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In the interwar period, Whitbread messed around with their draught Burton quite a bit. Changing its name, and strength, a couple of times.

Before and immediately after WW I, it had the usual brewhouse name for the style: KK. With an OG of around 1055º, it was a typical of a 8d per pint Burton. All that changed in 1931 after the disastrous Snowden emergency budget. The name was changed to XXX and 10º lopped off the gravity.

In 1933, to celebrate the rolling back of Snowden’s tax increase, Whitbread came out with a new Burton called 33. At 1060º, it was even stronger than KK had been. It was unusually strong for a standard draught beer, even a Burton. Though it still retailed at the expected 8d per pint.

The grist was quite similar in its elements to their Mild Ale, X, though the proportions were somewhat different. With 33 containing around double the amount of No. 3 invert sugar, but considerably less crystal malt.

The hops were the same as in PA, IPA and Double Brown: Worcester from the 1938 harvest, Mid-Kent from 1937, East Kent from 1937 and Sussex from 1936.


1939 Whitbread 33
pale malt 9.50 lb 76.61%
crystal malt 60 L 0.33 lb 2.66%
No. 3 invert sugar 2.50 lb 20.16%
caramel 1000 SRM 0.07 lb 0.56%
Fuggles 75 mins 2.00 oz
Goldings 30 mins 2.00 oz
Goldings dry hops 0.50 oz
OG 1061
FG 1020
ABV 5.42
Apparent attenuation 67.21%
IBU 42
SRM 19
Mash at 150º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 75 minutes
pitching temp 62º F
Yeast Wyeast 1099 Whitbread Ale



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