Let's Brew Wednesday - 1878 Adnams AK

Ooh, yes. An AK. One of my favourite obsessions, AK is. I can remember how excited when I found my first one in a Fullers brewing record.

AK was the classic name for the new-fangled type of running Pale Ale which was all the rage in the second half of the 19th century. A type of beer brewed by dozens, if not hundreds, of breweries across England. And definitely not a fucking Light Mild.

In typical 19th-century style, there’s very little to the recipe. One type of malt, one type of sugar and one of hops. Very simple stuff. Unlike some modern recipes, with half a dozen malts, five types of hops and all sorts of other shit, like vanilla, lactose and fruit juice.

While today this would count as a Best Bitter with its gravity of well over 1040º. At the time, it was considered as a Light Beer. AKs were often described as “Light Bitter Ale” or "Luncheon Ale".

1878 Adnams AK
mild malt	5.50 lb	66.67%
No. 1 invert sugar	2.75 lb	33.33%
Goldings 105 mins	3.00 oz
Goldings 30 mins	3.00 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.50 oz
OG	1044
FG	1010
ABV	4.50
Apparent attenuation	77.27%
IBU	79
SRM	7
Mash at	152º F
Sparge at	172º F
Boil time	105 minutes
pitching temp	65º F
Yeast	WLP025 Southwold