Monday 19 October 2015

Stout in 1960

We’re crawling our way slowly towards the end of this series. I hope you’ve been enjoying it as much as me.

It’s odd to think the child version of me was around at the time these beers were drunk. My dad probably drank some of the beers. I think his drink of choice was Bitter. That’s what he drank at home. I can remember him vaguely complaining about “chemical beer” a couple of times.

Sorry about that. Totally irrelevant to today’s topic. Which is Stout.

You may recall that in a couple of these sets I’ve had to include beers from other years because I didn’t have enough examples from 1960. No such problem with Stout. If anything, there are too many. It tells us a couple of things. First, that there were an awful lot of Stouts being brewed in Britain. Second, that Whitbread kept a very close eye on competitors to its own Mackeson brand.

I was surprised to see how many breweries produced multiple Stouts. Mostly southern breweries and particularly London ones. Not so odd, as it was where the style was born. I was also surprised by how weak many were – in the low 1030’s, or about the same as Mild. Though there were quite a lot at a more reasonable gravity of 1045º.

Because there are so many, I’ve split the Whitbread Gravity Book table into two: Sweet and Not so Sweet. It’s pretty arbitrary, and I’ve taken as the breakpoint 60% apparent attenuation.

Which only analysed two brands of Stout: Guinness and Mackeson. Which were the major national brands of the day and represent the two main types, Dry and Sweet. It’s a shame they didn’t analyse any other brands. I’d have been very interested in the bitterness levels of regional Stouts.

Talking of bitterness, the three Guinness examples are the bitterest beers Which tested. Bass Red Triangle, the bitterest other beer, matched the least bitter Guinness on 55. I have analyses of Guinness from the late 1990’s which have around 35 IBUs. Which I’m sure is much lower. My guess is that the current version of Extra Stout would have even fewer IBUs. This definitely coincides with my subjective view. Guinness used to be pretty bitter but no longer is.

Having brewing records for Mackeson, I know that it had about 1 lb of hops per barrel. Which, when you take into account its gravity, is about the same level as their Mild. That had a bitterness level of 26. Pretty much the same as one Mackeson example. I find the level quite high for a beer that was the archetypal Milk Stout.

The Gravity Book Stouts are all over the shop. Quite a few have laughable ABV’s, due to the minimal attenuation and low OG. Only three of this set have an ABV over 3%. They’d have Mr. Stout from the 1700’s turning in his grave. Unsurprisingly, most of these beers were terrible value for money.

The second set is a little better strength-wise, but still only three are over 4% ABV. It’s clear that Stout had long since ceased to be a synonym for strong.

Table time.

Stout in 1960
Brewer Beer Price per pint d OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation Index of Hop Bitter price per % ABV
Guinness Draught (Keg) Stout 24 1040.0 1006.2 4.40 84.50% 62 5.45
Guinness Extra Stout 29 1046.0 1007.7 5.00 83.37% 55 5.80
Guinness Extra Stout 36 1046.1 1007 5.10 84.82% 56 7.06
Whitbread Mackeson 32 1046.4 1017.7 3.70 61.85% 27 8.64
Whitbread Mackeson 36 1047.6 1018.2 3.80 61.87% 31 9.47
Source:
Which Beer Report, 1960, pages 171 - 173.


Sweet Stout in 1960
Brewer Beer Price per pint d OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation colour price per % ABV
Mann Crossman Cream Label Stout 26 1043.1 1025.2 2.29 41.53% 11.35
Tollemache Double Stout 24 1037.3 1020.9 2.10 43.97% 250 11.41
Hall & Woodhouse Glucose Stout 24 1041.8 1021.7 2.51 48.09% 200 9.55
Courage & Barclay Barclay Stout 29 1043.1 1022 2.71 48.96% 450 10.70
S. Fussell Extra Stout 24 1037 1018.8 2.28 49.19% 275 10.55
Phipps Ratcliffe's Stout 22 1037.4 1018.5 2.36 50.53% 325 9.31
Younger, Wm. Sweet Stout (lactose present) 34 1034.8 1016.9 2.24 51.44% 250 15.20
Cobbs Margate Stout 29 1045.9 1022.2 2.96 51.63% 275 9.79
Phipps Jumbo Stout 21 1036.3 1017.5 2.35 51.79% 375 8.94
Tennant Bros. Glucose Stout 26 1039.7 1019.1 2.58 51.89% 225 10.10
Simonds Velvet Stout 32 1042.3 1020.3 2.83 52.01% 300 11.31
Abingdon Brewery Oak Stout 22 1031.4 1015 2.05 52.23% 250 10.73
Fremlin Special Stout 24 1039.2 1018.6 2.65 52.55% 450 9.06
Ind Coope Nourishing Stout 20 1031.9 1015 2.18 52.98% 275 9.19
Truman Malt Stout 26 1041.4 1019.3 2.84 53.38% 250 9.15
Ind Coope Allsopp's Sweet Stout 26 1037.7 1017.3 2.63 54.11% 300 9.90
Truman Eagle Stout 20 1035.6 1016.3 2.48 54.21% 250 8.05
Wenlock Oatmeal Stout 20 1033.6 1015.2 2.37 54.76% 250 8.44
Courage & Barclay London Stout 20 1034.3 1015.4 2.43 55.10% 350 8.22
Cobbs Oatmeal Stout 20 1029.8 1013.2 2.07 55.70% 225 9.64
Beasley Arsenal Extra Special Stout 28 1040.7 1017.7 2.88 56.51% 400 9.74
Mew Langton Oatmeal Stout 22 1032.7 1014.2 2.31 56.57% 400 9.51
Strong Black Bess Stout 22 1034.9 1015.1 2.48 56.73% 300 8.89
Dunmow Flitch Stout 22 1035.4 1015.3 2.51 56.78% 550 8.76
Watney Hammerton's Stout 30 1046.8 1019.9 3.47 57.48% 375 8.66
Cobbold Double Stout 20 1036.1 1015.3 2.60 57.62% 250 7.69
Tollemache Oatmeal Stout 20 1033.1 1013.9 2.48 58.01% 475 8.08
Sampson Oatmeal Stout 22 1033.1 1013.7 2.42 58.61% 250 9.07
Whitbread Mackeson Stout 32 1046.4 1019.2 3.51 58.62% 300 9.13
Meux Stout 22 1037.7 1015.4 2.88 59.15% 375 7.65
Meux Night Cap Special 32 1044.3 1017.9 3.40 59.59% 350 9.40
Hope & Anchor Jubilee Stout 26 1038.7 1015.6 2.89 59.69% 225 9.00
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.


Not so Sweet Stout in 1960
Brewer Beer Price per pint d OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation colour price per % ABV
Nicholson Stout 20 1031.3 1012.2 2.39 61.02% 225 8.38
Hall & Woodhouse Oatmeal Badger Stout 19 1033 1012.8 2.53 61.21% 275 7.52
Brickwoods Admiral Stout 22 1037.3 1014.4 2.86 61.39% 275 7.69
Flowers Sable Stout 30 1043.7 1016.7 3.38 61.78% 275 8.89
Charrington Anchor Stout 20 1034.6 1013.1 2.78 62.14% 350 7.21
Charles Wells Stout 24 1040.9 1015.3 3.20 62.59% 200 7.50
Gibbs, Mew Extra Stout 18 1033.9 1012.2 2.71 64.01% 375 6.64
Fremlin Nourishing Stout 22 1033.5 1011.8 2.80 64.78% 300 7.85
Shepherd Neame Oatmeal Stout 20 1029 1010.2 2.35 64.83% 200 8.51
C.E. Cook Nourishing Stout 16 1034.3 1012 2.79 65.01% 350 5.74
George Gale Nourishing Stout 20 1032.6 1011.4 2.65 65.03% 375 7.55
Watney Dairymaid Stout 22 1032.6 1011.2 2.77 65.64% 250 7.95
Marstons Mello Sweet Stout 28 1039.9 1013.7 3.28 65.66% 250 8.55
Hunter & Oliver London Stout 20 1033.2 1011.3 2.74 65.96% 250 7.31
Ridley Stout 21 1032.7 1011.1 2.70 66.06% 350 7.78
Whitbread Oatmeal Stout 24 1038.9 1013.1 3.34 66.32% 250 7.19
Beasley London Stout 20 1032.8 1010.6 2.77 67.68% 325 7.21
John R. Fielder Stout 19 1035.7 1011.4 3.04 68.07% 600 6.26
Threllfall Extra Stout (lactose absent) 25 1043.5 1013.8 3.71 68.28% 175 6.73
Young & Co. Stout 22 1037.4 1011.4 3.25 69.52% 600 6.77
Charrington Punch Stout 29 1046.1 1014 4.16 69.63% 300 6.97
Simonds Luncheon Stout 20 1034.4 1010.4 3.11 69.77% 6.44
Young & Co. Mellow Stout 30 1044.3 1012.9 3.93 70.88% 375 7.64
Watney Reids Special Stout 26 1044.9 1012.9 4.15 71.27% 175 6.27
Burt Extra Stout 26 1041.2 1011.5 3.71 72.09% 350 7.00
Morland Stout 20 1033.7 1009.4 3.04 72.11% 300 6.58
Shepherd Neame Double Stout 24 1032.4 1008.4 3.00 74.07% 175 8.00
Hewitt Bros. Oatmeal Stout 22 1041.6 1009.7 3.99 76.68% 250 5.52
Guinness Draught Guinness 21 1037 1007.1 3.89 80.81% 150 5.40
Guinness Draught Guinness 22 1040 1005.3 4.52 86.75% 150 4.86
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.
Just Strong Ale and Lager to go.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I can never keep this settled in my head - is this a period when the line between porter and stout was more blurry or less blurry in the eyes of drinkers and breweres? Or has it been pretty consistently wiggly over the past 100 some years?