Tuesday 29 October 2019

Lees Best Mild grists 1946 - 1955

More on Mild Ale just after WW II. This time looking in detail at a particularly atypical beer, Lees Best Mild.

Mild grists mostly consisted of base malt – quite often mild malt – crystal malt, flaked maize and sugar. Though there are examples of much more complex grists, Lees Best Mild being a particularly good example.

Unlike the vast majority of Mild Ales, Lees Best Mild contained grains darker than crystal malt. In many versions, there were multiple coloured grains. Some of the grain choices seem rather odd. For example, including both black and chocolate malt. Usually, brewers used either one or the other.

In addition, at a certain point there was also that 1940s and 1950s favourite, enzymatic malt. Whose purpose, presumably, was to increase the diastatic power of the grist. Though it seems that this was probably a waste of time.

Less Best Mild was unusual in not containing any adjuncts. At least not after 1946 when the flaked barley demanded by the government during the was and immediately afterwards was ditched. Oddly, from 1953 onwards it contained a small quantity of oats. At just over 2% of the grist, I’m not sure how much impact it would have had on the character of the finished beer.

The easing of government restrictions is evident in the increase in the percentage of sugar, which just about doubled to 20%. During the war brewers were only allowed to employ a limited amount of sugar, much being reserved for use in food.


Lees Best Mild malts 1946 - 1955
Date Year OG pale malt brown malt black malt choc. Malt crystal malt enzymic malt
18th Mar 1946 1033 77.33% 1.33%
1st Apr 1946 1033 72.00% 1.33%
15th Dec 1948 1032 73.85% 2.31% 9.23% 2.31%
20th Jun 1950 1035 82.22% 0.87% 3.50% 1.75%
10th Mar 1952 1034 66.67% 2.38% 2.38% 4.76% 4.76%
19th Oct 1953 1033 71.49% 1.77% 0.88% 3.53% 3.53%
15th Jul 1954 1035 68.27% 1.69% 0.84% 3.37% 3.37%
2nd May 1955 1035 68.27% 1.69% 0.84% 3.37% 3.37%
Sources:
Lees brewing records held at the brewery.


Lees Best Mild adjuncts and sugars 1946 - 1955
Date Year OG oats flaked barley glucose invert sugar other sugar Total sugar
18th Mar 1946 1033 10.67% 5.33% 5.33% 10.67%
1st Apr 1946 1033 16.00% 5.33% 5.33% 10.67%
15th Dec 1948 1032 6.15% 6.15% 12.31%
20th Jun 1950 1035 2.33% 2.33% 7.00% 11.66%
10th Mar 1952 1034 6.35% 12.70% 19.05%
19th Oct 1953 1033 2.33% 4.71% 11.77% 16.47%
15th Jul 1954 1035 2.23% 2.25% 4.50% 13.49% 20.23%
2nd May 1955 1035 2.23% 4.50% 2.25% 13.49% 20.23%
Sources:
Lees brewing records held at the brewery.

1 comment:

qq said...

For Lees Best Milds from 1950-63, see https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2010/08/lees-best-mild-1950-1963.html