Saturday 14 June 2014

London vs provincial beer in the 1930's: Stout and Porter

I bet you just love all these interminable series. Though I'm fairly rattling through this one. we're already on Porter and Stout.

These are the beers on which London had built its brewing reputation and they were still a big part of their business. At Truman, 23% of the output of their Brick Lane brewery was Porter or Stout in 1930*. For Whitbread, they were even more important: 28% of production**.

I can tell you one thing for certain: there's not a single Porter in the London table. All of the beers are too strong. Well, maybe No. 17 could just about be a Porter. But it would be right at the very, very top end.

Don't believe me? OK, here is a selection of London Porters from the period:

London Porter in 1930
Brewer Beer Price per pint Acidity OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation
Courage Porter 5d 0.07 1038 1012.8 3.26 66.32%
Courage Porter 5d 0.10 1036 1008.4 3.58 76.67%
Hoare Porter 5d 1035 1010.8 3.13 69.14%
Hoare Porter 5d 1037 1009 3.63 75.68%
Hoare Porter 5d 0.07 1034 1006.6 3.56 80.59%
Hoare Porter 5d 1037 1010.2 3.47 72.43%
Wenlock Porter 5d 0.08 1038 1014.2 3.07 62.63%
Wenlock Porter 5d 1037 1009.8 3.53 73.51%
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.

Convinced now?

The London Stouts show the greatest concentration of residual sugars we've seen so far, both in absolute terms and in relation to the amount of alcohol. The ones over 4.5% ABV look like typical draught London Stouts, with gravities in the 1050-1055 range. The modest ABV is explained by apparent attenuation of less than 70%, which was common.

Composition of London Beers
Calories per pint.
Total Solids per cent. Absolute Alcohol (by weight) per cent. Ratio of Total Solids to Alcohol (T.S.=1). ABV Solid Matter. Alcohol. Total.
Stouts and Porters.
No. 15 7.04 3.82 1:0.04 4.85 164 152 316
No. 16 5.77 3.53 1:0.61 4.48 134 140 274
No. 17 4.75 3.10 1:0.05 3.94 110 123 233
No. 18 6.11 4.23 1:0.69 5.37 142 168 310
No. 19 5.69 3.40 1:0.59 4.32 133 135 268
No. 20 5.40 3.42 1:0.63 4.34 126 136 262
No. 21 6.08 4.20 1:0.69 5.33 142 167 309
No. 22 5.42 4.30 1:0.79 5.46 126 171 297
Average 5.78 3.75 1:0.64 4.76 134 149 283
Source:
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 38, Issue 1, January-February 1932, pages 84 - 88.

Relatively high levels of alcohol and lots if unfermented stuff give London Stout the highest value rating so far, reaching almost 300 calories.

Now for the country beers:

Composition of Country Beers
Calories per pint.
Total Solids per cent. Absolute Alcohol (by weight) per cent. Ratio of Total Solids to Alcohol (T.S.=1). ABV Solid Matter. Alcohol. Total.
Stouts and Porters.
No. 71 5.02 3.65 1:0.72 4.64 117 145 262
No. 72 5.78 4.55 1:0.78 5.78 135 181 316
No. 73 4.57 3.16 1:0.69 4.01 100 125 231
No. 74 5.29 3.14 I:0.59 3.99 123 125 248
No. 75 3.86 2.58 1:0.66 3.28 90 102 192
No. 76 4.12 3.08 1:0.74 3.91 96 122 218
No. 77 5.12 3.50 1:0.68 4.45 119 139 258
No. 78 6.19 3.98 1:0.64 5.05 144 158 302
Average 4.09 3.45 1:0.69 4.38 116 137 253
Source:
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 38, Issue 1, January-February 1932, pages 84 - 88.

We see the pattern of lower alcohol levels in the country beers continue. This time the residual sugars are much lower in the country beers.

And finally my comparison of the averages.

Porter and Stout Calories per pint.
Total Solids per cent. Absolute Alcohol (by weight) per cent. Ratio of Total Solids to Alcohol (T.S.=1). ABV Solid Matter. Alcohol. Total.
London 5.78 3.75 1:0.64 4.76 134 149 283
Country 4.09 3.45 1:0.69 4.38 116 137 253
% difference -41.32% -8.70% 0.08% -8.70% -15.52% -8.76% -11.86%


Once again, more of just about everything in the London beers. If the London and country beers sold for the same price, it's clear which were better value.




* Document B/THB/C/256c held at the London Metropolitan Archives.
** Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/096, LMA/4453/D/01/097 and LMA/4453/D/01/098.

2 comments:

J. Karanka said...

I wonder what user perception was! I would have considered a fresher, drier, local stout to a sweeter, heavier, mass produced London stout...

Btw, good to check the difference between these low gravity porters and low gravity dark milds in The Homebrewer's Guide to Vintage Beer. I think that most dark milds made by microbreweries are, really, low gravity porters!

Ron Pattinson said...

Karanka,

the London versions were probably better quality, despite being mass-produced.

In the old days there was a clear difference between Mild and porter, especially in the grists, but I can see what you mean.