Shut up about Barclay Perkins - One of a kind

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British beer gravities used to be a big secret. Until CAMRA had every cask beer analysed and published the results, no-one had any idea how strong British beers were. Though there was one brewery that wasn't so secretive.

Just about the only breweries founded between 1910 and 1970 were clubs breweries. They were set up just after the end of WW I by clubs who felt exploited by brewers and who decided they'd be better off brewing their own beer. They were usually co-operatives, jointly owned by the clubs they supplied.

Yorkshire Clubs, Midlands Clubs, Northants And Leicestershire Clubs, South Wales & Monmouthshire United Clubs and Northern Clubs Federation. The last is the only one still open, though in the hands of multinational Heineken. A bit sad really.

Northern Clubs Federation did something unique. They listed their beers' gravity on the label. Very sporting of them.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU929...n_Ale_1966.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU929...t_Ale_1966.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU929...Ale_2_1960.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU929...Ale_2_1965.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU929...e_Ale_1960.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU929...d_Ale_1960.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CHrKKDU929...Stout_1960.jpg

In ascending order of gravity, you've got:

Mild Ale 1032
Pale Ale 1032
Light Brown Ale 1032
Special Ale 1041
Sweet Stout 1044
Export Ale 1046
Championship Brown Ale 1050

Between 1960 and 1966 Mild Ale seems to have changed itself into Light Brown Ale. Both, I assume, were simply bottled versions of their Dark Mild.

Based on the Whitbread Gravity Book, usually my only source for this period, Pale Ale and Special Ale appear to be bottled versions of their Ordinary Bitter and Special Bitter, respectively.



Let's take a look at those gravity book entries, shall we?


Northern Clubs Federation beers
Year
Beer

Price

size
package

FG

OG

Colour

ABV

atten-uation
1959
Sweet Stout

13d

halfpint
bottled

1021.9

1048.1

500

3.37

54.47%

1959
Sweet Stout

14d

halfpint
bottled

1022.9

1047.3

500

3.14

51.59%

1955
Brown Ale

1/1d

halfpint
bottled

1016.5

1053.6

75

4.81

69.22%

1960
Brown Ale

11d

pint
bottled

1010.4

1051.4

70

5.13

79.77%

1961
Sweet Stout

16d

halfpint
bottled

1016.7

1045.6

300

3.61

63.38%

1964
Sweet Stout

16.5d

halfpint
bottled

1019.5

1046.9

300

3.43

58.42%

1964
Special Bitter

17d

pint
draught

1011.5

1040.9

17

3.68

71.88%

1964
Ordinary Bitter

13d

pint
draught

1004.5

1033.1

25

3.57

86.40%

1967
Special Bitter

21d

pint
draught

1010.5

1041.2

18

3.84

74.51%

1967
Ordinary Bitter

17d

pint
draught

1010.3

1031.9

30

2.70

67.71%

Source:
Whitbread Gravity Book


What am I doing? Trying to fill in some of the 1960's chapter of my book, that's what. It's weird. I've far more information for the 1860's.https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...s.blogspot.com


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