Monday 29 April 2019

Provincial bottled Pale Ale on the eve of WW II

Bottled Pale Ales came in a wide variety of strengths, from as weak as 1030º to as high as 1056º. The prices charged varied accordingly. In most cases, you got what you paid for. Though the size of the container mattered. Beer sold in half pints worked out slightly more expensive per pint. While that sold in quarts was slightly cheaper.

Provincial bottled Pale Ale under 6.5d per pint
Year Brewer Beer Price per pint (d) OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation
1936 Beer & Rigden Pale Ale 5.5 1030.6 1004.2 3.43 86.27%
1938 Shepherd Neame Pale Ale 5.5 1031.4 1005.1 3.42 83.76%
1935 Wethered Family Pale Ale 5.5 1031 1006 3.25 80.65%
1934 Tollemache Light Bitter 5.75 1041 1006.3 4.52 84.63%
1937 Georges Bitter Ale 6 1035.4 1007.3 3.65 79.38%
1936 Hey White Rose Table Ale 6 1034 1005.5 3.71 83.82%
1936 Hope Brewery Sun Bright Pale Ale 6 1044.7 1008.4 4.73 81.21%
1935 Steward & Patteson Bitter Ale 6 1030 1003.7 3.42 87.67%
1936 Tamplin Pale Ale 6 1031.7 1002.8 3.77 91.17%
1935 Anglo Bavarian Pale Ale 6.375 1047 1015.3 4.10 67.45%
1935 Northampton Brewery Pale Ale 1032 1008.2 3.08 74.37%
1936 Vaux Pale Ale 1033 1006.5 3.44 80.30%
Average 5.86 1035.2 1006.6 3.71 81.72%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Thomas Usher Gravity Book held at the Scottish Brewing Archive document TU/6/11,


Most examples are, as you would expect, in the low 1030ºs. The exception being the Hope Brewery beer. That could be because it was packaged in a can. There’s a good chance that it wasn’t a full pint in size. The Tollemache Light Bitter is slightly cheaper than you’d expect because it came in a quart bottle.

The rate of attenuation is extremely high, with the exception of a couple of examples, notably the Anglo Bavarian one. The high attenuation means that, despite there being some low-gravity examples, all come in at well over 3% ABV.

The next price class up, approximately 7d per pint, is much the same as 6d draught beers, in terms of strength. Though the Walmer Ale is a real outlier at just under 1030º. Most of the other examples are somewhere around 1040º.

Provincial bottled Pale Ale under 6.5d to 7.5d per pint
Year Brewer Beer Price per pint (d) OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation
1934 Eldridge Pope Crystal Ale 7 1037 1007.3 3.86 80.27%
1938 Fremlin Elephant Ale 7 1042.5 1013.1 3.81 69.18%
1938 Green Lutonian Pale Ale 7 1035 1005 3.91 85.71%
1938 Lovibond Yeoman Ale 7 1043.9 1005.4 5.03 87.70%
1935 Mitchell & Butler Cape Ale 7 1040 1008.3 4.12 79.25%
1938 Simonds SB Ale 7 1036.4 1006.1 3.94 83.24%
1938 Thompson & Sons Walmer Ale 7 1029.8 1004 3.36 86.58%
1934 Woodhead Special Pale Ale 7 1033.5 1008.4 3.25 74.93%
1935 Mitchell & Butler All Bright Ale 7.5 1046 1008.6 4.87 81.30%
1934 John Smith Star Bright Ale 1038.6 1009.7 3.75 74.87%
1937 Magee Marshall Crown Ale 1037.5 1007 3.97 81.33%
1938 Melbourne Gold Cup 1040.8 1008.2 4.24 79.90%
1938 Unwin Pale Ale 1039 1005.7 4.34 85.38%
1934 Vaux Pale Ale 1040.5 1007.5 4.29 81.48%
Average 7.06 1038.6 1007.5 4.05 80.80%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Thomas Usher Gravity Book held at the Scottish Brewing Archive document TU/6/11,


The rate of attenuation is almost, but not quite, as high as in the weaker class. There’s just a single beer under 70%, Fremlin Elephant Ale.

The last table is proof that Pale Ales in the strongest were brewed in the province. Though the same ceiling – around 1055º – applied as elsewhere.

Provincial bottled Pale Ale above 7.5d per pint
Year Brewer Beer Price per pint (d) OG FG ABV App. Atten-uation
1938 Eldridge Pope Crystal Ale 8 1036.7 1005.9 4.01 83.92%
1936 Hey Golden Cup Ale 8 1047 1012.9 4.42 72.55%
1936 Hey White Rose Ale No. 5 8 1045 1013.6 4.07 69.78%
1936 John Smith No. 5 Special 8 1041 1012.7 3.66 69.02%
1935 Steward & Patteson Pale Ale 8 1046 1007.8 4.98 83.04%
1934 Strong Golden Ale 8 1044 1014 3.88 68.18%
1936 Tetley Yorkshire Ale 8.5 1051 1012.7 4.98 75.10%
1936 Flower Pale Ale 9 1053 1014 5.07 73.58%
1935 Morgans Pale Ale 9 1048 1018 3.87 62.50%
1935 Mitchell & Butler Export Pale Ale 11 1053 1008.4 5.83 84.15%
1936 Felinfoel Pale Ale 1051 1014.7 4.71 71.18%
1934 Fremlin Bitter Ale 1049 1001.3 6.27 97.35%
1937 Fremlin Gold Top English Stock Bbitter 1046.8 1003.2 5.71 93.16%
1936 John Smith Magnet Pale Ale 1056 1014.2 5.44 74.64%
1934 John Smith Pale Ale 1050.3 1011.9 4.99 76.34%
Average 8.55 1047.9 1011.0 4.79 76.97%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.


The rate of attenuation doesn’t average out quite as high as in the other classes, but there is the most highly attenuated of all: Fremlin Bitter Ale. With a finishing gravity of just 1001.3, it must have been bone dry. The label states "almost sugar free" which is certainly true.

I suspect that this is the ancestor of Whitbread’s Stock Bitter bottled beer of the 1970s. Not so strange, as Whitbread did take over Fremlin

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