Brown Ale and Double Brown Ale

Numbers, numbers, numbers. Where would this blog be without them? just full of words, that's what.

Brown Ale. I won't stoop to mention the invented catgorisation of Northern and Southern Brown Ale. Let's try using a more useful split: Brown Ale and Double Brown Ale.

Why split that way? because it just seems to make so much more sense. Especially as some brewers produced more than one Brown Ale. And they usually called the Stronger one Double Brown.

Barclay Perkins and Whitbread both brewed what I would call Double Brown. Even though, it Barclay Perkins case DBA stood for Doctor Brown Ale (after Doctor Johnson, their mascot) it fits the bill for a Double Brown. I suspect that they retrofitted the name Doctor.

There's a fair variety of strengths amongst the beers below. With Fremlin's Brown Ale at the bottom (1028.7º) and Newcastle Brown at the top (1060.1º). I suspect there was a similar variation in colour and character, but unfortunately I have no hard data.

Where to put the dividing line between Brown and Double Brown? I'd say somewhere around 1042º. But, like the difference between Bitter and Best Bitter, it's a hard one to pin down definitively. Any tipping point will necessarily be arbitrary.

Here's the table for you to contemplate and enjoy.

Brown Ale 1924 - 1938
Year	Brewer	country	Beer	Style	Price	size	package	Acidity	FG	OG	Colour	ABV	atten-uation
1931	Aitchison and Co	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled	0.06	1015.9	1047.9		4.14	66.81%
1929	Barclay Perkins	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled		1012.4	1047		4.49	73.62%
1930	Barclay Perkins	UK	Doctor Brown	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled		1016	1046		3.88	65.22%
1931	Barclay Perkins	UK	Doctor Brown	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled		1014.8	1046.5		4.10	68.17%
1931	Barclay Perkins	UK	Doctor Brown	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled	0.06	1014.6	1046.8		4.17	68.80%
1931	Barclay Perkins	UK	Doctor Brown	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled	0.07	1015.2	1046		3.99	66.96%
1932	Barclay Perkins	UK	Doctor Brown	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled	0.05	1015.4	1046		3.96	66.52%
1935	Barclay Perkins	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.07	1018.5	1049		3.94	62.24%
1936	Barclay Perkins	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.07	1017.2	1046		3.72	62.61%
1936	Barclay Perkins	UK	Doctor  Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled	0.06	1018	1048		3.87	62.50%
1938	Barclay Perkins	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled	0.05	1018.9	1046.8		3.60	59.62%
1931	Beard	UK	Double Brown	Brown Ale	7d	half pint	bottled	0.05	1009.2	1043.4		4.45	78.80%
1929	Campbell Praed	UK	Double Brown Ale	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled	0.07	1019.9	1053.4		4.33	62.73%
1929	Campbell Praed	UK	Double Brown Ale	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled	0.07	1017.5	1046.7		3.77	62.53%
1930	City of Winchester	UK	Double Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled		1008.2	1049		5.32	83.27%
1931	Davenport	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	6.5d	pint	bottled	0.07	1014.2	1044.8		3.96	68.30%
1929	Fremlin	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled		1007	1028.7		2.81	75.61%
1930	Fremlin	UK	Double Elephant Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled		1009	1043		4.42	79.07%
1931	Fremlin	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled	0.05	1007.2	1041.2		4.43	82.52%
1931	Fremlin	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled		1005.4	1035		3.85	84.57%
1931	Fremlin	UK	Double Elephant Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled		1004.6	1040.7		4.71	88.70%
1931	Fremlin	UK	Double Elephant Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled	0.05	1010.6	1041.1		3.96	74.21%
1934	Fremlin	UK	Double Elephant Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.05	1012.2	1043		3.99	71.63%
1935	Fremlin	UK	Double Elephant Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled	0.05	1010.3	1042		4.12	75.48%
1936	Fremlin	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled		1013.8	1041		3.52	66.34%
1936	Fremlin	UK	Double Elephant Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled	0.06	1012.2	1043		3.99	71.63%
1936	Fremlin	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	6d	pint	bottled	0.05	1007.6	1036.8		3.79	79.35%
1938	Fremlin	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled	0.04	1012.8	1041.8		3.76	69.38%
1929	Friary	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.06	1012.2	1045		4.25	72.89%
1928	Gilmour	UK	Nut Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled		1008.8	1043.8		4.55	79.91%
1932	Gilmour	UK	Nut Brown	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.08	1008.8	1033		3.14	73.33%
1929	Hodgson	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.06	1009	1040		4.03	77.50%
1932	Hoskins	UK	City Brown Ale	Brown Ale	6d	pint	bottled		1009.7	1036.6		3.49	73.50%
1929	Jenners	UK	Double Nut Brown	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.05	1011.8	1040.4		3.71	70.79%
1930	John Smith	UK	Double Brown Ale	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled		1014.8	1055		5.22	73.09%
1930	Kemp Town	UK	No. 1 Brown	Brown Ale	5.5d	half pint	bottled	0.07	1014.3	1057.4		5.61	75.09%
1930	Mew Langton	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled		1018.8	1047		3.64	60.00%
1928	Newcastle Breweries	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled	0.08	1012.5	1060.1		6.21	79.20%
1932	Northampton Brewery	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.05	1009.8	1038		3.66	74.21%
1929	Page and Overton	UK	Double Brown Ale	Brown Ale	5d	half pint	bottled	0.06	1011.7	1044.9		4.31	73.94%
1931	Pompey	UK	Double Brown	Brown Ale	6d	half pint	bottled	0.07	1009.3	1048.3		5.08	80.75%
1930	Portsmouth and Brighton Breweries	UK	Pompey Double Brown	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled	0.08	1008.3	1052		5.71	84.04%
1931	Shipstone	UK	Nut Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled		1010.9	1037.6		3.46	71.01%
1929	Steward and Patteson	UK	Norfolk Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled	0.08	1009.4	1035		3.32	73.14%
1930	Steward and Patteson	UK	Norfolk Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled	0.06	1011.8	1036.6		3.21	67.76%
1932	Stone, Wm.	UK	Nut Brown	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.05	1008.8	1036		3.53	75.56%
1931	Strong	UK	Treble Brown	Brown Ale	6d	half pint	bottled	0.05	1014.9	1057.2		5.50	73.95%
1932	Tennant Bros.	UK	Nut Brown	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.08	1008.9	1032		2.99	72.19%
1924	Vaux	UK	Maxim Ale	Brown Ale		pint	bottled			1043.6
1925	Vaux	UK	Maxim Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled		1011.1	1039.4		3.67	71.83%
1930	Vaux	UK	Dark Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled		1012.7	1058.7	40 + 6	6.00	78.36%
1932	Ward	UK	Nut Brown	Brown Ale		pint	bottled	0.06	1007.6	1035		3.56	78.29%
1928	West's	UK	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled		1006.1	1040.2		4.44	84.83%
	Average							0.06	1011.9	1043.84		4.1402	72.93%
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001

Phoenix - fifties pub

Moving on from the 1930's pub, here's a 1950's pub.

"From out of the past rose

THE "PHOENIX"

THE "Phoenix" is the third house to be built by the Company in Harlow new town, its licence was transferred on June 20th, 1957, from the "Old King's Head," Potter Street, which has now been demolished.

In common with other licensed premises in the new town the house is named after a moth.

In designing the new house the Company's Architects Department have, both from a planning and aesthetic approach, attempted to create a building truly representative of its environment. It is situated in the Tye Green neighbourhood centre, which houses young people, many of whom have closely followed the development of their local from a hole in the ground to the finished building.

Accent is on light, colour and space, yet still retaining the intimate qualities found in the Old English Inn.

The House consists of Public and Saloon Bar. Club Room and Off Licence. There are ample facilities for darts and the whole decor is bright and cheerful. Indoor plants have their place in the Saloon Bar where exotic varieties festoon the beech rod screens.

The bottle beer store is at ground-floor level which, by trolly feed system, allows for the easy replenishment of the display cabinets in both bars.

A completely self-contained flat with private entrance has been provided on the first floor for our tenant. Mr. W. J. Liddiard. The "Phoenix " is the third licence held by Mr. Liddiard, who in June this year celebrates 25 years with the Company. In 1933 he became landlord of the "Golden Lion." Lower Edmonton. but it was not until 1957 that he took over the "King's Head." Potter Street. Harlow, which closed for trading later that same year, the licence being transferred to the new "Phoenix."

We wish Mr. and Mrs. Liddiard and their son and daughter-in-law, all of whom take a very active part in the management of the "Phoenix," every success in their new house.

Looking out through the twenty foot window on the front elevation, the view is of the newly completed sports fields and beyond the rolling Essex Hills.

French casements lead out on to a sun terrace and beer garden at the rear of the premises; here, beneath a white pergola and coloured lights, are arranged sun brollies when our climatic conditions allow.

Partitioned oft with mahogany folding floors is the clubroom, which also serves as a useful annexe to the saloon bar.

The off-licence is brightly decorated and contains ample shelving for display and storage of the Company's products. The main display window brilliantly illuminated by concealed fluorescent lighting will not easily be missed at night.
"Courage and Barclay Journal Vol.1, No.3 March 1958", pages 18 - 19.

Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? Unless you look at the photos. "retaining the intimate qualities found in the Old English Inn" yeah, right.

See? All the initmacy of an aircraft hangar. And what a rubbish use of space. See how few tables there are? Not very sturdy looking tables, either. One nudge and you drinks would be all over the lino. Far less practical than a good old cast-iron table.

But, jokes about crap 1950's styling aside, the pub retains a very traditional layout. One surprisingly similar to that of pre-war Bolton pubs. Take a look:

There are still three rooms: public bar, saloon bar and club room. And a central bar area serving both main rooms. In general, pretty similar to this:

Vault = public bar, lounge = saloon bar, taproom = club room.

Did you see the O.L. on the Phoenix plans? That's an off licence, with its own separate door, but still served from the same central bar area. That's a feature of pubs built between the 1920's and 1960's. Before the supermarkets destroyed the off sales of pubs.

I drank in several pubs similar to the Phoenix. Ones built in the 1950's and 1960's. Charmless, but practical. The Cardinal's Hat (a Home pub in Newark), The Fullbeck (an identical Home pub in Mablethorpe), the Turk's Head in Balderton (now a vets).

It's a fascinating - and neglected - period of pub design. Pubs that retained a traditional arrangement, but built in a modern idiom. It's one of the last great burts of pub building. But one that's well hidden. Because these pubs, like the Phoenix, tended to be stuck in the middle of new council estates. Not the sort of place the casual visitor is likely to be wandering around.

I'll leave you with the Cardinal's Hat. The pub with the youngest beer drinker I've seen. The lad couldn't have been more than 11. At least his dad had bought him a full pint.

Irish Breweries in 1920

Not quite ready with my second set of delicious numbers about Irish breweries. To help you through this difficult waiting period, here's another table. Not numbers this time, I'm afraid. A table of words.

Here you go:

Irish Breweries in 1920
Name	location	date founded
Guinness	Dublin	1759
Beamish and Crawford, The Cork Brewery	Cork	1751
Thomas R. Caffrey, The Mountain Brewery	Belfast	about 1900
Castlebellingham and Drogheda Brewery Co., Ltd.	Castlebellingham	early 18th C
Castlebellingham and Drogheda Brewery Co., Ltd.	Drogheda	1825
Cherry Bros., Creywell Brewery	New Ross	1830
John D'Arcy and Sons Ltd, The Anchor Brewery	Dublin	1740
Davis Strangman and Co, Ltd.	Waterford	late 18th C
Deasy and Co., Ltd.	Clonakilty	about 1800
W.J. Downes and Co., Ltd	Enniskillin
P. and H. Egan, Ltd.	Tullamore	1852
The Great Northern Brewery Co., Ltd.	Dundalk	1897
Patrick Kiely and Sons, St. Stephen's Brewery	Waterford	about 1800
George H. Lett, Mill Park Brewery	Enniscorthy	1810
Macardle, Moore and Co., Ltd.	Dundalk	late 18th C
McConnell's Brewery, Ltd.	Belfast	about 1900
The Mountjoy Brewery Co., Ltd.	Dublin	1852
Thomas Murphy and Co., Ltd.	Clonmel	1798
James J. Murphy and Co., Ltd., Lady's Well Brewery	Cork	1856
Robert Perry and Son, Ltd.	Rathdowney	about 1800
E. Smithwick and Sons, Ltd., The St. Francis Abbey Brewery	Kilkenny	1710
The St. James' Street Brewery	Kilkenny	1702
Watkins, Jameson, Pim and Co., Ltd.	Dublin	1736
Wickham and Co.	Wexford	about 1800
Source:
Modern Irish Trade and Industry by Riordan, Edward J. and O'Brien, George Augustine Thomas, 1920. ISBN: 9781120007209, pages 159 - 160.

See how there were only four breweries left in Dublin. Compare that with the situation in 1850:

Dublin breweries in 1850
Name	address	town	county
Elizabeth Alley, Sons and Co.	57, 58 and 59 Townsend street	Dublin	Dublin
Brennan and Price	Watling Street	Dublin	Dublin
William Collins	24 James's street	Dublin	Dublin
John D'Arcy and Co.	8 Usher street	Dublin	Dublin
John Fitzpatrick	Usher street	Dublin	Dublin
A. Guinness Sons and Co.	83 James's gate	Dublin	Dublin
Jameson, Pim and Co.	28 Anne street north	Dublin	Dublin
Manders and Powell	113 James's street	Dublin	Dublin
George O'Brien	11 Brabazon row	Dublin	Dublin
Thomas O'Neill	111 Cork street	Dublin	Dublin
John Plunket	15 & 16 portland street west	Dublin	Dublin
John Purser	21 Mercer street	Dublin	Dublin
Richard Read	21 Ardee street	Dublin	Dublin
Thomas F. Read	21 Ardee street	Dublin	Dublin
Patrick & J. Sweetman	23 & 24 Francis street	Dublin	Dublin
Andrew Thunder	14, 15, 16 & 17 Church street, new	Dublin	Dublin
F. White	2 Hanover street, east	Dublin	Dublin
James G. Wilson	22 Brown street, south	Dublin	Dublin
R. and J. Watkins	10,11 & 22 Ardee street	Dublin	Dublin
William Cunningham	6 Church street, new	Dublin	Dublin
James Moran	15 Cumberland street, south	Dublin	Dublin
R. and J. Watkins		Bray	Wicklow
Joseph Kiernan		Skerries	Dublin
Source:
"Thom's directory of Ireland 1850", 1850, pages 1045,

See? Then there were 21 breweries in Dublin city and another one in the county.

Dodgy Porter

Adulteration. An ugly word. One that's often used in relation to Porter in the 19th century. Seems like there was a lot of dodgy Porter around.

William Cobbett, keen to encourage domestic brewing, was scathing of the quality of commercially brewed Porter. Rather disingenuously, as we'll learn later.

"71. The following instructions for the making of porter will clearly show what sort of stuff is sold at public houses in London ; and we may pretty fairly suppose, that the public house beer in the country is not superior to it in quality. "A quarter of malt, with these ingredients, will make five barrels of good porter. Take one quarter of high coloured malt, eight pounds of hops, nine pounds of treacle, eight pounds of colour, eight pounds of sliced liquorice root, two drams of salt of tartar, two ounces of Spanish liquorice, and half an ounce of capsicum." The author says, that he merely gives the ingredients, as used by many persons.

72. This extract is taken from a book on brewing, recently published in London. What a curious composition! What a mess of drugs! But, if the brewers openly avow this, what have we to expect from the secret practices of them and the retailers of the article ! When we know, that beer-doctor and brewers'-druggist are professions, practised as openly as those of bug-man and rat-killer, are we simple enough to suppose that the above named are the only drugs that people swallow in those potions which they call pots of beer? Indeed we know the contrary ; for, scarcely a week passes without witnessing the detection of some greedy wretch, who has used, in making or in doctoring his beer, drugs, forbidden by the law. And, it is not many weeks since one of these was convicted, in the court of excise, for using potent and dangerous: drugs, by the means of which, and a suitable quantity of water, he made two butts of beer into three. Upon this occasion, it appeared that no less than ninety of these worthies were in the habit of pursuing the same practices. The drugs are not unpleasant to the taste : they sting the palate : they give a present relish : they communicate a momentary exhilaration : but, they give no force to the body, which, on the contrary, they enfeeble, and, in many instances, with time, destroy ; producing diseases from which the drinker would otherwise have been free to the end of his days.

73. But, look again at the receipt for making porter. Here are eight bushels of malt to 180 gallons of beer ; that is to say, 25 gallons from the bushel. Now, the malt is eight shillings a bushel, and allowing eight pounds of the very best hops, they will cost but a shilling a pound. The malt and hops, then, for the 180 gallons, cost but seventy-two shillings : that is to say, only a little more than fourpence three farthings a gallon, for stuff which is now retailed for twenty pence a gallon! If this be not an abomination, I should be glad to know what is. Even if the treacle, colour, and the drugs, be included, the cost is not fivepence a gallon—and, yet, not content with this enormous extortion, there are wretches who resort to the use of other and pernicious drugs, in order to increase their gains!"
"Cottage Economy" by William Cobbett, 1824, pages 34 - 35.

That recipe, with its weird and wonderful ingredients, is not one that any of the large London Porter breweries would have used. Having seen the records of a few, I know that they brewed from 100% malt and hops. Unless, of course, they were falsifying their records. Which is a possibility. There were many prosecutions of small brewers and publicans. But none of any of the large breweries.

Let's see what Friedrich Accum, a specialist in the adulteration of food, has to say on the subject:

"If we judge from the preceding lists of prosecutions and convictions furnished by the Solicitor of the Excise, it will be evident that many wholesale brewers, as well as retail dealers, stand very conspicuous among those offenders. But the reader will likewise notice, that there are no convictions, in any instance, against either of the eleven great London porter brewers* for any illegal practice.

It has been asserted, that it is more difficulty for the officers of the Excise to detect fraudulent practices in large breweries than in small ones; this may be true to a certain extent: but what eminent London porter brewer would stake his reputation on the chance of so paltry a gain, in which he would inevitably be at the mercy of his own man? The eleven great brewers of this metropolis are persons of such high respectability, that there is no ground for the slightest suspicion that they would attempt any illegal practices, which they were aware could not possibly escape detection in their extensive establishments. And let it be remembered, that none of them have been detected in any unlawful practice in the processes of their manufacture, or in the adulteration of their beer.

* Messrs. Barclay, Perkins and Co. - Truman, Hanbury and Co. - Reid and Co. - Whitbread and Co. - Combe, Delafield and Co. - Henry Meux and Co. - Calvert and Co. - Goodwin and Co. - Taylor and Co. - Cox, and Camble and Co."
"A treatise on adulterations of food" by Friedrich Accum, 1820, pages 205 - 206.

That said, liquorice and capsicum are amongst the illegal items seized from small brewers. So there were commercial brewers using similar recipes to the one cited by Cobbett. Though we should remember that the rules on what was and wasn't allowed in brewing weren't designed to protect the public but to protect tax income. Liquorice and capsicum aren't poisonous. Not so sure about the salt of tartar, or potassium carbonate as it's known today.

Back to that recipe. It's for brewing 5 barrels of Porter from a quarter of malt. That tells you straight off that it can't really be good Porter. You're not going to get more than 80 lbs of extract out of a quarter of "high coloured malt". That gives the beer a gravity of 16 lbs per barrel, or 1044º. And 8 lbs of hops is 1.6 lbs per barrel. Let's check that against some commercial Porters of the period.

Porter in the 1820's
Year	Brewer	Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	barrels per quarter of malt
1824	Whitbread	P	Porter	1060.1	1016.3	5.79	72.81%	13.17	3.47	3.80
1821	Barclay Perkins	TT	Porter	1059.8	1016.0	5.80	73.26%	9.14	2.49	3.67
1821	Truman	Runner	Porter	1060.9	1016.1	5.94	73.64%	10.4	2.87	3.64
Sources:
Whitbread, Truman and Barclay Perkins brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives

The beer from the recipe Cobbett quotes was Weaker and more lightly hopped. No, I don't think that recipe will get you good Porter.

The 19th century had some wonderful occupations: beer-doctor and brewers'-druggist, bug-man and rat-killer. "What do you want to be when you grow up, Timmy" "A beer-doctor. Or a bug-man. Can't quite decide between the two, sir."

"The drugs are not unpleasant to the taste" what's he complaining about, then? Oh right, drugged beer slowly kills you. Still, at least you get "a momentary exhilaration". Better than nothing, eh?

Now it's irony time. Cobbett was using dodgy commercial beer as an argument for brewing yourself. But what do you find if you look at recipes for domestic brewing? Liquorice, copperas, grains of paradise and all sorts of extra ingredients. For many the reason for brewing themselves was the fact that you could use whatever you liked. Using ingredients forbidden for commercial brewers was a way of making cheap beer. It gave domestic brewers an advantage over honest commercial ones.

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1930 Whitbread AK

On time again. Will wonders never cease? Today is the beginning of our AK series. Not sure how long it will last as I can't recall exactly how many of these little devils I have.

Today we've an odd one. A beer Whitbread brewed for about 5 minutes and then discontinued. There were just 12 brews between February and April 1930. It's a funny time to have introduced an AK. The heyday of AK's had been before WW I. After the war, falling gravities saw AK competing with PA for the Light Bitter slot. Mostly PA won out.

AK is a beer born from the demand for lighter Pale Ales in teh second half og the 19th century. Mild Pale Ale as opposed to Stock Pale Ales like Bass or Allsopp. A beer that was ready for sale in a couple of weeks, rather than being matured for months. That was weaker, too. 1045º against 1065º.

Whitbread already brewed three Pale Ales: PA, IPA and TA. All were stronger. Here they all are in a pretty table.

Whibread Pale Ales in 1930
Beer	OG	FG	ABV	lbs hops/barrel
PA	1048	1013	4.62	1.62
IPA	1036	1007.5	3.76	1.92
TA	1037	1004.5	4.25	1.94
AK	1029	1004	3.29	1.53
Source:
Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/01/096

It looks like Whitbread were trying to introduce a Pale Ale equivalent to their LA Mild. That, at 1027º, was even weaker. It was a hangover of the Government Ale weak Milds brewed during WW I. Barely alcoholic beers - less than 3% ABV - that surely only survived because of their price. LA cost 4d a pint, standard X Mild 6d. And there were plenty of price-conscious drinkers at the time.






That's me done for this time. Over to Kristen . . . . .

Kristen’s Version:

Ingredients

Grist – Three simple malts and one sugar. That’s it. Pretty simple. This beer is quite odd, though, in that it uses over 15% invert sugar when the gravity is under 1.030. Never seen anything like it in the ‘bitter’ beer zone. Sure, the odd mild will have such a low gravity with a boat load of No3 but this is different. Use really any UK pale malt you’d like. I used Maris Otter and it came off very well indeed. The American 6-row, at such a high rate really does make a huge impact for the flavor. A massive grainy, husky aroma and some in the flavor as well. Same rules apply for the US stuff as we’ve talked about before if you can’t get it. I made this with regular No1 invert and then Golden syrup. In the latter the caramel character was really overpowering. The prior let the hops really shine.

Hops –  They call for Worcester Goldings and East Kent Goldings split 1:2. It does make a difference but if you only can find EKG, use those. Although this beer is very hoppy, there aren’t a whole tonne of hops added in…relatively anyway. You’ll get much more of the hop character without a ton of the greenery you’d usually see in a beer with this BU count. The beer is lightly dry hopped. For this beer, I wouldn’t really go higher than what I have listed. It tends to dominate the beer and over power the aroma.

Yeast – The dry or the wet Whitbread works very nicely here. I don’t really like it much at all, as I’ve said numerous times, so I went with the Fullers and Whitshield strain. Both worked very well but I think the mineral from the Whitshield took too much of my attention away.

Greenwich

Simple enough request: can you recommend any pubs in Greenwich? Apart from the Old Brewery. I'm already headed there. Preferably ones close to the DLR station because I'm a lazy bastard.

Ron.