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I’ve been making some sweeps through the newspaper archive. And finding some useful stuff. Including, surprisingly, price lists.

I’ve written about Benskins legendary Colne Spring Ale several times before. I’m saddened that I never got to taste it. But I was heartened to spot it in a Benskins advert from 1890. But looking a little more closely, it told me something very surprising.

What style was Colne Spring Ale? Barley Wine? Old Ale? No. According to Benskins, it was a Mild Ale.


Leighton Buzzard Observer and Linslade Gazette - Tuesday 28 January 1890, page 1.

I’m glad of two things: that they numbered their beers and that they grouped them by style. The numbering means that I can be sure that XXXXA Ale and Colne Spring Ale are the same thing. Who would have thought Colne Spring Ale was a type of Mild?

The price list also tells me something I’d long suspected: that Cooper was just the name for bottled Porter. Nice to have that confirmed.

Here’s my guess at the OGs, based around 1055º being the gravity of a beer costing 36s per barrel.

beer price per barrel est. OG
No. 1 Indian Pale Ale 54 1082.5
No. 2 Guinea Ale 42 1064.2
No. 3 Pale Ale 36 1055.0
No. 4 XXXXA Ale 72 1110.0
No. 4 XXXX Ale 60 1091.7
No. 5 XXX Ale 54 1082.5
No. 6 XX Ale 36 1055.0
No. 7 Double Stout 54 1082.5
No. 8 Single Stout 42 1064.2
No. 9 Porter 36 1055.0

The gravity is too high for the Indian Pale Ale. You had to pay a premium for IPA. My guess would be that the OG was really around 1065º.

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