Let's Brew - 1885 Thomas Usher 40/- B

Let’s kick off Usher’s beers with the surprisingly watery Forty Bob. Looking like a 1918 beer at a gravity of just 1030º. And not even 3% ABV. Though the real FG might have been lower.

This could easily have been called as Table Beer. And might well have been a couple of decades before. But, along with the tax category, the term itself had become obsolete. How was this drunk? Probably with food. At home.

It’s a very simple recipe of just pale malt and sugar. An undefined type of sugar. No. 2 invert is just my conservative guess.

Most off the hops are Californian. With 20% from Alsace. From the 1883 and 1884 harvests, respectively. The dry hops are my guess.

1885 Thomas Usher 40/- B
pale malt	5.75 lb	88.46%
No. 2 invert sugar	0.75 lb	11.54%
Cluster 120 min	0.75 oz
Cluster 30 min	0.25 oz
Strisselspalt 30 min	0.25 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.25 oz
OG	1030
FG	1011
ABV	2.51
Apparent attenuation	63.33%
IBU	25
SRM	5
Mash at	148º F
Sparge at	175º F
Boil time	120 minutes
pitching temp	57.5º F
Yeast	WLP028 Edinburgh Ale