First a word of thanks. This recipes isn't based on a record that I excavated with my own bare hands from the archives. Someone else did the mining work this time. David at Quaffer. This is turning out to be an easy day for me, because he's also written about the history of Pompey Royal. I'm feeling all superfluous.
Looking at the label, you'll notice that the brewery described this beer as a Golden Ale. What a modern term. One I'd have associated with just the last 20 years. But, as I've often told you before, there's very little that's genuinely new in the beer world.
Don't expect me to come up with any specific style for this. Strong Ale will do for me. Nice and vague.
The modern version of Pompey Royal doesn't have much in common with this. More a strongish Pale Ale. It's also moved around several breweries of the former Whitbread group over the years.
1948 is an odd date to introduce a strong beer. Average gravity was it its nadir in 1947 and 1948, under 1033º. While it crept back up a little, but got stuck at 1037º in 1951 and stayed there until 1993. The late 1940's were a pretty grim time in Britain. Shortages, rationing, smashed up cities and the camaraderie of the war years fading. I'm glad I didn't grow up then.
I've put the sexiest numbers from the period into a little table for you:
British beer 1946 - 1947 | |||||
UK | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 |
Production (bulk barrels) | 32,650,200 | 29,261,398 | 30,408,634 | 26,990,144 | 26,513,997 |
Exports (bulk barrels) | 187,418 | 109,680 | 205,098 | 254,147 | 221,210 |
Exports (standard barrels) | 150,099 | 85,660 | 179,120 | 226,215 | |
Imports (bulk barrels) | 929,028 | 860,161 | 863,855 | 875,548 | 1,018,603 |
Average OG | 1034.72 | 1032.59 | 1032.66 | 1033.43 | 1033.88 |
Net excise receipts (pounds) | 295,305,369 | 250,350,829 | 264,112,043 | 294,678,035 | 263,088,673 |
Source: | |||||
Brewers' Almanack 1955, pages 50 and 57. |
In case you're wondering about the beer imports, that's pretty much all Guinness from the Irish Republic. Bugger all from anywhere else.
Like I said, most of my work has been done for me today. That's me done. I think I can see Kristen just coming around the corner . . . . . yes, there he is . . . . .
3 comments:
Looks mighty dark at 25 SRM for a "golden" ale. Looks to be thoroughly dark brown.
A two hour mash at 151ºF with 17% invert sugar would end up with a much higher attenuation for me. I would expect from experience more like 85% apparent. How did they/you do it?
Gold can be a range of colours from light yellow to a brownish amber. I can't address the rating scale (don't know how it works), but here is an example, contemporary, of a tawny gold in beer:
http://www.wyevalleybrewery.co.uk/beers/dorothy-goodbody/golden-ale.html#.T-sErRdfFdM
Gary
Jeff,
Gotta drop the yeast. As for color, add the caramel or not. that will make it 'golden'.
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