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What a rare treat this is. It seems like only yesterday we were speculating about what a "C" Ale might have been like. And now here's a recipe. Cool or what?
I'm still none the wiser as to what the C might stand for. But I do t least have a pretty good idea of what the beer itself was like. Dark, moderately strong, medium hopping. Sounds like a variation on the Burton/weaker Old Ale theme.
Lees didn't brew their "C" Ale for long. Just for a few years at the end of the 1940's and beginning of the 1950's. Other brewes in the region, such as Groves & Whitnall, had already brewed one in the 1890's.
Here's a quote from page 12 of "Manchester Breweries of Times Gone By, Vol 2":
"The brewery's [Openshaw] included best mild and bitter, Grade A pale ale, Openshaw Stout and also a "C" Ale. "C" Ale seems to have been a local brew, the origin of which is uncertain. Groves and Whitnall of Salford became well known for their version of "C" Ale in the 1890s; it was discontinued during the last war but reintroduced in 1950. John Henry Lees of Moss Side also brewed a "C" Ale, as did Wilsons Brewery."
That's me about done. Time for Kristen to do his thing . . . .
General info: Finally, after hundreds of logs, scouring the planet, we finally have found it. A 'C'-ale. What is it? I have absolutely no idea! Its some sort of very dark ale (112EBC), coloured mostly with coloured malt extract and caramel color, with a touch of hops and a good portion of regular invert and a vast amount of pale malt. How to explain this? Well, you really gotta taste it. So get out there and make it. Take pictures and lets compare!
Gravity (OG)
56.9% English Pale malt 1
1.1% Black malt
Gravity (FG)
17.1% English Pale malt 2
15.2% Invert No1
ABV
2.8% American 6-row
2.5% C.M.E.
Apparent attenuation
4.3% Crystal 75L
Real attenuation
IBU
90min@149°F
SRM
90min@65°C
EBC
English Pale malt 1
lb
kg
lb
kg
English Pale malt 2
lb
kg
lb
kg
American 6-row
lb
kg
lb
kg
Crystal 75L
lb
kg
lb
kg
Black malt
lb
kg
lb
kg
Invert No1
lb
kg
lb
kg
C.M.E.
oz
g
lb
kg
Fuggle 5.5% 90min
oz
g
oz
kg
Fuggle 5.5% 30min
oz
g
oz
kg
Manchester ale
1318 London Ale Yeast III -
Tasting Notes: Deep dark fruits. Very little roast. Quite similar to a Caribbean stout. No real hop character but enough to clean up the finish. Lots of biscuits and bread from the pale malt. Very different but smooth.
That's one legendary but obscure beer style done. Where next? Broyhan, perhaps.
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