US Lagers 1955 - 1962

A little interlude from watery Mild recipes and travel tales. US Lagers from 50-60 years ago.

You may recognise a couple of the names. I think a couple might even still be brewed.

I was reasonably surprised to see that they mostly have pretty decent OGs. For the most part, 1048º or above. So a full 12º Plato. They're around the strength I'd excpect from continental European Pilsners of the same period. My guess would be that modern versions of Miller and Budweiser are more highly attenuated, but lower in gravity.

I'm not sure what the Lowenbrau beer is. It's not quite strong enough to be a Bock. But too strong for a pilsner. I assume - because of how it was listed in the Whitbread Gravity Book - that it was brewed somewhere in the US. Presumably under licence from the Munich brewery.

I'll be back to the same old boring shit next. Just thought I'd make use of these data shavings.

US Lagers 1955 - 1962
Year	Brewer	Beer	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	colour	package
1955	Liebmann	Rheingold Extra Dry Lager	1049.8	1011.6	4.97	76.71%	6	can
1955	National Brewery	Beer	1050.9	1011	5.19	78.39%	10	bottled
1955	Pabst	Blue Ribbon	1048.9	1011.7	4.84	76.07%	9	can
1956	Miller, Milwuakee	High Life	1045.7	1012.3	4.33	73.09%	6	can
1960	Lowenbrau	Light Special	1061.1	1014	5.89	77.09%	5	bottled
1960	Schlitz	Beer	1048.6	1012.5	4.51	74.28%	5	bottled
1962	Ballantine	Light Lager Beer	1047.9	1013.7	4.28	71.40%	4.5	bottled
1962	Budweiser	Lager Beer	1048.7	1011.7	4.63	75.98%	4.5	bottled
1962	Miller	High Life	1048.6	1011.2	4.67	76.95%	6	bottled
1962	Pabst	Blue Ribbon Beer	1049.3	1011.3	4.75	77.08%	5.5	bottled
1962	Schaefer	Lager Beer	1049.2	1012.7	4.56	74.19%	6	bottled
1962	Schlitz	Beer	1049.2	1012.5	4.59	74.59%	6.5	bottled
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.