With Barclay Perkins showing their keenness for adjuncts by throwing in maize and rice. Their beers had by far the lowest malt content.
A couple of the beers are very highly attenuated. Between 65% and 75% was typical for other styles of beer. Hodgson's Bitter Ale was pushing 90%. Very impressive. I wonder if the low pitching temperature (just 52º F) played a role?
I believe there are samples from enough different breweries to give us a representative view of Pale Ales of the period.
Like I said, I have many reasons for posting on particular topic. I'll be revisiting Pale Ales again soon for one of them. (Reasons, that is.)https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...s.blogspot.com
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