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By 1944, Drybrough 60/- had just about finished transforming itself into the modern version of the style.

Its gravity had fallen by 6 points, or around 17%. Which is slightly greater than the average reduction in gravity for all beer brewed in the UK between 1939 and 1944, which was 15%. A crappy degree of attenuation left this version at just 2.5% ABV. No wonder they drank a lot of whisky in Scotland.

The biggest change in the grist since the outbreak of war is the replacement of some of the base malt by flaked barley. A change which wasn’t voluntary, but dictated by the government. Other than that, it remains as idiosyncratic as error, including both enzymic malt and diastatic malt syrup. Plus a tiny amount of chocolate malt, presumably to get the desired colour. Though the quantity is so small I can’t see that it makes much difference.

Speaking of colour, doubtless this beer was coloured up to a variety of shades at racking time. That’s the whacky way Scottish breweries operated. Some versions would have looked more like Dark Mild than the Pale Ales they really were.

The sugars in the original were 2 cwt Fison, 2 cwt Avona and 2 cwt Martineau. For which I’ve substituted No. 2 invert sugar.

The hopping rate was pretty low and the hops were all pretty old, coming from the 1942 harvest. All English, is all I know about them. The age and small quantity of the hops results in a beer with very low bitterness.


1944 Drybrough 60/-
pale malt 5.50 lb 74.83%
enzymic malt 0.25 lb 3.40%
chocolate malt 0.03 lb 0.41%
flaked barley 1.00 lb 13.61%
malt extract 0.07 lb 0.95%
No. 2 invert sugar 0.50 lb 6.80%
Fuggles 135 mins 0.50 oz
Fuggles 90 mins 0.25 oz
Goldings 30 mins 0.25 oz
Goldings dry hops 0.25 oz
OG 1032
FG 1012.5
ABV 2.58
Apparent attenuation 60.94%
IBU 15
SRM 6
Mash at 152º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 135 minutes
pitching temp 60º F
Yeast WLP028 Edinburgh Ale


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