Interwar Stouts

Numbers. So much easier to handle than slippery words. So true. So reliable. Such fun.

You guessed it. I'm all worded out and need to seek refuge in ciphers. But not just any ones. Oh no. Ones hand-harvested from the Whitbread Gravity Book this very morning, still bejewelled with dew. Fresh, plump, juicy, tempting.

Same score as usual, a bunch of random analyses with little to group them but style and date. Not so random, then. Just very loosely associated. There's almost a full alphabet of names. Only E, I, Q, R, X and Y missing. Just counted how many of the breweries I'd tasted beer from. It's a surprising 14. Sadly, Barclay Perkins isn't amongst them.

The geographical spread isn't bad, either. Scotland, North East, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, East Anglia, Home Counties, London, even the Isle of Wight.

On to the specifics. Again, there's plenty of variation in strength. I'm not sure how anyone dare call a beer of under 1030º a Stout, except in wartime. There's a mix of what I'd call normal strength Stouts from the London breweries and some pretty watery ones from country breweries. The average comes out fairly high at 1047º.

What's even weirder is that there are a couple that look like modern Guinness: 1040º-ish and 80% plus apparent attenuation. Rogers Special Stout, Ushers Stout, Tomson & Wotton Nourishing Stout, Smithers & Son Oatmeal Stout, Rogers Monarch Stout, M & B Nourishing Stout, Kidd & Hotblack Nourishing Stout. Didn't they realise English Stout was supposed to have been sweet by then?

Notice someting about the Barclay Perkins Stouts? There are ones called Russian Imperial Stout, Imperial Stout and Russian Stout. One, the 1100º we all love and another at just 1061º. Seems like the Russian tag was reserved for the stronger one. In the logs the beers appear as IBSt Ex (the strong one) and IBSt.

One last point. Note how many breweries were producing more than one Stout. Like Fremlin with Milk Stout, Dinner Stout and Oatmeal Stout. Shows the continuing popularity of Stout, at least as a boittled beer.

Stout 1921 - 1938
Year	Brewer	country	Beer	Style	Price	size	package	Acidity	FG	OG	Colour	ABV	atten-uation
1931	Ansell	UK	Tonic Stout	Stout	8d	half pint	bottled	0.08	1010.2	1048.3		4.96	78.88%
1932	Ansell	UK	Tonic Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.08	1010.4	1050		5.16	79.20%
1927	Ashton Gate Brewery	UK	Milk Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1015.7	1052.4		4.76	70.04%
1929	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1014.8	1054		5.09	72.59%
1929	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1015.6	1053		4.85	70.57%
1931	Barclay Perkins	UK	Dr. Johnson Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled		1014.6	1051.9		4.84	71.87%
1931	Barclay Perkins	UK	Dr. Johnson Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled		1014.5	1052.4		4.92	72.33%
1931	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.06	1013.5	1048.7		4.57	72.28%
1931	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled	0.06	1012.4	1043		3.97	71.16%
1932	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled	0.06	1016.8	1047		3.90	64.26%
1932	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled	0.07	1013.4	1047		4.36	71.49%
1933	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.08	1014.1	1050		4.66	71.80%
1934	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	15d	quart	bottled	0.06	1018.6	1049.6		4.00	62.50%
1935	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.07	1014.2	1053		5.04	73.21%
1935	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.07	1018.9	1051		4.15	62.94%
1935	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.11	1018.2	1051		4.24	64.31%
1935	Barclay Perkins	UK	Imperial Stout	Stout	6d to 9d	pint	bottled	0.13	1014.23	1061.8		6.20	76.97%
1935	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	draught	0.14	1012.2	1058		5.97	78.97%
1935	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	draught	0.11	1012.6	1059		6.05	78.64%
1936	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.07	1014	1051		4.80	72.55%
1937	Barclay Perkins	UK	Russian Imperial Stout	Stout	10d	nip	bottled	0.12	1023.2	1102.7		10.47	77.41%
1937	Barclay Perkins	UK	Imperial Stout	Stout	6d & 7d	half pint	bottled	0.14	1010.1	1061.2		6.69	83.50%
1938	Barclay Perkins	UK	Russian Stout	Stout	7.5d	nip	bottled	0.07	1024.1	1101.5		10.18	76.26%
1938	Barclay Perkins	UK	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.05	1019.2	1051.1	1 + 15	4.12	62.43%
1938	Barclay Perkins	UK	Milk Stout	Stout	6d	half pint	bottled	0.05	1019.2	1048.6		3.79	60.49%
1939	Barclay Perkins	UK	Milk Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled	0.06	1020.2	1049.2		3.74	58.94%
1925	Beer and Rigden	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	5.5d	pint	bottled		1011.2	1031.3		2.60	64.22%
1927	Beer and Rigden	UK	Kent's Best Nourishing Stout	Stout	6d	bottle	bottled			1032.7
1929	Beer and Rigden	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	5.5d	pint	bottled	0.06	1010.7	1029.9		2.48	64.21%
1930	Beer and Rigden	UK	Milk Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.06	1027	1054		3.47	50.00%
1930	Beer and Rigden	UK	Milk Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.04	1027.1	1054.4		3.50	50.18%
1928	Burt	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1004.8	1037		4.20	87.03%
1926	Cannonbury	UK	Brown Stout	Stout		pint	bottled		1016.9
1932	Carter, Milner and Bird	UK	Milk Stout	Stout	5.5d	pint	bottled	0.06	1013.4	1044.2		3.99	69.68%
1927	Cornbrook	UK	Barley Stout	Stout		pint	bottled			1049.3
1931	Davenport	UK	Extra Stout	Stout	7d	reputed pint	bottled	0.14	1012.3	1057.9		5.94	78.76%
1925	DF Pritchard	UK	Cr??? Cream Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1016.2	1051.9		4.63	68.79%
1923	Forest Hill Brewery	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	12d	quart	bottled		1011.1	1038.6		3.56	71.24%
1921	Fremlin	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	8.5d	pint	bottled		1005.8	1044		4.99	86.82%
1921	Fremlin	UK	Light Dinner Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1004.5	1031		3.45	85.48%
1921	Fremlin	UK	Light Dinner Stout	Stout	13d	quart	bottled		1005.2	1030.3		3.26	82.84%
1921	Fremlin	UK	Light Oatmeal Stout	Stout	15d	quart	bottled		1005.4	1035.7		3.94	84.87%
1922	Fremlin	UK	Light Dinner Stout	Stout			bottled		1007.4	1031.8		3.16	76.73%
1923	Fremlin	UK	Light Dinner Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1007.7	1032.4		3.20	76.23%
1923	Fremlin	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	8.5d	pint	bottled		1011.3	1040.6		3.80	72.17%
1928	Fremlin	UK	Dinner Stout	Stout	10.5d	quart	bottled		1006.2	1031.7		3.31	80.44%
1929	Fremlin	UK	Dinner Stout	Stout	5.5d	pint	bottled		1011.5	1031.6		2.60	63.61%
1931	Fremlin	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.05	1017.6	1048.7		4.02	63.86%
1931	Fremlin	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1015.6	1036		2.63	56.67%
1931	Fremlin	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1013	1042.4		3.81	69.34%
1931	Fremlin	UK	Milk Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.05	1020.7	1047.4		3.44	56.33%
1931	Fremlin	UK	Milk Stout	Stout	10d	pint	bottled	0.05	1019.9	1047.5		3.56	58.11%
1933	Fremlin	UK	Dinner Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.05	1011	1032		2.71	65.63%
1934	Fremlin	UK	Milk Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.05	1020.4	1048.7		3.65	58.11%
1934	Fremlin	UK	Dinner Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.07	1007.4	1033		3.32	77.58%
1934	Fremlin	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.06	1013.5	1043		3.82	68.60%
1935	Fremlin	UK	Milk Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.06	1020.2	1048.8		3.69	58.61%
1935	Fremlin	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled	0.06	1015.3	1041		3.32	62.68%
1936	Fremlin	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.06	1014.4	1042		3.57	65.71%
1926	Friary Holroyd	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	11d	quart	bottled			1041
1938	Fuller, Smith and Turner	UK	Milk Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.06	1020.4	1045.5		3.23	55.16%
1929	Fussell and Sons	UK	Invalid Double Stout	Stout	6d	pint	bottled		1011.8	1040		3.65	70.50%
1929	Gardner	UK	Extra Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.19	1013.3	1044		3.98	69.77%
1927	Georges	UK	Bristol Stout	Stout	10d	pint	bottled		1018.1	1059.8		5.41	69.73%
1931	Gilmour	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1010.5	1056.1		5.95	81.28%
1933	Home Brewery	UK	Home Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	0.10	1014.7	1046.1		4.06	68.11%
1927	James Rose	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout		pint	bottled			1056.6
1928	John Smith	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled		1004.6	1043.6		5.09	89.45%
1929	Jude	UK	Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled	0.17	1008.6	1036.6		3.63	76.50%
1926	Kemp Town	UK	Double Stout	Stout	5d	pint	bottled		1014.1	1055.3		5.36	74.50%
1926	Kemp Town	UK	Dolphin Stout	Stout	7.5d	reputed quart	bottled		1008.4	1037.9		3.83	77.84%
1926	Kidd and Hotblack	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled		1008.7	1048		5.12	81.87%
1928	Lovibond	UK	Light Stout	Stout		pint	bottled		1013	1033.5		2.65	61.19%
1929	Mackeson	UK	Milk Stout	Stout	10d	pint	bottled	0.07	1020.4	1060.4		5.18	66.23%
1925	Mackie and Gladstone	UK	Extra Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled		1014.3	1054.8		5.26	73.91%
1922	Manning of Northampton	UK	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1010.6	1049.2		5.02	78.46%
1932	Matthew Brown	UK	LS Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.07	1007	1041.2		4.45	83.01%
1928	Mellersh and Neale	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.05	1017.4	1038.8		2.76	55.15%
1932	Mercers	UK	Meat Stout	Stout	10.5d	pint	bottled	0.07	1019.2	1054		4.50	64.44%
1928	Mew Langton	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1013.4	1041		3.57	67.32%
1926	Mitchell and Butler	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled			1048.7
1929	Mitchell and Butler	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	8.5d	pint	bottled	0.07	1006.3	1048.4		5.50	86.98%
1931	Mitchell and Butler	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1005	1046.1		5.37	89.15%
1932	Mitchell and Butler	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled	0.06	1006.7	1043		4.73	84.42%
1932	Mitchell and Butler	UK	Extra Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.06	1006.8	1049		5.51	86.12%
1933	Morgans Brewery Ltd [Norwich]	UK	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	0.07	1014.7	1041		3.40	64.15%
1925	Morgans, Tamworth	UK	Stout	Stout	7.5d	half pint	bottled		1013	1053.7		5.29	75.79%
1932	Newcastle Breweries	UK	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled		1010.2	1036		3.34	71.67%
1927	Nicholls, Hertford	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1010.2	1048.3		4.96	78.88%
1922	Northampton Brewery	UK	Double Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1015.8	1048.5		4.23	67.42%
1931	Nottingham Brewery	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout		pint	bottled		1020.1	1053.2		4.27	62.22%
1927	Oakhill Brewery	UK	Invalid Stout	Stout	10d	pint	bottled		1018.5	1054.8		4.70	66.24%
1922	Phipps	UK	Ratcliffe Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1020.9	1049.6		3.70	57.86%
1926	Powell and Co.	UK	Luncheon Stout	Stout	5.5d	pint	bottled			1041
1926	Powell and Co.	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled			1044.3
1926	Rock Brewery	UK	Double Stout	Stout	6d	pint	bottled		1006.4	1036.7		3.94	82.56%
1927	Rogers	UK	Special Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1005.5	1041.7		4.72	86.81%
1927	Rogers	UK	Monarch Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1008.5	1044.9		4.74	81.07%
1931	Rogers	UK	Cream Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled	0.07	1019.1	1057.4		4.96	66.72%
1925	Russells, Gravesend	UK	Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1012	1056.4		5.79	78.72%
1929	Russells, Gravesend	UK	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled	0.10	1010.1	1057.7		6.22	82.50%
1929	Shepherd Neame	UK	Single Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled	0.07	1009.8	1034.8		3.24	71.84%
1926	Smithers and Son	UK	Old Malt Stout	Stout	5.5d	pint	bottled		1012.2	1037.7		3.30	67.64%
1928	Smithers and Son	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	5.5d	pint	bottled		1009	1048		5.08	81.25%
1927	Sprake, Chale I of W	UK	Special Stout	Stout		pint	bottled		1010	1043.2		4.31	76.85%
1928	Sprake, Chale I of W	UK	Special Stout	Stout	7.5d	pint	bottled		1015.7	1047.1		4.06	66.67%
1930	Steward and Patteson	UK	Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled	0.06	1013.8	1037.8		3.10	63.49%
1926	Stretton	UK	Stretton's Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled			1050.1
1926	Tamplin	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout		pint	bottled		1011.3	1043.7		4.20	74.14%
1926	Tamplin	UK	No.1 Cheerio Stout	Stout	7d	half pint	bottled		1015.6	1074.1		7.65	78.95%
1926	Tamplin	UK	Double Stout	Stout	7.5d	reputed quart	bottled		1009	1044.2		4.58	79.64%
1929	Thompsons	UK	Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled	0.04	1010.9	1038.7		3.60	71.83%
1929	Tomson and Wotton	UK	Nourishing Stout	Stout	6d	pint	bottled	0.14	1006	1040.7		4.52	85.26%
1931	Usher	UK	Stout	Stout	8d	half pint	bottled	0.05	1019.7	1050.7		4.00	61.14%
1928	Ushers	UK	Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1008.4	1044.4		4.69	81.08%
1922	Ushers (Edinburgh)	UK	Extra Stout (Belgian sample)	Stout		pint	bottled		1021.8	1069.2		6.15	68.50%
1924	Vaux	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout		pint	bottled			1039.6
1925	Vaux	UK	Invalid Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled		1017.6	1052.5		4.52	66.48%
1925	Vaux	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1012.6	1039.7		3.51	68.26%
1926	W Riding Bottling Co.	UK	White Rose Oatmeal Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled			1049.9
1928	West's	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	7d	pint	bottled		1015.1	1040.6		3.29	62.81%
1926	Wethered	UK	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	16d	quart	bottled			1049.5
1926	Whitaker	UK	Standard Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled			1044.3
	Average							0.08	1013.39	1047.14		4.41	71.72%
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001

I love pubs

I'm just back from a few days in London. Part of which was spent showing Mike around pubs. Admittedly, we concentrated on good ones, but the experience confirmed my love of pubs.

And when I say pubs I mean pubs. Not any old drinking establishment. Not trendy bars, not restaurants masquerading as pubs. I mean proper pubs. Though, if you were to try to pin me down to a precise definition of what makes a pub, I'd be as lost as if you asked me to explain Burton Ale in a single sentence.

Sitting a quiet pub, while ran splatters the windows and guggles through the gutters, newspaper and pint in hand is one of life's great pleasures. A soothing way to block out the crumbling economy and burning streets. An eternal refuge of peace an calm. Somewhere a total stranger says hello when you stumble blinking through the door and goodbye when you stumble out again.

A good pub is timeless. Not modern, not traditional, not Victorian, not just walls and windows, carpets and counters, publican and punters. It's an abstract concept, a thing of beauty and charm, of peace and of pleasure. Where you feel more at home than at home. More at rest than when asleep. In short, something to be treasured and nurtured. And, yes, preserved.

I love pubs. I always will.

James Eadie, Cross Street Brewery (part three)

It's a sad day. We've arrived at the last part of the description of Eadie's brewery in Burton. Leaving the best until last, we'll learn about the union room today.

"HAVING refreshed ourselves, we proceeded to the fermenting department, and first entered a lofty place called the fermenting rounds room, similarly constructed to the cooling chamber, with iron principals, etc.; the walls being lined with white glazed bricks. This room, which is over the hop loft, possesses a concreted sub-floor, like the one under the mashing stage, only that it is two feet higher. Here are to be seen the fermenting rounds, constructed of pine wood, and connected with the refrigerators by a copper main, running down the centre of the room.

Walking through this apartment, we came to a much larger one, of very handsome appearance, called the union room, of the same construction as the fermenting-round room, just described. In designing the fermenting department, in this brewery, the object seems to have been, that, wherever fermentation is to be carried on, there should be no floors above, so as to insure light and free ventilation.

This lofty chamber, which measures 134 feet in length, by a width of 60 feet, is the most magnificent of the suite. The asphalte floor is entirely covered with iron frames for holding 216 union casks, and over them are the usual yeast troughs, containing fixed attemperators. Along the centre of the roof there is an elevated framed window, louvred, and placed above the iron principals, which is controlled from the floor by a lever which acts in a very simple and ingenious manner. Before leaving this department. we walked through the union room in the old brewhouse, which is still utilized for its original purpose, and contains seventy union casks, on wooden frames.

Descending a long flight of steps, we reached the room first entered, where the racking operations are carried on. The floor is paved with blue bricks, set on end, which rest on concrete arches, rendering it like all the others - water-tight and fire-proof. At one end, and extending under a portion of the old brewery, there is another racking room, of much smaller dimensions, that did duty in the olden times. In the centre of the racking hall, next visited are several lofty racking vessels, each holding 120 barrels, attached to which are the usual stop-cocks and hose, for filling the beer into the casks. The ceiling of this room, which is necessarily of great solidity, is supported by twenty-seven massive iron columns, and the place is lighted by numerous windows opening into the yard. At the western end, there is a powerful steam lift, for lowering or raising the filled casks, to or from the spacious cellars below, which is worked by a small engine, placed in the basement This engine also works the steam hoist, for lifting the hops to the hop loft.

Following our unwearied guide, we descended to the basement ot this, and the adjoining building, to inspect the stores. These lofty and extensive cellars, which, like the floor above, are paved with blue brick, contained at the time of our visit, about 2,500 casks of ale. Besides these cellars, there are the other great stores, situated beneath the maltings, before described. Great attention has been paid to the ventilation of both places; but these, unlike the others, are lighted throughout with gas, and contain a storekeeper's office and tasting room. Retracing our steps to the racking room, we passed out of one of the noble doorways leading on to the ale-loading bank, always a very busy place. Here numbers of men were seen rolling the barrels of beer into the trucks, the floors of which are on a level with the platform.
There is a double line of railway, in this part of the yard, fronting the racking room, and therefore as many as twenty trucks can be loaded-up with ale at one time."
"Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 2", Alfred Barnard, 1889, page 232 - 235.

Iron principals. I suspect Barnard doesn't mean firmly held beliefs, but pillars. The brewery sounds quite flash, with all its glazed tiles and open, airy spaces. In the late 19th century especially, breweries were often more than purely functional. The owners wanted them to look nice, too. Breweries, especially large modern ones, had been attracting visitors since the 18th century, when many came to marvel at the majesty of Barclay Perkins, Truman or Whitbread. That could explain the apparent extravagance of some designs.

For once Barnard doesn't come up with much details on the size of the fermemnters. As we've already learned, the fermenting vessels were often unusually small in Burton, in comparison to the quantity of beer being brewed. The picture doesn't help much, as there are no figures to help scale it. They look a fair size. Definitely bigger than the 15 barrels that Allsopp's fermenter contained. Or the 40 barrel fermenters at Salt or even the 45 barrels ones at Bass. I reckon we can only see the top half of these babies. That's a stage rather than the floor.

The fermenters were wooden, made from pine. Does anyone still use wooden fermenters? I can't they're very easy to keep sterile. Or maybe that wasn't the idea. Gale's were the last brewery I know to have used unlined wooden fermenters. And they seem to have been a real headache, unless you were brewing Old Ale. In which case they were perfect.

The copper main must be the large pipe running down the centre of the room between the fermenters.

On to the unions. The union room is much more modest than those we've seen at Salt, Bass and Allsopp. The arrangement of the troughs, casks and swan necks, however, is pretty much the same. Nice little detail about the attemperators in the yeast troughs. Was that standard? Hard to tell, as Barnard made no mention of themn at other breweries. It would make sense to have them. You wouldn't want the beer in the troughs getting too warm.

2,500 barrels is a fair stock of beer. Remember that Burton Pale Ale was a Stock Beer, that required several months of storage and maturation before sale. Eadie's output was around 70,000 barrels a year, so that's a little less than two week's production. Seems quite modest, really. I'd have expected more like a couple of month's work. But it could just be that most was held by agents or in bottling stores elsewhere.

I've left in the detail description of the loading bay to emphasise how vital the railways were for the development of Burton's brewing industry. The town was criss-crossed with private railways that brought in raw materials and connected breweries to their maltings. And, of course, fed trucks laden with barrels of beer into the railway network and into every corner of the kingdom.

And that's it for Eadie. I've still a few Burton brewers to go. Including one that's still brewing.