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We're going to get a proper look at the beers today. In lovely table form. In twin table form even.

It's 1939 - 1940 to start. Can I say that I really love this table? It's so clear and consistent. And has something to tell us both about Scottish brewing in general and the effect of the war.


Maclay's beers 1939 - 1940
Date Year Beer Style OG FG ABV App. Attenuation lbs hops/ qtr hops lb/brl Pitch temp max. fermentation temp length of fermentation (days) pale malt no. 2 sugar flaked maize
15th Aug 1939 PA 6d Pale Ale 1038 1011 3.57 71.05% 6.00 1.00 59º 68º 9 75.00% 16.67% 8.33%
29th Aug 1939 SA Strong Ale 1082 1022 7.94 73.17% 6.00 2.12 60º 69º 8 77.42% 12.90% 9.68%
29th Aug 1939 PA 6d Pale Ale 1038 1014 3.18 63.16% 6.00 0.98 60º 73.5º 7 77.42% 12.90% 9.68%
30th Aug 1939 PA 6d Pale Ale 1037 1014 3.04 62.16% 6.00 0.95 59º 68º 8 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
30th Aug 1939 PA 5d Pale Ale 1032 1012 2.65 62.50% 6.00 0.82 60.5º 69º 8 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
5th Sep 1939 PA 7d Pale Ale 1042 1014.5 3.64 65.48% 6.00 1.11 60º 69.5º 7 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
5th Sep 1939 PA 6d Pale Ale 1037 1013 3.18 64.86% 6.00 0.98 60º 70º 7 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
8th Sep 1939 PA 6d Pale Ale 1037 1014 3.04 62.16% 6.00 0.96 61º 67.5º 8 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
8th Sep 1939 PA 5d Pale Ale 1030 1011 2.51 63.33% 6.00 0.78 61º 67º 7 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
22nd Sep 1939 PA 7d Pale Ale 1043 1013 3.97 69.77% 6.00 1.12 59.5º 70º 8 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
22nd Sep 1939 PA 6d Pale Ale 1037 1012 3.31 67.57% 6.00 0.96 60º 69º 9 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
14th Nov 1939 SA Strong Ale 1079 1026 7.01 67.09% 5.00 1.70 59.5º 70º 10 77.42% 12.90% 9.68%
14th Nov 1939 PA 6d Pale Ale 1037 1014 3.04 62.16% 5.00 0.80 60.5º 67.5º 7 77.42% 12.90% 9.68%
13th Dec 1939 PA 6d Pale Ale 1036 1015 2.78 58.33% 5.00 0.78 60.5º 66º 6 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
13th Dec 1939 PA 5d Pale Ale 1031 1013 2.38 58.06% 5.00 0.67 61º 66º 6 76.60% 17.02% 6.38%
15th Dec 1939 PA 7d Pale Ale 1042 1016 3.44 61.90% 5.00 0.92 60º 64º 7 78.57% 14.29% 7.14%
15th Dec 1939 PA 6d Pale Ale 1036 1015 2.78 58.33% 5.00 0.79 60.5º 66º 6 78.57% 14.29% 7.14%
6th Feb 1940 PA 7d Pale Ale 1041 1015 3.44 63.41% 5.00 0.89 61º 65.5º 8 85.71% 14.29%
6th Feb 1940 PA 6d Pale Ale 1036 1014 2.91 61.11% 5.00 0.78 60º 66º 8 85.71% 14.29%
9th Feb 1940 PA 6d Pale Ale 1036 1014 2.91 61.11% 5.00 0.80 61.5º 67.5º 7 82.98% 17.02%
9th Feb 1940 PA 5d Pale Ale 1031 1013 2.38 58.06% 5.00 0.69 61º 64º 7 82.98% 17.02%
20th Feb 1940 PA 6d Pale Ale 1036 1014 2.91 61.11% 5.00 0.79 61º 67º 7 83.33% 16.67%
27th Feb 1940 PA 6d Pale Ale 1036 1014.5 2.84 59.72% 5.00 0.81 60.5º 67.5º 6 82.98% 17.02%
27th Feb 1940 PA 5d Pale Ale 1031 1013 2.38 58.06% 5.00 0.70 61º 66.5º 6 82.98% 17.02%
Source:
Maclay brewing record, document number M/6/1/1/4 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive.

Let's take a look at the hopping rate first. That's one of the things I really like about this table. I'm talking about the rate per quarter. It shows very clearly something I've read about in brewing manuals: the difference in summer and winter hopping. You can see that in August and September the rate was 5 pounds per quarter, but dropped in November to 5 pounds. I couldn't have asked for a more obvious demonstration of the point.

Gravities. Now there's an interesting one. The OG's are low and the FG's high. The FG's in particular are oddly similar for all the different Pale Ales. So there are examples of PA 7d that have the same FG as PA 5d, which had an OG 10 points lower. You end up with a weak PA 5d that must have been quite full-bodied, but was barely alcoholic at only around 2.5% ABV. Even PA 6d, which had a reasonable OG of 1036, was often under 3% ABV. No-one was going to get drunk on stuff like that.

You can see the effect of the war in the ingredients being used. In particular the dropping of maize in December. Little maize was grown in Britain at the time and it would have to have been imported. With shipping being used for more urgent war needs, non-essential items like maize for brewing stopped being imported. The rather odd effect was that the malt content of Maclay's beers increased from 77% to 83%.

The grists are so simple that there's not much more that I can say. Time to move on to the compare and contrast part of this post. Starting with a couple more tables. This time of London beers from the same period. You might recognise the names of the breweries from some of my earlier posts: Whitbread and Barclay Perkins. I've included all of their Ales, including those with no direct equivalent at Maclay. I'll reiterate what's odd about Maclays beers: the total lack of Mild Ales. It's clear that their lowest gravity Pale Ale, PA 5d, was filling the price slot occupied in London by the cheapest Mild, LA at Whitbread and A at Barclay Perkins.


Whitbread beers 1939 - 1940
Date Year Beer Style OG FG ABV App. Attenuation lbs hops/ qtr hops lb/brl Pitch temp length of fermentation (days) pale malt choc. Malt crystal malt MA malt PA malt no. 1 sugar no. 3 sugar other sugar wheat malt
27th Sep 1939 PA Pale Ale 1048.2 1012.0 4.79 75.10% 7.33 1.41 64º 8 24.06% 4.81% 56.15% 14.97%
26th Sep 1939 IPA IPA 1037.1 1008.0 3.85 78.44% 10.00 1.51 65º 8 28.85% 3.85% 51.92% 15.38%
26th Sep 1939 X Mild 1033.9 1010.5 3.10 69.03% 8.27 1.11 65º 7 75.73% 13.59% 9.06% 1.62%
25th Sep 1939 LA Mild 1028.4 1009.0 2.57 68.31% 8.27 0.93 65º 5 75.73% 13.59% 9.06% 1.62%
25th Sep 1939 X Mild 1033.6 1010.0 3.12 70.24% 8.27 1.10 65º 6 75.73% 13.59% 9.06% 1.62%
21st Sep 1939 DB Brown Ale 1054.5 1018.0 4.83 66.97% 8.49 1.92 62º 8 25.27% 2.45% 52.17% 20.11%
21st Sep 1939 33 Strong Ale 1061.0 1020.0 5.42 67.21% 8.49 2.15 62º 9 25.27% 2.45% 52.17% 20.11%
25th Apr 1940 DB Brown Ale 1054.1 1016.0 5.04 70.43% 8.50 1.86 62º 8 6.35% 3.17% 85.71% 4.76%
25th Apr 1940 33 Strong Ale 1059.7 1018.5 5.45 69.01% 8.50 2.06 62º 9 6.35% 3.17% 85.71% 4.76%
25th Apr 1940 LA Mild 1028.2 1005.0 3.07 82.27% 8.12 0.95 65º 5 24.30% 13.08% 54.21% 4.98% 1.56% 1.87%
25th Apr 1940 X Mild 1033.5 1008.5 3.31 74.63% 8.12 1.12 65º 6 24.30% 13.08% 54.21% 4.98% 1.56% 1.87%
24th Apr 1940 IPA IPA 1037.2 1007.0 4.00 81.18% 10.38 1.53 65º 8 15.48% 5.81% 73.55% 5.16%
30th Apr 1940 PA Pale Ale 1047.2 1011.0 4.79 76.69% 7.33 1.44 64º 8 14.44% 4.81% 65.78% 14.97%
30th Apr 1940 Ex PA Pale Ale 1048.1 1013.5 4.58 71.93% 7.33 1.47 64º 8 14.44% 4.81% 65.78% 14.97%
23rd Apr 1940 X Mild 1033.6 1009.0 3.25 73.21% 8.12 1.14 65º 6 24.30% 13.08% 54.21% 4.98% 1.56% 1.87%
11th Apr 1940 DB Brown Ale 1054.1 1017.0 4.91 68.58% 8.50 1.82 62º 8 6.35% 3.17% 85.71% 4.76%
11th Apr 1940 33 Strong Ale 1060.0 1019.0 5.42 68.33% 8.50 2.02 62º 9 6.35% 3.17% 85.71% 4.76%
Source:
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives document number LMA/4453/D/01/107.

Barclay Perkins beers 1939 - 1940
Date Year Beer Style OG FG ABV App. Attenuation lbs hops/ qtr hops lb/brl Pitch temp max. fermentation temp length of fermentation (days) pale malt amber malt crystal malt MA malt SA malt PA malt caramel other sugar flaked maize flaked rice
29th Sep 1939 XX Mild 1042.5 1012.5 3.97 70.60% 7.00 1.16 61º 71.5º 7 8.88% 4.44% 5.92% 33.31% 33.31% 0.07% 10.36% 3.70%
29th Sep 1939 X Mild 1034.9 1009.0 3.42 74.18% 7.00 0.95 61.5º 69.5º 7 8.88% 4.44% 5.92% 33.31% 33.31% 0.07% 10.36% 3.70%
29th Sep 1939 A Mild 1030.7 1008.0 3.00 73.92% 7.00 0.83 62º 69.5º 7 8.88% 4.44% 5.92% 33.31% 33.31% 0.07% 10.36% 3.70%
3rd Jun 1939 XX Mild 1038.6 1011.5 3.59 70.24% 7.00 1.10 60.5º 70º 5 8.01% 4.01% 5.34% 34.73% 17.36% 0.72% 17.81% 12.02%
3rd Jun 1940 X Mild 1031.8 1006.5 3.35 79.59% 7.00 0.91 61º 68º 5 8.01% 4.01% 5.34% 34.73% 17.36% 0.72% 17.81% 12.02%
11th Jun 1940 PA Pale Ale 1048.8 1014.0 4.60 71.29% 7.50 1.50 60.5º 71º 8 12.26% 68.29% 0.19% 10.51% 8.76%
11th Jun 1940 XLK (trade) Pale Ale 1042.8 1012.0 4.07 71.96% 7.50 1.27 60.5º 71º 8 12.26% 68.29% 0.19% 10.51% 8.76%
11th Jun 1940 XLK (bottling) Pale Ale 1036.7 1008.5 3.73 76.86% 7.50 1.09 61º 71.5º 8 12.26% 68.29% 0.19% 10.51% 8.76%
18th Sep 1940 KK (trade) Strong Ale 1051.3 1015.5 4.74 69.79% 8.50 1.86 60º 73º 7 8.29% 4.15% 51.81% 16.58% 0.00% 1.21% 9.67% 8.29%
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives document number ACC/2305/01/623.

The hopping rate is clearly higher in the London Pale Ales, between 7.33 and 10 pounds per quarter. It's not an enormous difference, but it's definitely there. When you couple this with the higher FG's and lower attenuation at Maclay, their beers must have tasted sweeter than those in London. Especially the low-gravity beers. Some PA 5d examples have an FG of 1013, 1 point higher than Whitbread's PA, a beer with an OG 17 points higher (1048 to 1031).

The London Pale Ale grists aren't that different to Maclay's, except Whitbread used 4% to 5% crystal and no unmalted adjuncts. There's more divergence in the Strong Ales. That's only to be expected as Maclay parti-gyled theirs with Pale Ales while Whitbread's and Barclay Perkins were separate brews. Both the London brewers used speciality grains in their Strong Ales: chocolate malt at Whitbread and crystal, MA and SA malt at Barclay Perkins.

The London fermentations look quite similar. Barclay Perkins pitched at around 60º F and reached a peak of about 70º F, much as at Maclay. Whitbread pitched a few degrees higher. The length of fermentation was identical at all three breweries, 7 or 8 days.

This is taking longer than I anticipated. Still at least a couple of installments to go.


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