Visit the Shut up about Barclay Perkins site

Another mega-table today. Full of gristy goodness. Your complete guide to Whitbread ordinary Mild for pretty much the whole of its existence.

The versions from before WW I couldn't be simpler: pale malt, then pale malt and sugar. Not the later ones are super complicated. Crystal malt was added to the mix in the 1930's. Then during WW II, things like flaked barley, wheat malt and flaked oats put in appearance. By government command. Brewers were told they had to use thses substitutes for malted barley.

You might want to look at the gravity, too. It tells a story of decline, sometimes gradual, at others disconcertingly rapid. Dropping from the heady heights of the 1070's, to the non-intoxicating depths of below 1030. 130 years of British brewing history in a single table. Who else can offer you that?

Whitbread Mild did limp on a little further, surviving even the closure of Chiswell Street in the early 1970's. On a personal note, I can remember drinking a few pints of it (unfortunately in keg form) in the Festival Inn next to Chrisp Street market in Poplar. It wasn't great.

Whitbread Mild grists 1836 - 1965
Year
Beer
OG
FG
App. Atten-uation
ABV
lbs hops/ qtr
hops lb/brl
colour
pale malt
brown malt
crystal malt
MA malt
PA malt
no. 3 sugar
other sugar
wheat malt
flaked barley
flaked oat
total
1836
X
1077.0
1029.4
61.87%
6.30
6.55
2.33


100.00%


















100.00%
1837
X
1066.2
1030.5
53.97%
4.73
7.65
2.15


100.00%


















100.00%
1841
X
1077.0
1030.7
60.07%
6.12
7.45
2.36


100.00%


















100.00%
1850
X
1077.3
1029.1
62.37%
6.38
8.36
2.76


100.00%


















100.00%
1861
X
1066.5
1023.0
65.42%
5.75
6.68
2.12


100.00%


















100.00%
1871
X
1058.4
1016.6
71.60%
5.54
5.90
1.53


98.57%
1.43%
















100.00%
1880
X
1058.7
1013.6
76.89%
5.97
7.45
2.03


94.59%










5.41%






100.00%
1890
X
1060.9
1015.0
75.39%
6.08
8.02
2.18


89.29%










10.71%






100.00%
1901
X
1054.2
1014.0
74.15%
5.31
6.03
1.44


90.91%










9.09%






100.00%
1910
X
1056.5
1016.0
71.69%
5.36
5.48
1.31


85.21%










14.79%






100.00%
1911
X
1056.0
1010.0
82.15%
6.09
4.99
1.18


89.19%










10.81%






100.00%
1914
X
1055.1
1017.0
69.16%
5.04
5.95
1.35


92.86%










7.14%






100.00%
1916
X
1047.9
1008.0
83.31%
5.28
5.95
1.26


91.84%










8.16%






100.00%
1917
X
1044.3
1008.0
81.95%
4.80
6.52
1.25


88.24%










11.76%






100.00%
1917
GA
1033.5
1005.0
85.08%
3.77
8.48
1.21


87.50%










12.50%






100.00%
1918
MA
1023.7
1003.0
87.36%
2.74
10.95
1.16


77.16%
9.26%






13.58%








100.00%
1919
MA
1023.5
1005.0
78.76%
2.45
11.94
1.27


67.86%
12.50%






19.64%








100.00%
1923
X
1042.1
1008.0
80.99%
4.51
7.41
1.26
40+6.5
93.21%








6.79%








100.00%
1931
X
1042.0
1013.0
69.02%
3.83
6.63
1.17
13+40
72.21%


13.44%




13.44%
0.92%






100.00%
1933
X
1036.4
1008.5
76.65%
3.69
7.14
1.12
17+40
73.45%


12.40%




12.72%
1.43%






100.00%
1939
X
1033.9
1010.5
69.03%
3.10
8.27
1.11
17+40
75.73%


13.59%




9.06%
1.62%






100.00%
1940
X
1033.6
1009.0
73.21%
3.25
8.12
1.14
16+40
24.30%


13.08%
54.21%


4.98%
1.56%
1.87%




100.00%
1941
XX
1031.2
1009.0
71.15%
2.94
6.38
0.76
14+40
65.39%


11.98%
4.99%
4.99%


5.66%
2.00%
4.99%


100.00%
1942
XX
1029.1
1007.5
74.23%
2.86
5.84
0.75
18+40
0.00%


12.02%
68.11%


4.01%
1.84%
2.00%
12.02%


100.00%
1943
XX
1027.8
1008.0
71.22%
2.62
6.07
0.76
15+40
9.28%


10.31%
55.67%


5.50%
1.72%




17.53%
100.00%
1944
XX
1028.5
1007.0
75.44%
2.84
5.79
0.71
15+40
0.00%


7.30%
72.00%


4.17%
1.91%


14.61%


100.00%
1945
XX
1028.1
1010.0
64.41%
2.39
5.67
0.71
13+40
36.97%


7.39%
25.35%


9.86%
3.52%


16.90%


100.00%
1947
XX
1027.5
1008.0
70.91%
2.58
6.30
0.73
15+40
0.00%


8.11%
82.24%


7.72%
1.93%






100.00%
1948
XX
1027.7
1005.5
80.14%
2.94
7.07
0.80
12+40
57.30%


7.87%
26.97%


5.99%
1.87%






100.00%
1950
Best Ale
1031.7
1008.5
73.19%
3.07
7.29
0.90
15+40
0.00%


7.30%
86.61%


4.17%
1.91%






100.00%
1955
Best Ale
1030.9
1009.5
69.26%
2.83
5.59
0.71
105
0.00%


6.27%
79.44%


11.15%
3.14%






100.00%
1961
Best Ale
1030.4
1009.7
68.09%
2.74
5.64
0.72
110
0.00%


6.41%
79.00%


11.39%
3.20%






100.00%
1964
Best Ale
1030.6
1007.5
75.49%
3.06
5.66
0.68
100
0.00%


5.88%
80.00%


10.98%
3.14%






100.00%
1965
Best Ale
1030.7
1008.7
71.66%
2.91
5.54
0.68
105
0.00%


5.88%
80.00%


10.98%
3.14%






100.00%
Source:
Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan archives



Don't worry. I've not forgotten about or finished with hop additions and primings yet.


More...