Friday 15 December 2017

Warwicks & Richardsons beers in 1910

I’m so happy to have finally got my hands on a Newark brewing record. Especially as it’s from my favourite period: just before WW I.

And also because it matches up nicely with a Warwicks & Richardsons price list I have from 1906. It’s not a complete match, as I haven’t been able to find XXXX, B or Porter. On the other hand, there are a couple of beers that are in the brewing record, but not in the price list: HA (presumably Harvest Ale), XXX B and HB. 

I’ve been rethinking my ideas on Edwardian Mild. It’s clear that, outside London, X Ale and XX Ale were often below 1050º. Warwicks XXXX Ale, which I haven’t found in the brewing record, probably had an OG in the low 1060s. That I haven’t found it implies that it wasn’t brewed very often.

Though XXX Ale, which is around the strength of a London X Ale, was the commonest of the Warwicks Milds. Looking at the price list, I would have guessed that the four Mild Ales were parti-gyled in various combinations. But this wasn’t the case. Mostly they were brewed single-gyle, as were the Pale Ales.

Warwicks & Richardsons beers in 1910
Beer Style OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation lbs hops/ qtr hops lb/brl boil time (hours) Pitch temp max. fermen-tation temp
HA Mild 1036.6 1013.0 3.11 64.39% 3.85 0.56 2 1.5 61.5º F 69º F
X Mild 1043.8 1013.9 3.96 68.35% 4.98 0.86 2 1.5 61.5º F 69.5º F
XX Mild 1048.5 1014.7 4.47 69.71% 4.95 0.95 2 1.5 61.5º F 70º F
XXX Mild 1055.4 1016.3 5.17 70.50% 4.95 1.07 1.5 60º F 70º F
LBB Pale Ale 1042.7 1012.5 3.99 70.78% 3.68 0.62 2 1.5 62º F 70º F
TA Pale Ale 1050.1 1015.5 4.58 69.06% 5.82 1.00 2 1.5 62.5º F 69.5º F
BB Pale Ale 1052.6 1015.8 4.87 70.00% 6.58 1.38 2 1.5 62º F 70º F
XXX B Pale Ale 1049.9 1015.5 4.54 68.89% 6.58 1.31 2 1.5 62º F 70º F
IPA IPA 1059.8 1018.0 5.53 69.91% 7.40 1.84 2 1.5 61º F 70º F
A Strong Ale 1067.9 1022.4 6.01 66.94% 4.93 1.36 2 1.5 60º F 70º F
HB Strong Ale 1062.9 1019.9 5.68 68.28% 4.00 1.00 2 1.5 60º F 70º F
SS Stout 1053.7 1022.2 4.18 58.76% 4.83 1.12 2 1.5 60.5º F 70º F
DS Stout 1069.3 1028.0 5.46 59.60% 4.80 1.46 2 1.5 63º F 70º F
Source:
Warwicks & Richardsons brewing record held at the Nottinghamshire Archives, document number DD/NM/8/4/1.


The Strong Ales look weaker than in London. A London KK was around 1075º and a KKK 1085º at this date. Even the stronger (and missing from the log) B would only have been around 1073º.

SS, Single Stout, is only about the strength of  a London Porter. While DS, Double Stout, is well short of the 1080º gravity of Whitbread’s Double Stout in 1910. 

The Pale Ales are the one set that are similar to London strength. Whitbread’s four Pale Ales in 1910 ranged from 1048º to 1063º. Though their IPA was one of the weaker examples at just 1049º Whitbread’s strongest Pale Ale was simply called PA.

Warwicks & Richardsons beers and prices in 1910
Beer Style OG price per barrel price per gravity point
HA Mild 1036.6
X Mild 1043.8 36 0.823
XX Mild 1048.5 42 0.866
XXX Mild 1055.4 48 0.866
LBB Pale Ale 1042.7 36 0.844
TA Pale Ale 1050.1 42 0.838
BB Pale Ale 1052.6 48 0.912
XXX B Pale Ale 1049.9
IPA IPA 1059.8 54 0.903
A Strong Ale 1067.9 60 0.884
HB Strong Ale 1062.9
SS Stout 1053.7 42 0.782
DS Stout 1069.3 48 0.693
Sources:
Warwicks & Richardsons brewing record held at the Nottinghamshire Archives, document number DD/NM/8/4/1.
Lincolnshire Chronicle - Tuesday 25 December 1906, page 1.

2 comments:

Prunus Cerasus said...

Hi Ron,

Not sure what you have planned for Wednesday, but I'd be very interested to see a recipe for Warwick's 1910 XXX. Any chance that comes to light? Additional thoughts on the duration and character of the beer's fermentation would also be appreciated.

J. Karanka said...

If you remove the weakest beer the distribution of abvs is very similar to British microbreweries from the last ten years. Lots of pale ales in the 4-5% bracket, couple of dark beers occasionally, a strong IPA and some strong ales you roll out at festivals or sell bottled. I guess in the last few years 6& abv is not seen as that strong but seven or eight years ago it was pretty much an exceptional event.