Saturday 24 February 2018

Let's Brew - 1966 Boddington IP

I’m intrigued to see how Boddington’s Bitter developed in recent times. So another recipe, this time from a few years earlier.

This is taken from a photo that I didn’t take myself. It’s one of Bailey’s (of Boak & Bailey). I’m very glad he sent me some photos as they fill in a gap my own.

The most obvious difference with the 1971 version is the gravity, which is three points higher. There’s also no lager malt in this one. Otherwise, the grist is very similar: pale malt, enzymic malt, wheat, flaked maize and sugar. The same three proprietary sugars, DMS, Fla. And Br. As someone pointed out, DMS is probably Diastatic Malt Syrup.

The hops are very vague again. I all know is that they were English. And there were slightly fewer that in 1971.

The rate of attenuation is very high, just a tad under 90%, which must have left a very dry beer.

Where next? 1950s or 1980s?


1966 Boddington IP
pale malt 7.00 lb 80.00%
enzymic malt 0.25 lb 2.86%
wheat 0.25 lb 2.86%
flaked maize 0.25 lb 2.86%
No. 2 invert sugar 1.00 lb 11.43%
Fuggles 90 min 1.00 oz
Goldings 30 min 0.75 oz
Goldings dry hops 0.25 oz
OG 1038.5
FG 1004
ABV 4.56
Apparent attenuation 89.61%
IBU 23
SRM 6
Mash at 150º F
Sparge at 168º F
Boil time 90 minutes
pitching temp 62.5º F
Yeast Wyeast 1318 London ale III (Boddingtons)

9 comments:

Stuart Carter said...

it's fascinating seeing how the grist of this one beer has changed so much!

Mike in NSW said...

Thanks for that recipe. For the last few months my "house beer" has been a 1955 recipe sent to me by a gent in Blackburn whom you'd know.

Yes, some lager malt being post WW2, similar %ABV and the various sugars etc but the major difference seems to be in the hops. The 1955 calls for Brewers Gold, EKG and Bramling Cross for a respectable IBU of around 37 and, tasting it, I was taken back to my first pint of Boddingtons when I visited Greater Manchester in the mid 70s when it struck me as extremely bitter compared to my usual Brains SA.

Would IBU have been 23? sounds a bit low.

For attenuation I've been using Thames Valley that Wy show as their most attenuating yeast, but will try White Labs English Dry Ale next. However I didn't think London Ale III was all that attenuating? (only 64-74).

Another point: did Boddingtons do tank beer or was it all cask? If so was there a more bitter tank pale bitter around that I might have drunk? I know that other locals such as Duttons had bright tank, that later became Trophy.

Thom Farrell said...

So strange how they dont bother to record the hop varieties used.

Raoul Duke said...

Interesting..! Again just a small amount of encymatic malt.
Ron, I still wonder if the encymatic stuff was used for the same/similar reason than acidulated malt is used today, or am I thinking in the complete wrong direction - any idea?

From my Point - let's Rock 'n roll - bring on the 1950's recipe..!!!

Unknown said...

Hi Thom,
Brewers usually recorded either the grower/farmer or merchant, or even just a county or area , sometimes years ,and :If the brewery prefers to , weights and timings included with the hop charging !
Regards
Edd

Unknown said...

Hi Mike ,
Reminded me that I've got one 'Dutton's' beer to do !!

Cheers
Edd

Mike in NSW said...

I believe it was for pH adjustment for some reason.

Also the DMS was diastatic malt extract, again why such a small quantity - did they actually do lab tests on incoming batches of base malts to determine °Lintner and tweak recipes on a daily basis ? I've been putting in some modern non diastatic stuff just to give whatever slight flavour profile it might add.

Thanks Edd. The Duttons is an absolute cracker as well. Lovely stuff. BTW I got the Boddingtons date wrong: 1953.

Unknown said...

Hi Mike ,
A reasonably large regional brewery like Boddingtons, or Dutton's, Magee's would have had labs testing almost everything from raw ingredients used in the process, particularly those brewers who were also Maltsters .
Eg Magee's were swabbing TV's post emptying & cleaning in the late 1950's !.
Technical analysis is one of the reasons for base malt % altering in recipies ( as well as colour).
Cheers
Edd

PS: I'm not from Blackburn (nowt again it though) , I'm from Wigan !!

Unknown said...

Whoops , guess I've done a 1953 and a 1955 version !! , you had a crack at the Wilson's yet mate? ,
Cheers
Edd