Saturday 16 April 2022

Let's Brew - 1888 Hancock BA

The other Pale Ale is Hancock’s portfolio looks much more normal. In terms of colour, I mean.

The reason is simple: the No. 1 invert sugar you would expect, rather than the No. 3 weirdly used in BB. It’s still a massive 40% of the grist. They certainly loved their sugar down in Somerset.

At a bit over 1060º, it’s a similar gravity to the best London Pale Ales. I suppose the Victorian equivalent of Best Bitter. Not that it would have been called that in the 1880s. Was it brewed as a Stock Ale? Possibly. It is a good bit more heavily hopped: 6.5 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt compared to 5 lbs in BB.

Unlike their other beers, a single type of hops was used, Worcester from the 1887 crop. Goldings is just a guess. Which the dry-hopping, for once, isn’t. Hancock’s logs are some of the few which bothered to record it. At least the quantity. 

1888 Hancock BA
pale malt 6.50 lb 60.47%
No. 1 invert sugar 4.25 lb 39.53%
Goldings 90 mins 1.75 oz
Goldings 60 mins 1.75 oz
Goldings 30 mins 1.75 oz
Goldings dry hops 0.50 oz
OG 1061
FG 1016
ABV 5.95
Apparent attenuation 73.77%
IBU 63
SRM 9
Mash at 155º F
Sparge at 190º F
Boil time 90 minutes
pitching temp 58º F
Yeast White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity


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