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Here they are, the results of my Spot the IPA contest.

No-one managed to identify all three: namely A, C and E. Only one out of eight participants guessed A. All three of these beers were unequivocally IPA, both being called that in the brewhouse and marketed as such. I'm prepared to concede Boddington IP as sort of an IPA. The brew house name implied that, though it was marketed as Bitter.

Spot the IPA - the results
Beer Beer gueses OG FG ABV app. Atten-uation IBU SRM
1939 Barclay Perkins IPA A 1 1044 1013.5 4.03 69.32% 30 6.5
1939 Barclay Perkins PA B 1 1053 1018.5 4.56 65.09% 38 7
1939 Whitbread IPA C 4 1037 1008 3.84 78.38% 36 7.5
1939 Whitbread PA D 2 1048 1012 4.76 75.00% 29 8
1938 William Younger IPA Pale E 4 1055 1012 5.69 78.18% 22 4
1938 William Younger XXP F 3 1042 1010 4.23 76.19% 16 3
1939 Adnams PA G 2 1039 1010 3.84 74.36% 33 5
1939 Boddington IP H 5 1045 1010.5 4.56 76.67% 48 6
1939 Drybrough 80/- I 1 1050 1014.5 4.7 71.00% 26 8
1939 Fullers PA J 4 1051 1012.5 5.09 75.49% 43 6
1939 Lees Bitter K 3 1047 1010 4.89 78.72% 30 7
1939 Maclay PA 7d L 1 1042 1014.5 3.64 65.48% 32 7.5
1939 Maclay PA 6d M 3 1038 1011.5 3.51 69.74% 30 7
1940 Shepherd Neame PA N 3 1047 1012 4.63 74.47% 39 5
1940 Shepherd Neame BB O 3 1038 1009 3.84 76.32% 21 8
1939 Tetley K P 2 1047.5 1011.6 4.75 75.58% 22.5 7
1939 Truman Pale 1B Q 1 1053.5 1013.5 5.29 74.77% 30 6
1939 Truman Pale 2 R 4 1047.5 1009.5 5.03 80.00% 27 6


Two people managed to spot two of the IPAs. Plus Boddington IP. But both had more incorrect than correct guesses: Chris Pickles 4 and StuartP 7.

These are the participants' results:


IPA guesses
guesser guesses correct maybe wrong
UselessLogic 5 1 4
Mr B Fastard 4 1 3
Chris Pickles 7 2 1 4
StuartP 10 2 1 7
Unknown 5 1 1 3
Sen_Repris 4 1 3
Yann 7 1 6
robc 5 1 1 3

Every single beer was guessed at least once. Of the beers with a single guess, one was Barclay Perkins IPA. The most guessed beer was Boddington IP with 5. I'm gobsmaked that anyone went for Shepherd Neame BB or Maclay PA 5d.

My conclusion? As expected, no-one was really able to pick the two - PA and IPA - apart. No-one got more right than wrong. Unsurprisingly. I wouldn't have been able to do so either, if just given the specs.

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