Boddington Bitter 1920 - 1938

Now I've started on the Boddington Bitter odyssey, I just don't know when. Well, I sort of do: when I've got through all the brewing records of theirs that I have.

In brief, there a little wobbling around of the gravity, but in 1938 it was very close to where it had been in 1920 - the mid 1040º's. The gravity did vary a bit from brew to brew, sometimes as much as 2º of 3º over a couple of days, or even on the same day. That said, the OG did rise a little in the 1920s, then fall back again from 1932 on. The timing is no coincidence. A tax increase in 1931 saw the gravity of many beers fall.

The variation in ABV is even greater than the variations in gravity. For the simple reason that the rate of attenuation also changed, increasing from under 70% in the early 1920s to an average of around 75% later in the decade. A level it maintained throughout the 1930s.

There was also fluctuations both up and down of the hopping rate, with it ending 50% higher what it had been at the strart of the period we're looking at. Not sure what the reason behind this might have. In 1920, I can understand it being low as hop imports hadn't been fully restored. I would have expected the rate to increase later in the decade. Though why it would then fall again is a mystery. As is the sharp increase after 1932.

A similar increase can be observed in the dry-hopping rate, though that started a few years later in 1935. I have no explanation for this, either.

Overall, there weren't too many changes in the basic specs of Boddington Bitter between the wars. Did that extend to the4 ingredients used to brew it? We'll find out next time.

Boddington Bitter 1920 - 1938
Year	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	dry hops (oz / barrel)
1920	1046	1016	3.97	65.22%	4.44	1.15	2.63
1921	1048	1015	4.37	68.75%	4.59	1.18	2.70
1922	1048	1015	4.37	68.75%	4.44	1.35	2.70
1923	1049	1015	4.50	69.39%	5.29	1.54	2.74
1924	1048	1014	4.50	70.83%	5.29	1.55	2.75
1925	1049.5	1011	5.09	77.78%	5.14	1.50	2.66
1926	1049	1011	5.03	77.55%	4.59	1.39	2.62
1927	1050.5	1011	5.23	78.22%	4.86	1.46	2.74
1928	1047.5	1012	4.70	74.74%	4.85	1.41	2.74
1929	1048.5	1012	4.83	75.26%	4.89	1.42	2.76
1930	1049.5	1013	4.83	73.74%	5.00	1.44	2.79
1932	1047.5	1011	4.83	76.84%	5.00	1.34	2.87
1933	1048.25	1011	4.93	77.20%	6.08	1.70	2.15
1934	1047.25	1009	5.06	80.95%	6.02	1.68	2.02
1935	1047	1013	4.50	72.34%	7.72	1.62	3.99
1936	1045.5	1011.5	4.50	74.73%	7.73	1.58	4.05
1937	1045.75	1010.5	4.66	77.05%	7.69	1.57	4.02
1938	1045.25	1011	4.53	75.69%	6.92	1.37	3.91
Sources:
Boddington brewing records held at Manchester Central Library, document numbers M693/405/127 and M693/405/128.