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"Keg!" is coming along quite nicely. I know you didn't ask. But I thought I'd tell you anyway. It's about 75% done. A few more interviews are needed, though. To fill out the memoir-like aspect of the book.

Time to have a look at the grists of the Stouts we looked at the other day.

The malt percentage is fairly high, averaging 85%. Every example contains at least too malts, most three. All have a pale malt base, other than Elgood’s, which has a combination of pale and mild.

There’s a fair amount of diversity in the malts employed. Though three – Fremlin, Whitbread and Boddington – have a backbone of pale, brown and chocolate malt. Which is much like a classic London Stout blend, except that the black malt has been replaced by chocolate malt.

I’m surprised that three brewers were including brown malt, and only one black. Chocolate malt was also pretty popular, turning up in the Stouts of four breweries. While crystal malt was favoured by three brewers.

The percentage of coloured malts varied considerably. Around 24% at Adnams, 15% at Fremlin, Whitbread and Boddington, but just 9.4% at Truman. Though we’ll see why that figure was so low when we get to the adjuncts.
UK Stout malts 1969 - 1973
Year Brewer Beer pale malt brown malt black malt choc. Malt crystal malt mild malt total malt
1969 Fremlin Special Stout 68.66% 8.17% 8.17% 85.01%
1970 Adnams Double Stout 64.86% 8.11% 16.22% 89.19%
1973 Whitbread Mackeson 70.18% 4.70% 8.40% 3.71% 86.99%
1973 Whitbread Extra Stout 70.18% 4.70% 8.40% 3.71% 86.99%
1971 Boddington WSS 65.96% 7.61% 7.61% 81.18%
1969 Truman Stout 64.15% 9.43% 73.58%
1969 Elgood Stout 38.10% 4.76% 38.10% 80.95%
Average 83.41%
Sources:
Fremlin brewing record held at the Kent Archives, document number U3555/2/F/Bx2/1/93.
Adnams brewing record held at the brewery.
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/09/141.
Boddington brewing record held at Manchester Central Library, document number M693/405/134.
Truman Ale book held by Derek Prentice.
Elgood brewing record held at the brewery.




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