Exhibit of Foreign and Colonial Beers (part six)

I hope you're enjoying this series. Because there's loads more of it still to come.

We're looking at some more European beers. Starting with Austria.

Austrian samples
Exhibitors	Country	Samples	Style
Nussdorfer Bierbrauerei, (Bachofew and Medinger)	Austria	Vienna Maerzenbier	Märzen
Alt-Pilsenetzer Brauhaua	Austria	Pilsen, Sterilised	Pils
Alt-Pilsenetzer Brauhaua	Austria	Pilsen, Non-sterilised	Pils
Source:
The Brewers' Journal vol. 38 1902, November 15th 1902, page 672 - 674.

This is their opinion of them.

Austria.— The non-sterilised Pilsen of the "Alt-Pilsenetzer Brauhaus” was one of the best European beers sampled, of good character, flavour, and condition. It is awarded three marks. The sterilised sample was not so good. Two marks are given.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 38 1902, November 15th 1902, page 672 - 674.

No surprise that a good Lager should come from Austria. Especially when not sterilised.

Holland provided just a single. Surprisingly, not from one of the big Lager breweries, but from a Trappist monastery.

Dutch samples
Exhibitors	Country	Samples	Style
Bierbrouwerij de Schaapskooi, Bij Tilburg Trappiat Monastery	Holland	Trappisten Bier (as exported to Java)	Trappist
Source:
The Brewers' Journal vol. 38 1902, November 15th 1902, page 672 - 674.

The judges seemed to like it, though. 

Holland.—Three marks are given the Trappist Monastery beer as exported to Java. It was a very fine dark lager, but somewhat sweeter than Munich beer.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 38 1902, November 15th 1902, page 672 - 674.

Was it really a Dark Lager? Or was it a dark top-fermenting beer?

Sweden only provided two beers, both of them Porter. One of which, Carnegie Porter is still knocking around today. And an excellent beer. A personal favourite of mine.

Swedish samples
Exhibitors	Country	Samples	Style
Carlston Brygueri, Stockholm	Sweden	Porter	Porter
D. Carnegie and Co., Göteborg	Sweden	Porter	Porter
Source:
The Brewers' Journal vol. 38 1902, November 15th 1902, page 672 - 674.

Sweden.—The porter of Messrs. D. Carnegie and Co., Goteborg, was a very good sample of excellent condition and carrying a fine head. Three marks are awarded. The porter of the “Carlsten Bryggeri” was too sweet, and had a burnt flavour. It is awarded one mark.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 38 1902, November 15th 1902, page 672 - 674. 

 They seemed to like the Carlsten Porter much less than the Carnegie.

1780 - 1815 Cellarmanship

Well, that's the 1970s finished. Time to look further back. All the way to the 18th century. Which is about as far back as I go.

Just as with cask-conditioned beer today, all the care taken in brewing a good beer was in vain if it was poorly handled in the cellar.

The text below is taken from "A Treatise on the Brewing of Beer" by E. Hughes, Uxbridge, 1796, pages 34-37.

"Beware, lest you forget to pay attention to your beer which is at tap; for, "as the eye of the master maketh his horse fat", so the head of a family, now and then giving a look into his cellar, may be the cause of beer drinking more agreeable to his palate, by taking care that the vent-holes are kept closely stopped, and the cocks secure.

"Do not fail to stoop your cask when the beer is about two parts in three out; this should be done whilst the tap is spending, for then you will not disturb the sediment. By stooping the cask when the beer is about two parts in three out will prevent it from becoming flat and sour; when, on the other hand, it is too frequently to be observed when a person is drawing a pot of beer, the stream is impeded; for the beer, being so nearly out, will not run till it is stooped. Now before this, the cock discharging the beer but slowly, the air is admitted into the cask, which causes the beer to drink flat, and, perhaps, turn sour: therefore this will enforce the necessity of stooping your cask before it be so nearly out."

Stooping I take to be tipping up the cask. Which you need to do to get the last of the beer out of a cask. Interesting  that the author recommends that this is done while the tap is open. That sounds rather counterintuitive.

"This is a fault with many publicans, not paying attention to their cellars; even many who brew their own beer are neglectful, notwithstanding their own interest and credit is concerned. Tis not uncommon for the vent-peg, and even the bung, to be left out of those casks which are actually on draught.

"Publicans, who retail common brewer's beer, and neglect their cellars, have this excuse, if their customers find fault with the beer, by saying "tis such beer as my brewer sends me," so it may be; but let a publican be served with beer of the first quality, it entirely depends on the management of the retailer thereof, whether the beer shall be of good or bad quality. This is proved by persons in the same town, each being served with beer from one and the same brew-house; there will be generally a disparity in the quality after it comes into the stock of the respective retailers thereof, which proves it to be the good or bad management in the cellar."

Just as today, there was plenty of room for the publican to fuck up a good beer, either through ignorance or laziness.

"I am convinced I shall not offend the attentive publican by what I have said respecting the cellar; but should this fall into the hands of the inattentive, it may offend; but that I will excuse, if, by the reading of this, he should be convinced of his error, and pay more attention to his cellar; that he may be enabled to draw a pot of beer to please those useful and valuable men, the labourer and the mechanic; and where they used to drink but one pot of beer with him, they may, from finding his ale much better than usual, perhaps, drink two." 

There you have it: if the beer was well looked after, customers would drink more. I don't think I can argue with that.
 

Whitbread Porter grists 1805 - 1940

Another crazily data-heavy post. Before you ask, I tried to make it into a stacked bar chart, but Excel told me my data was too complicated.

I still think the data in table form does make some trends very visible. Like the near-constancy of brown malt. The rise of black malt and its replacement by chocolate malt. Flirts with sugar in the late 19th century before its definitive adoption in 1902.

No adjuncts. Apart from maybe tiny quantities of oats, which may have been in flaked form. Though they could also have been malted. The records don't specify the form. Their presence is purely on account of Porter being parti-gyled with Stout. Some of which was sold as Oatmeal Stout. The tiny amount of oats was simply there for legal reasons.

The ups and downs of brown malt are also very evident. From a peak of 35% to a low of, well, nothing. Or 3%, if you look at it another way.

Mild malt takes a bow towards the end of Porter's life, making up part of the base malt. I assume for financial reasons.

Whitbread Porter grists 1805 - 1940
Year	pale malt	brown malt	black malt	amber malt	choc. Malt	mild malt	white malt	oats	total sugar
1805	78.95%	21.05%
1807	66.32%	16.84%		16.84%
1808	64.76%	35.24%
1809	76.12%	23.88%
1811	72.41%	27.59%
1812	64.76%	17.62%		17.62%
1813	52.62%	25.51%		21.87%
1814	77.94%	22.06%
1815	74.28%	25.72%
1816	54.56%	26.10%		19.34%
1817	87.89%	11.82%	0.30%
1818	69.57%	8.28%	0.41%				21.74%
1819	91.39%	7.82%	0.78%
1821	94.78%	4.01%	1.20%
1822	95.78%	3.07%	1.15%
1823	75.84%	4.07%	4.07%				16.02%
1824	95.39%	3.41%	1.19%
1825	98.80%		1.20%
1826	98.63%		1.37%
1827	98.78%		1.22%
1828	98.82%		1.18%
1829	98.63%		1.37%
1830	98.27%		1.73%
1831	98.44%		1.56%
1832	88.00%	10.59%	1.41%
1833	87.06%	11.32%	1.62%
1834	87.85%	10.09%	2.06%
1835	88.45%	9.63%	1.93%
1836	76.58%	20.54%	2.88%
1837	89.49%	7.93%	2.58%
1838	85.52%	12.07%	2.41%
1839	85.52%	12.07%	2.41%
1840	85.52%	12.07%	2.41%
1841	81.10%	16.26%	2.64%
1842	81.10%	16.26%	2.64%
1843	81.10%	16.26%	2.64%
1844	80.93%	16.23%	2.84%
1845	80.93%	16.23%	2.84%
1846	76.58%	20.54%	2.88%
1847	77.40%	19.66%	2.95%
1848	76.42%	20.50%	3.08%
1849	77.02%	19.56%	3.42%
1850	76.27%	20.46%	3.27%
1851	76.27%	20.46%	3.27%
1852	76.27%	20.46%	3.27%
1853	77.02%	19.56%	3.42%
1854	75.83%	20.49%	3.69%
1855	75.83%	20.49%	3.69%
1856	76.64%	19.46%	3.89%
1857	76.64%	19.46%	3.89%
1858	76.64%	19.46%	3.89%
1859	75.83%	20.49%	3.69%
1860	75.83%	20.49%	3.69%
1861	75.83%	20.49%	3.69%
1862	76.27%	19.37%	4.36%
1863	76.27%	19.37%	4.36%
1864	75.90%	19.28%	4.82%
1865	80.63%	14.18%	5.20%
1866	81.01%	14.24%	4.75%
1867	43.42%	11.03%	6.07%						39.49%
1868	74.20%	9.42%	4.71%						11.67%
1869	72.68%	11.08%	5.54%						10.71%
1870	79.15%		6.03%						14.82%
1871	84.21%	9.87%	5.92%
1872	94.25%		5.75%
1873	88.72%		5.28%						5.99%
1874	87.20%	7.38%	5.41%
1875	75.47%	14.37%	5.75%						4.41%
1876	79.35%	15.11%	5.54%
1877	79.75%	14.47%	5.79%
1878	80.67%	13.88%	5.45%
1879	83.30%	10.69%	6.01%
1880	84.70%	9.31%	5.99%
1881	85.67%	7.96%	6.37%
1882	83.82%	9.37%	6.81%
1883	80.81%	12.79%	6.40%
1884	77.14%	14.37%	8.49%
1885	76.06%	15.75%	8.19%
1886	84.98%	8.29%	6.73%
1887	84.98%	8.29%	6.73%
1888	86.96%	6.78%	6.26%
1889	84.00%	8.96%	7.04%
1890	86.94%	6.53%	6.53%
1890	83.22%	8.70%	8.08%
1891	78.57%	9.88%	6.97%						4.58%
1892	79.82%	7.02%	7.02%						6.14%
1893	84.00%	8.30%	7.70%
1894	82.34%	9.74%	7.92%
1895	85.44%	6.85%	7.71%
1896	86.31%	6.44%	7.25%
1898	86.30%	6.58%	7.12%
1899	86.56%	6.72%	6.72%
1900	85.67%	7.16%	7.16%
1901	85.67%	7.16%	7.16%
1902	80.34%	10.16%	6.77%						2.73%
1903	80.43%	9.65%	6.76%						3.17%
1904	78.29%	9.54%	7.16%						5.01%
1905	78.01%	9.66%	7.25%						5.07%
1906	76.75%	9.83%	7.62%						5.80%
1907	73.74%	10.29%	8.70%						7.27%
1908	74.27%	10.08%	8.53%						7.12%
1909	75.76%	10.19%	8.49%						5.57%
1910	73.66%	10.06%	7.94%						8.34%
1911	72.35%	10.42%	8.23%					0.36%	8.64%
1912	72.89%	10.19%	7.90%					0.33%	8.69%
1913	73.38%	10.39%	8.31%					0.27%	7.64%
1914	74.63%	10.48%	6.29%					0.34%	8.25%
1915	70.19%	10.19%	8.49%						11.14%
1916	73.31%	10.13%	7.94%						8.62%
1917	70.35%	10.54%	8.35%						10.76%
1918	71.97%	12.32%	9.24%						6.47%
1919	67.49%	11.37%	8.12%					0.71%	12.31%
1920	66.91%	11.33%	8.50%					0.37%	12.89%
1921	62.86%	10.70%	10.17%					0.35%	15.92%
1922	68.39%	11.53%	10.61%					0.61%	8.88%
1924	65.77%	11.44%	2.18%		12.15%			0.36%	8.10%
1925	64.96%	11.25%	3.37%		11.81%			0.74%	7.87%
1926	73.87%	7.09%			9.31%			0.62%	9.10%
1927	72.62%	6.29%			9.35%			0.55%	11.19%
1928	72.26%	6.79%			8.91%			0.49%	11.55%
1929	72.74%	6.83%			8.97%			0.50%	10.96%
1930	72.74%	6.83%			8.97%			0.50%	10.96%
1931	72.71%	6.52%			8.55%			0.61%	11.61%
1932	70.12%	6.75%			8.86%			0.74%	13.53%
1933	71.58%	6.88%			9.03%			0.69%	11.81%
1936	54.57%	6.11%			8.02%	18.46%		0.80%	12.04%
1937	54.28%	6.08%			7.98%	18.36%		0.80%	12.50%
1938	54.42%	6.10%			8.00%	17.61%		1.60%	12.27%
1938	54.57%	6.11%			8.02%	18.46%		0.80%	12.04%
1939	72.83%	6.10%			8.00%			0.80%	12.27%
1940	57.32%	6.07%			7.96%	19.90%		0.80%	7.96%
Sources:
Whitbread brewing records held at the Lonndon Metropolitan Archives, document numbers LMA/4453/D/09/001 to LMA.4453/D/09/126.