Let's Brew Wednesday - 1921 Barclay Perkins PA

PA, Barclay’s flagship Pale Ale, disappeared in the middle of the war. And didn’t return until 1921. I suspect that, initially at least, it was a beer destined purely for export.

I say that for a couple of reasons. First, it was produced in tiny quantities: this batch was just 27.5 barrels. Secondly, in some of the records from a little later it specifically says “PA export”. When a domestic version of PA did return, that had an OG of 1052.6º.

The recipe is extremely simple: pale malt and No. 1 invert sugar. Which is another reason this beer shouts export at me: classy ingredients. The grist is slightly more complicated than it appears from the recipe, part of the base being PA malt, the best-quality type of pale malt.

The hops continue the classy theme: East Kent from the 1921 crop, Mid Kent from 1920 and Saaz, also from 1920. All had been kept in a cold store. The dry hops are East Kent (1921).

It looks very much like the domestic PA from 1914. That too was brewed from just pale malt and No. 1 invert sugar. Though the proportion of malt is higher here, and the hopping a little less heavy.

1921 Barclay Perkins PA
pale malt	11.75 lb	90.32%
No. 1 invert sugar	1.26 lb	9.68%
Fuggles 150 mins	1.50 oz
Saaz 90 mins	1.50 oz
Goldings 60 mins	2.00 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.50 oz
OG	1059.5
FG	1018
ABV	5.49
Apparent attenuation	69.75%
IBU	60
SRM	6
Mash at	149º F
Sparge at	172º F
Boil time	150 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread Ale