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Shut up about Barclay Perkins - Provincial bottled Pale Ale on the eve of WW II
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Bottled Pale Ales came in a wide variety of strengths, from as weak as 1030º to as high as 1056º. The prices charged varied accordingly. In most cases, you got what you paid for. Though the size of the container mattered. Beer sold in half pints worked out slightly more expensive per pint. While that sold in quarts was slightly cheaper.
Provincial bottled Pale Ale under 6.5d per pint |
Year |
Brewer |
Beer |
Price per pint (d) |
OG |
FG |
ABV |
App. Atten-uation |
1936 |
Beer & Rigden |
Pale Ale |
5.5 |
1030.6 |
1004.2 |
3.43 |
86.27% |
1938 |
Shepherd Neame |
Pale Ale |
5.5 |
1031.4 |
1005.1 |
3.42 |
83.76% |
1935 |
Wethered |
Family Pale Ale |
5.5 |
1031 |
1006 |
3.25 |
80.65% |
1934 |
Tollemache |
Light Bitter |
5.75 |
1041 |
1006.3 |
4.52 |
84.63% |
1937 |
Georges |
Bitter Ale |
6 |
1035.4 |
1007.3 |
3.65 |
79.38% |
1936 |
Hey |
White Rose Table Ale |
6 |
1034 |
1005.5 |
3.71 |
83.82% |
1936 |
Hope Brewery |
Sun Bright Pale Ale |
6 |
1044.7 |
1008.4 |
4.73 |
81.21% |
1935 |
Steward & Patteson |
Bitter Ale |
6 |
1030 |
1003.7 |
3.42 |
87.67% |
1936 |
Tamplin |
Pale Ale |
6 |
1031.7 |
1002.8 |
3.77 |
91.17% |
1935 |
Anglo Bavarian |
Pale Ale |
6.375 |
1047 |
1015.3 |
4.10 |
67.45% |
1935 |
Northampton Brewery |
Pale Ale |
|
1032 |
1008.2 |
3.08 |
74.37% |
1936 |
Vaux |
Pale Ale |
|
1033 |
1006.5 |
3.44 |
80.30% |
|
Average |
|
5.86 |
1035.2 |
1006.6 |
3.71 |
81.72% |
Sources: |
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001. |
Thomas Usher Gravity Book held at the Scottish Brewing Archive document TU/6/11, |
Most examples are, as you would expect, in the low 1030ºs. The exception being the Hope Brewery beer. That could be because it was packaged in a can. There’s a good chance that it wasn’t a full pint in size. The Tollemache Light Bitter is slightly cheaper than you’d expect because it came in a quart bottle.
The rate of attenuation is extremely high, with the exception of a couple of examples, notably the Anglo Bavarian one. The high attenuation means that, despite there being some low-gravity examples, all come in at well over 3% ABV.
The next price class up, approximately 7d per pint, is much the same as 6d draught beers, in terms of strength. Though the Walmer Ale is a real outlier at just under 1030º. Most of the other examples are somewhere around 1040º.
Provincial bottled Pale Ale under 6.5d to 7.5d per pint |
Year |
Brewer |
Beer |
Price per pint (d) |
OG |
FG |
ABV |
App. Atten-uation |
1934 |
Eldridge Pope |
Crystal Ale |
7 |
1037 |
1007.3 |
3.86 |
80.27% |
1938 |
Fremlin |
Elephant Ale |
7 |
1042.5 |
1013.1 |
3.81 |
69.18% |
1938 |
Green |
Lutonian Pale Ale |
7 |
1035 |
1005 |
3.91 |
85.71% |
1938 |
Lovibond |
Yeoman Ale |
7 |
1043.9 |
1005.4 |
5.03 |
87.70% |
1935 |
Mitchell & Butler |
Cape Ale |
7 |
1040 |
1008.3 |
4.12 |
79.25% |
1938 |
Simonds |
SB Ale |
7 |
1036.4 |
1006.1 |
3.94 |
83.24% |
1938 |
Thompson & Sons |
Walmer Ale |
7 |
1029.8 |
1004 |
3.36 |
86.58% |
1934 |
Woodhead |
Special Pale Ale |
7 |
1033.5 |
1008.4 |
3.25 |
74.93% |
1935 |
Mitchell & Butler |
All Bright Ale |
7.5 |
1046 |
1008.6 |
4.87 |
81.30% |
1934 |
John Smith |
Star Bright Ale |
|
1038.6 |
1009.7 |
3.75 |
74.87% |
1937 |
Magee Marshall |
Crown Ale |
|
1037.5 |
1007 |
3.97 |
81.33% |
1938 |
Melbourne |
Gold Cup |
|
1040.8 |
1008.2 |
4.24 |
79.90% |
1938 |
Unwin |
Pale Ale |
|
1039 |
1005.7 |
4.34 |
85.38% |
1934 |
Vaux |
Pale Ale |
|
1040.5 |
1007.5 |
4.29 |
81.48% |
|
Average |
|
7.06 |
1038.6 |
1007.5 |
4.05 |
80.80% |
Sources: |
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001. |
Thomas Usher Gravity Book held at the Scottish Brewing Archive document TU/6/11, |
The rate of attenuation is almost, but not quite, as high as in the weaker class. There’s just a single beer under 70%, Fremlin Elephant Ale.
The last table is proof that Pale Ales in the strongest were brewed in the province. Though the same ceiling – around 1055º – applied as elsewhere.
Provincial bottled Pale Ale above 7.5d per pint |
Year |
Brewer |
Beer |
Price per pint (d) |
OG |
FG |
ABV |
App. Atten-uation |
1938 |
Eldridge Pope |
Crystal Ale |
8 |
1036.7 |
1005.9 |
4.01 |
83.92% |
1936 |
Hey |
Golden Cup Ale |
8 |
1047 |
1012.9 |
4.42 |
72.55% |
1936 |
Hey |
White Rose Ale No. 5 |
8 |
1045 |
1013.6 |
4.07 |
69.78% |
1936 |
John Smith |
No. 5 Special |
8 |
1041 |
1012.7 |
3.66 |
69.02% |
1935 |
Steward & Patteson |
Pale Ale |
8 |
1046 |
1007.8 |
4.98 |
83.04% |
1934 |
Strong |
Golden Ale |
8 |
1044 |
1014 |
3.88 |
68.18% |
1936 |
Tetley |
Yorkshire Ale |
8.5 |
1051 |
1012.7 |
4.98 |
75.10% |
1936 |
Flower |
Pale Ale |
9 |
1053 |
1014 |
5.07 |
73.58% |
1935 |
Morgans |
Pale Ale |
9 |
1048 |
1018 |
3.87 |
62.50% |
1935 |
Mitchell & Butler |
Export Pale Ale |
11 |
1053 |
1008.4 |
5.83 |
84.15% |
1936 |
Felinfoel |
Pale Ale |
|
1051 |
1014.7 |
4.71 |
71.18% |
1934 |
Fremlin |
Bitter Ale |
|
1049 |
1001.3 |
6.27 |
97.35% |
1937 |
Fremlin |
Gold Top English Stock Bbitter |
|
1046.8 |
1003.2 |
5.71 |
93.16% |
1936 |
John Smith |
Magnet Pale Ale |
|
1056 |
1014.2 |
5.44 |
74.64% |
1934 |
John Smith |
Pale Ale |
|
1050.3 |
1011.9 |
4.99 |
76.34% |
|
Average |
|
8.55 |
1047.9 |
1011.0 |
4.79 |
76.97% |
Sources: |
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001. |
The rate of attenuation doesn’t average out quite as high as in the other classes, but there is the most highly attenuated of all: Fremlin Bitter Ale. With a finishing gravity of just 1001.3, it must have been bone dry. The label states "almost sugar free" which is certainly true.
I suspect that this is the ancestor of Whitbread’s Stock Bitter bottled beer of the 1970s. Not so strange, as Whitbread did take over Fremlin
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