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A quick treat today. A comparison of Whitbread and Lees Mild diuring WW II.
Here's Lees Mild, or K as it was known within the brewery:
Lees Mild 1939 - 1945
Date
Year
OG
FG
ABV
App. Attenuation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
barrels
lbs hops
qtrs malt
boil time (hours)
Pitch temp
dry hops (oz / barrel)
colour
pale malt
black malt
glucose
other sugar
flaked barley
flaked oat
21st Feb
1939
1035.01005.03.9785.71%6.871.0411111516.75
60º2.022985.71%1.59%6.35%6.35%0.00%2nd Jan0.00%
1940
1034.0
7.100.94116.511015.5
59.5º2.20
91.67%1.67%4.44%2.22%0.00%20th Jan0.00%
1941
1033.0
6.670.87115.2510015
60º0.97
91.38%1.72%4.60%2.30%0.00%7th Apr0.00%
1941
1032.0
6.900.89112.7510014.5
60º0.99
91.07%1.79%4.76%2.38%0.00%6th Aug0.00%
1941
1030.0
6.040.76112.58614.25
60º1.00
90.91%1.82%2.42%4.85%0.00%29th Oct0.00%
1941
1030.0
5.890.741138414.25
60º0.99
90.91%1.82%2.42%4.85%0.00%22nd Apr0.00%
1942
1028.0
5.850.66114.57613
60º0.98
86.00%2.00%2.67%5.33%4.00%4th May0.00%
1942
1028.0
5.850.661157613
60º0.97
86.00%2.00%2.67%5.33%4.00%31st Jul0.00%
1942
1028.0
5.850.66114.57613
60º0.98
90.00%2.00%2.67%5.33%0.00%21st Sep0.00%
1942
1028.0
5.850.681127613
60º1.00
90.00%2.00%2.67%5.33%0.00%15th Feb0.00%
1943
1028.0
5.850.661167613
60º0.97
86.00%2.00%2.67%5.33%4.00%30th Apr0.00%
1943
1028.0
5.850.67113.257613
60º0.99
78.00%2.00%2.67%5.33%12.00%19th Aug0.00%
1943
1028.0
5.660.68110.87513.252º1.01
74.51%1.96%2.61%5.23%0.00%25th Aug15.69%
1943
1028.0
5.660.68110.27513.252º1.02
74.51%1.96%2.61%5.23%0.00%14th Feb15.69%
1944
1028.0
6.420.73116.48513.251.75º0.96
74.51%1.96%2.61%5.23%15.69%29th Jun0.00%
1944
1028.0
5.660.65115.37513.251.75º0.97
74.51%1.96%2.61%5.23%15.69%14th Mar0.00%
1945
1028.0
5.660.67111.67513.251.75º1.00
74.51%1.96%5.23%2.61%15.69%16th Mar0.00%
1945
1028.0
5.660.66113.47513.251.75º0.99
74.51%1.96%5.23%2.61%15.69%7th May0.00%
1945
1028.0
5.450.66114.37513.751.75º0.98
85.71%2.26%6.02%6.02%0.00%Source:0.00%
JW Lees brewing records
And here's Whitbread X/XX:
Whitbread Mild 1939 - 1945
Date
Year
OG
FG
ABV
App. Attenuation
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
barrels
lbs hops
qtrs malt
boil time (hours)
boil time (hours)
Pitch temp
colour
pale malt
black malt
crystal malt
MA malt
PA malt
no. 3 sugar
other sugar
wheat malt
flaked barley
barley meal
flaked rye
flaked oat
25th Sep
1939
1033.61010.03.1270.24%8.271.10790897108.51.25117 + 4065º
75.73%0.00%13.59%0.00%0.00%9.06%1.62%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%23rd Apr0.00%
1940
1033.61009.03.2573.21%8.121.14790897110.51.251.2516 + 4065º
24.30%0.00%13.08%54.21%0.00%4.98%1.56%1.87%0.00%0.00%0.00%31st Jul0.00%
1940
1031.51008.53.0473.02%8.421.09823897106.51.25116 + 4065º
77.54%0.00%13.57%1.94%0.00%5.17%1.78%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%20th Nov0.00%
1940
1031.11010.02.7967.85%8.421.07574897106.51.170.7516 + 4066º
81.42%0.00%11.63%0.00%0.00%0.00%6.95%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%31st Jan0.00%
1941
1030.01009.02.7870.00%8.101.00575830102.52.171.516 + 4065º
21.74%0.00%13.04%63.04%0.00%0.00%0.00%2.17%0.00%0.00%0.00%10th Oct0.00%
1941
1031.21009.02.9471.15%6.380.76171713082051.251.2514 + 4065º
65.39%0.00%11.98%4.99%4.99%0.00%5.66%2.00%4.99%0.00%0.00%30th Jan0.00%
1942
1029.11007.52.8674.23%5.840.7516041200205.51118 + 4065º
0.00%0.00%12.02%68.11%0.00%4.01%1.84%2.00%12.02%0.00%0.00%30th May0.00%
1942
1028.41007.02.8375.35%6.190.7581161098.51116 + 4065º
46.32%0.00%12.63%16.84%0.00%5.61%1.75%2.11%8.42%1.05%5.26%5th Apr0.00%
1943
1027.81008.02.6271.22%6.070.761605122020111.2515 + 4065º
9.28%0.00%10.31%55.67%0.00%5.50%1.72%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%2nd Sep17.53%
1943
1028.21008.02.6771.63%6.070.73834610100.510.8314 + 4065º
46.39%0.00%10.31%18.56%0.00%5.50%1.72%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%7th Apr17.53%
1944
1028.31007.52.7573.50%5.790.6982357098.510.7514 + 4065º
0.00%0.00%10.45%71.08%0.00%4.18%1.74%0.00%12.54%0.00%0.00%11th Dec0.00%
1944
1028.41008.52.6370.07%5.910.7278857096.51114 + 4065º
0.00%0.00%7.42%73.14%0.00%2.83%1.77%0.00%14.84%0.00%0.00%5th Apr0.00%
1945
1028.41008.52.6370.07%5.670.71808570100.510.7515 + 4065º
0.00%0.00%7.39%62.32%0.00%9.86%3.52%0.00%16.90%0.00%0.00%24th Aug0.00%
1945
1028.11010.02.3964.41%5.670.71804570100.510.7513 + 4065º
36.97%0.00%7.39%25.35%0.00%9.86%3.52%0.00%16.90%0.00%0.00%Source:0.00%
Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives
As you can see, the gravities are very similar, starting in the low 1030's before the war and dropping to 1028 after 1942. Whitbread's Mild was tiny bit more heavily hopped, but scarcely enough to be significant.
The grists are quite different. Lees was much simpler: just pale malt, a touch of black malt, glucose and invert sugar. Until flaked barley and flaked oats appear in the later war years. Whitberad used more different types of malt, in particular crystal and MA malt. But the biggest differnce is the colour. Whitbread Mild was around 90 EBC, Lees just 29. So despite being broadly similar in terms of strength, thse two beers must have tasted and looked pretty different.
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