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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
1035.0
1005.0
3.97
85.71%
6.87
1.04
111
115
16.75


60º
2.02
29
85.71%
1.59%
6.35%
6.35%
0.00%
0.00%
2nd Jan
1940
1034.0






7.10
0.94
116.5
110
15.5


59.5º
2.20


91.67%
1.67%
4.44%
2.22%
0.00%
0.00%
20th Jan
1941
1033.0






6.67
0.87
115.25
100
15


60º
0.97


91.38%
1.72%
4.60%
2.30%
0.00%
0.00%
7th Apr
1941
1032.0






6.90
0.89
112.75
100
14.5


60º
0.99


91.07%
1.79%
4.76%
2.38%
0.00%
0.00%
6th Aug
1941
1030.0






6.04
0.76
112.5
86
14.25


60º
1.00


90.91%
1.82%
2.42%
4.85%
0.00%
0.00%
29th Oct
1941
1030.0






5.89
0.74
113
84
14.25


60º
0.99


90.91%
1.82%
2.42%
4.85%
0.00%
0.00%
22nd Apr
1942
1028.0






5.85
0.66
114.5
76
13


60º
0.98


86.00%
2.00%
2.67%
5.33%
4.00%
0.00%
4th May
1942
1028.0






5.85
0.66
115
76
13


60º
0.97


86.00%
2.00%
2.67%
5.33%
4.00%
0.00%
31st Jul
1942
1028.0






5.85
0.66
114.5
76
13


60º
0.98


90.00%
2.00%
2.67%
5.33%
0.00%
0.00%
21st Sep
1942
1028.0






5.85
0.68
112
76
13


60º
1.00


90.00%
2.00%
2.67%
5.33%
0.00%
0.00%
15th Feb
1943
1028.0






5.85
0.66
116
76
13


60º
0.97


86.00%
2.00%
2.67%
5.33%
4.00%
0.00%
30th Apr
1943
1028.0






5.85
0.67
113.25
76
13


60º
0.99


78.00%
2.00%
2.67%
5.33%
12.00%
0.00%
19th Aug
1943
1028.0






5.66
0.68
110.8
75
13.25
2
º
1.01


74.51%
1.96%
2.61%
5.23%
0.00%
15.69%
25th Aug
1943
1028.0






5.66
0.68
110.2
75
13.25
2
º
1.02


74.51%
1.96%
2.61%
5.23%
0.00%
15.69%
14th Feb
1944
1028.0






6.42
0.73
116.4
85
13.25
1.75
º
0.96


74.51%
1.96%
2.61%
5.23%
15.69%
0.00%
29th Jun
1944
1028.0






5.66
0.65
115.3
75
13.25
1.75
º
0.97


74.51%
1.96%
2.61%
5.23%
15.69%
0.00%
14th Mar
1945
1028.0






5.66
0.67
111.6
75
13.25
1.75
º
1.00


74.51%
1.96%
5.23%
2.61%
15.69%
0.00%
16th Mar
1945
1028.0






5.66
0.66
113.4
75
13.25
1.75
º
0.99


74.51%
1.96%
5.23%
2.61%
15.69%
0.00%
7th May
1945
1028.0






5.45
0.66
114.3
75
13.75
1.75
º
0.98


85.71%
2.26%
6.02%
6.02%
0.00%
0.00%
Source:
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
1033.6
1010.0
3.12
70.24%
8.27
1.10
790
897
108.5
1.25
1
65º
17 + 40
75.73%
0.00%
13.59%
0.00%
0.00%
9.06%
1.62%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
23rd Apr
1940
1033.6
1009.0
3.25
73.21%
8.12
1.14
790
897
110.5
1.25
1.25
65º
16 + 40
24.30%
0.00%
13.08%
54.21%
0.00%
4.98%
1.56%
1.87%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
31st Jul
1940
1031.5
1008.5
3.04
73.02%
8.42
1.09
823
897
106.5
1.25
1
65º
16 + 40
77.54%
0.00%
13.57%
1.94%
0.00%
5.17%
1.78%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
20th Nov
1940
1031.1
1010.0
2.79
67.85%
8.42
1.07
574
897
106.5
1.17
0.75
66º
16 + 40
81.42%
0.00%
11.63%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
6.95%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
31st Jan
1941
1030.0
1009.0
2.78
70.00%
8.10
1.00
575
830
102.5
2.17
1.5
65º
16 + 40
21.74%
0.00%
13.04%
63.04%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
2.17%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
10th Oct
1941
1031.2
1009.0
2.94
71.15%
6.38
0.76
1717
1308
205
1.25
1.25
65º
14 + 40
65.39%
0.00%
11.98%
4.99%
4.99%
0.00%
5.66%
2.00%
4.99%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
30th Jan
1942
1029.1
1007.5
2.86
74.23%
5.84
0.75
1604
1200
205.5
1
1
65º
18 + 40
0.00%
0.00%
12.02%
68.11%
0.00%
4.01%
1.84%
2.00%
12.02%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
30th May
1942
1028.4
1007.0
2.83
75.35%
6.19
0.75
811
610
98.5
1
1
65º
16 + 40
46.32%
0.00%
12.63%
16.84%
0.00%
5.61%
1.75%
2.11%
8.42%
1.05%
5.26%
0.00%
5th Apr
1943
1027.8
1008.0
2.62
71.22%
6.07
0.76
1605
1220
201
1
1.25
65º
15 + 40
9.28%
0.00%
10.31%
55.67%
0.00%
5.50%
1.72%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
17.53%
2nd Sep
1943
1028.2
1008.0
2.67
71.63%
6.07
0.73
834
610
100.5
1
0.83
65º
14 + 40
46.39%
0.00%
10.31%
18.56%
0.00%
5.50%
1.72%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
17.53%
7th Apr
1944
1028.3
1007.5
2.75
73.50%
5.79
0.69
823
570
98.5
1
0.75
65º
14 + 40
0.00%
0.00%
10.45%
71.08%
0.00%
4.18%
1.74%
0.00%
12.54%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
11th Dec
1944
1028.4
1008.5
2.63
70.07%
5.91
0.72
788
570
96.5
1
1
65º
14 + 40
0.00%
0.00%
7.42%
73.14%
0.00%
2.83%
1.77%
0.00%
14.84%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
5th Apr
1945
1028.4
1008.5
2.63
70.07%
5.67
0.71
808
570
100.5
1
0.75
65º
15 + 40
0.00%
0.00%
7.39%
62.32%
0.00%
9.86%
3.52%
0.00%
16.90%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
24th Aug
1945
1028.1
1010.0
2.39
64.41%
5.67
0.71
804
570
100.5
1
0.75
65º
13 + 40
36.97%
0.00%
7.39%
25.35%
0.00%
9.86%
3.52%
0.00%
16.90%
0.00%
0.00%
0.00%
Source:
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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