Judging begins

I rise at 7:00. And have a shower to wake myself up properly. Then an eye-opener of rum. The perfect breakfast drink. With enough cola to really kickstart the day.

I slept surprisingly well. Seeing as the disco went on until about 4:00.

Not feeling hungry, I just have a coffee for breakfast. I sit with Chris and Noelle Phillips, a Canadian judge. We have a pleasant chat. That gets me in the mood for some heavy-duty judging.

My judging partners today Carlos Estrada and David Montes, both Columbians. I’m table captain.

We kick off with English Porter/Stout and American Porter/Stout A couple of good ones and some real stinkers. Nothing new there.

Irish Red Ale/Scottish Export comes next. Now here’s a first. One of the Irish Reds isn’t rubbish. Unlike all the other ones I've judged. And I’ve judged dozens of them. The Exports are all shit. I'm guessing none of the brewers has tried a Scottish-brewed version. Now surprise there, really. Most people in the UK haven’t either.

We’re getting through the beers at a reasonable pace. Always a plus, that.

I’ve had some of my Lulu books sent over to sell. I was worried about them arriving on time. No need. They got to Medellin last Friday. But haven’t been delivered yet. Currently stuck in customs. Brilliant.

We're quite late going for lunch. I don't eat that much of mine. And it’s not even that big a meal. I do eat most of the soup but almost none of the rice. 

We had twelve beers this morning and have another twelve this afternoon. Which isn't too crazy. We finish at 17:20. Quite late, considering the small number of beers.

We're supposed to be walking to the Barrica brewpub at 17:30. That's too early for me.  Seeing as I’ve only just finished judging. And no-one will be there on time, this being South America.

Chris messages me and suggests leaving at 18:40. Sounds good to me. Should be about when everyone else goes.

I don't take my wallet with me after yesterday's experience. I just take my credit card in one of my lower shorts' pockets.

On the way down, some bloke starts pestering me with football shirts. I tell him to fuck off. Rather rudely. Which is unlike me. I’m usually very nice. Saturday’s experience has changed me.

Unexpectedly, lots of judges are already in Barrica when we arrive. So much so, that we have trouble finding seats. It's also loud. Very loud. Far too fucking loud. Quite pleasant salsa music, but the volume makes conversation all but impossible. We move outside where conversing is less of a struggle.

I have an American Pale Ale. Which is fine. The food is tortilla chips with various gunk on the top. I eat it very unenthusiastically. And leave a good chunk of it for Chris.

The owner comes around with his favourite rum and pours us a shot each. It's very good. Man, I love Colombian rum. I get a second shot. 

The DJ and another are accompanying the recorded music with percussion. Unfortunately, the bloke on the cowbell can’t keep time. I find his continual missing of the beat irritating almost to the point of physical pain.

Chris suggests that we decant to Metropole, which is just down the street. Where I get myself a rather nice Double IPA. Wonderfully hoppy and not cloying at all. It’s much quieter, too. Without music, other than that drifting down the street from Barrica.

Around 22:00, Chris suggests we have a nightcap on the way back. The uphill walk makes me realise that it's time for bed. I skip the nightcap and return to the hotel. Only pausing to buy a bottle of rum.

I have a shot or two of hotel whisky and then crash out. It's only just 23:00. Meaning I can get a good 8 hours kip.



Barrica Cervecería
Cl. 9 #43B 22, 
El Poblado, 
Medellín, 
Antioquia.
https://www.barricacerveceria.com/


Metropole Beer Lab
Cra 43C #9 - 03, 
El Poblado, 
Medellín, 
Antioquia.
 

Medellin rambling

I rise just after 7. No trouble getting up in the morning when you travel west.

I head to reception before breakfast. I have an important request.

“Can you move me to a quieter room?”

“Which room are you in?”

“402.”

“You’re already on the quiet side of the hotel.”

Fuck me. I wonder what the noisy side is like?

Quite a different breakfast. No buffet, for once. There are five options. At least, for free. I go for a bowl of fruit, healthy bastard that I am. With a milky coffee. Which sets me up nicely for the day.

After breakfast I bump into Chris. Always good to see him. we arrange to go to Barrica brewpub at 13:00.

I drop by the nearest convenience store. But it's shut. Fuck. I'll have to go back later. The walk back up the hill, though short, is steep enough to be quite annoying. I hate hills so much.

Back in my room, I see on the internet that the convenience store opens at 11:00. I was there at 10:50. I laze in my room for a while before returning to the shop. Where they have what I was looking for: Medellin rum. Which I know from my time in Cartagena is dead good. I get a bottle of the 8-year-old. What luck that they sell it here in Medellin.

I bump into Chris on the way back. He's still waiting to check in. He suggests that we go to the Barrica brewpub in 15 minutes. Which is fine by me. 

It's about a 10-minute walk there. All downhill. Several people pester us on the way. One bloke trying to flog a Colombian football shirt gets right in my face. It takes ages to brush him off. A couple of minutes later, when Chris asks me to check the route on my phone, I realise why he was so close and persistent: he nicked my phone. The cunt.

Before drinking, we drop by a nearby restaurant to get some food to eat in the brewpub. It's a flat bread with a lump of cheese in it. Quite nice. Chris tells me that it’s typically Colombian.

Not the best start to my stay. Though a nice 9% ABV Stout makes me feel a little better. As it always does. I’d take a photo of it. Except some cunt nicked my phone.

There was supposed to be a judges’ event here. No-one else has come. So far. Until we are leaving and a group of four other judges arrive. How’s that for timing?

The walk back isn’t much fun. Not just on account of the vibes. It’s all uphill. Not all that steep, at the start. But a good kilometre, all uphill. A rise of 60 metres. I take it pretty slowly.

I laze around in my room for a while. With some Medellin rum for company. It makes me feel a little better. I try not to get too annoyed about the phone. It was pretty old and, realistically, pretty much worthless. It’s just the inconvenience and the loss of photographs.

The welcome dinner is downstairs in the hotel. Which is pretty handy. Me being a lazy git and all. I don’t really feel like walking around the streets of Medellin just now.

They have a decent IPA on draught. Into which I get stuck. Chatting with Shweta, Chris and others. There are plenty of judges that I know. Mike Hall I only saw a couple of weeks ago in Brussels.

There isn't really a meal. Just snacky bits of food. Which I can't be arsed to eat. Maybe stress is affecting my appetite. Or I’m just knacked. It could be that.

I don't stay up too late. It's a fairly early start tomorrow. And it’s been quite an annoying day.

Outside the disco is in full swing. They’re playing some cumbia today. Dead cool music. Fuck me, I recognise this number. A really good one. Though I would prefer to be lying here in silence.

Medellin rum is my sleepy-time chum. With a musical accompaniment of salsa.


Barrica Cervecería
Cl. 9 #43B 22, 
El Poblado, 
Medellín, 
Antioquia.
https://www.barricacerveceria.com/
 

What is Nourishing Stout?

 Now I'm back from my travels, I can bash out some more videos. This on is about Nourishing Stout.

 

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1909 Maclay Strong Ale

Top of the tree at Maclay was their Strong Ale. A beer which, if it were sold in England, would probably have been called Scotch Ale.

In a glimpse of what would happen after WW I, this was parti-gyled with a Pale Ale. 54/- PI, to be precise. Between the wars, everything was parti-gyled together at Maclay. 6d, 7d and 8d Pale Ale and Strong Ale were brewed together in every possible combination.

This was a slightly unusual parti-gyle, in that the hopping is different for the two beers. Implying that the Strong Ale was all first wort. Which, given this beer’s strength, shouldn’t really be a surprise. I wonder if the 54/- PI got any first wort?

Unsurprisingly, the recipe is the same as for the Pale Ales. Pale and amber malt, along with grits and sugar.

This wouldn’t be Maclay if there weren’t loads of hops. Hallertau from the 1907 and 1908 harvests, Californian from 1907 and two English types, both from 1908. 

1909 Maclay Strong Ale
pale malt	13.00 lb	64.20%
amber malt	0.50 lb	2.47%
grits	4.25 lb	20.99%
No. 2 invert sugar	2.50 lb	12.35%
Cluster 120 min	2.00 oz
Hallertau 60 min	2.00 oz
Goldings 30 min	4.00 oz
Goldings dry hops	1.50 oz
OG	1096
FG	1031
ABV	8.60
Apparent attenuation	67.71%
IBU	79
SRM	12
Mash at	146º F
after underlet	154º F
Sparge at	170º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	WLP028 Edinburgh Ale

 

 

South America bound

The start of the day isn't too rushed. My flight isn't until 13:00.

The airport is quite busy. The normal security queue is pretty long. Thankfully, I don’t have to go through that. Rather surprisingly, there's no queue at all at passport control. I breeze straight through. 

Once airside, I go to the duty free and get the cheapest malt whisky I can find: Jura white oak cask. Then it's on to the KLM lounge.

The good news is that they're serving doubles today.  Hooray. Soon I have a pair of doubles. The warm food looks a bit crap. It really is a total lottery, really, what warm food they’ll have I just get some cheese, French bread and bits and bobs.

The lounge is packed and I have trouble finding a seat. Then, 30 minutes later, almost everyone has left. How odd. I have a few more whiskies then head to the gate. Where I don't have to wait long.

The first meal isn't too bad. Chicken and mashed spuds. Along with some red wine. I also grab a couple of extra red wines from the galley. Just to keep myself hydrated, you know.

I watch a few films, as usual. Nothing particularly earth-shattering. Just stuff to pass the time. The Mandelorian and Gogu, Am I OK. And finish off with some Simpson’s episodes.

Despite leaving 10 minutes late, we arrive in Panama City about 20 minutes early. I've about two hours until my connecting flight to Medellin. Most of which I spend walking from terminal 1 to terminal 2. At least it’s well air-conditioned.

I don’t bother looking for a lounge. I haven’t that long to wait. I’m not hungry, either. And I don’t really need any more booze. What have I become?

At the gate, it’s pretty crowded. Though I do manage to find a seat. Thankfully. I really couldn’t be doing with standing up for too long. That’s what being an oldie does to you. I read some Private Eye to entertain myself.

It’s only a short hop to Medellin. Just an hour. The formalities go pretty quickly after landing. When I realise that priority bags have been stacked next to the carousel. And I get into the oldie person queue for immigration.

Landside, I bump into Claudia from Uruguay. We've judged together a couple of times before. We're getting the same lift to the judges’ hotel.

It's quite a drive, a lot of it through long tunnels. When we do emerge, we can gaze down on the bowl of Medellin and its lights. An impressive sight. I wonder what it looks like in daylight?

Once checked in, I go to my room. Which is quite noisy as there seems to be a disco going on just outside my window. It’s also weirdly laid out. With all the lighting close to one of the walls. And no TV. Or air-conditioning.

The disco outside lasts until after 2:00.  Luckily, I'm so knacked that I sleep anyway. A Jura nightcap helps.
 

Medellin September 2026

 A sort video report of my trip to Medellin last week. Very eventful. As you'll soon discover.

 

Breakfasts in Medellin

Still feeling a bit knacked from my trip. So a cheating picture post today.

I know how fascinated you all are about my breakfasts. And I don't like to disappoint. Not a complete set of breakfasts, for reasons you'll discover later.

Medellin was cooler than I expected  Which was just as well, given the lack of air-conditioning. A couple of small problems on the trip. But at least I din't break any bones.

 Note the hard-fried egg, typical of Colombia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Youngs PA hops 1939 - 1945

And what about hops? Well, unsurprisingly, they were all English. All of them. All through the war. With no hops being imported while the conflict was on, the only foreign hops they could have used were ones they already had in stock.

Most of the time, PA contained two types of hops. Though, occasionally, there was only one. The majority of them were from Kent, either simply Kent, East Kent or Mid-Kent. With a few from Worcester and Sussex.

There’s no mention of hop varieties, other than in the case of “BG”. Which, I assume, stands for Brewers Gold.

In a majority of cases, the hops were from the most recent season. Though a few were from a year earlier. And the older ones had usually been cold stored (as indicated by CS). 

Youngs PA hops 1939 - 1945
Date	Year	hop 1	hop 2
27th Jul	1939	Kent 1938 CS	Kent 1938
22nd May	1940	Worcs 1939	Kent 1938
1st May	1941	Sussex 1940	EK 1940 CS
3rd Jul	1941	Worcs 1940	EK 1940
8th Jul	1941	Worcs 1940	EK 1940
23rd Oct	1941	MK 1939 CS	MK 1941
7th May	1942	Worcs 1941
9th Jul	1942	Worcs 1941	EK 1941
20th Oct	1942	Kent 1941
30th Apr	1943	Kent 1942	EK 1942
20th Jul	1943	Wor. 1942	MK "BG" 1942
1st May	1944	MK 1942	MK "BG" 1943
8th May	1944	Kent 1942	MK "BG" 1943
19th Oct	1944	Kent 1943	MK "BG" 1943
8th May	1945	Kent 1943	Sussex 1944
3rd Jul	1945	Kent 1944	MK "BG" 1944
12th Jul	1945	Kent 1945	MK 1944
Sources:
Young's brewing records held at Battersea Library, document numbers YO/RE/1/8 YO/RE/1/9 YO/RE/1/10, YO/RE/1/11, YO/RE/1/12, YO/RE/1/13 and YO/RE/1/14.

 

Let's Brew - 1909 Maclay OMS 63/-

As one of the first Oat Stouts, this is an incredibly important beer. One which inspired a whole generation of beers. This should be interesting.

At just 1062º, it’s not exactly the mightiest of Stouts. It just about scrapes in strong enough for a Single Stout. A pretty poor degree of attenuation – a recurring theme in Scottish Stouts – leaves it only a shade over 5% ABV. Or about the same as a London Porter.

As this was parti-gyled with the DBS which we’ve just seen, I have little to say about the recipe. Other than that, at 20%, the oat content is pretty high. At most brewers, who, admittedly, used flaked rather than malted oats, it was under 5%. Sometimes, not much more than 1%. Purely token amounts. Whereas the quantity of oats in play here would have definitely impacted the character of the finished beer.

The hops are the same as all the other beers. Hallertau from the 1905, Hallertau and 1907 vintages; Californian from 1907, Farnham from 1908 and Worcester from 1905. 

1909 Maclay OMS 63/-
pale malt	7.50 lb	53.10%
black malt	1.50 lb	10.62%
amber malt	0.50 lb	3.54%
malted oats	3.00 lb	21.24%
No. 2 invert sugar	1.25 lb	8.85%
caramel	0.38 lb	2.65%
linseed	0.50 oz
liquorice	0.25 oz
Cluster 120 min	1.00 oz
Hallertau 60 min	1.00 oz
Goldings 30 min	2.00 oz
OG	1062
FG	1024
ABV	5.03
Apparent attenuation	61.29%
IBU	52
SRM	60
Mash at	144º F
after underlet	154º F
Sparge at	170º F
Boil time	120 minutes
pitching temp	60.75º F
Yeast	WLP028 Edinburgh Ale

 

Youngs PA adjuncts and sugars 1939 - 1945

Now it’s time for the rest of the ingredients. Adjuncts and sugars first.

Before late 1941, there were no adjuncts.

Pre-war, there were no adjuncts in in the Pale Ale. The only adjunct Youngs employed was flaked oats in their Stout and Porter. That all changed in the war, when brewers were forced to use a percentage of flaked barley in their beers.

Kicking off in 1941, when the percentage was just under 5%. In 1942, this increased to 10%, around where it stayed, with a little variation, until the last year of the war when it jumped up to around 15%.

Sugar is a completely different matter. As every other English brewer, Youngs used sugar. And quite a bit of it in their Pale Ale. When the unpleasantness tarted, 14% of the grist was sugar. Which is pretty close to the UK average of 15%. 

In 1941, the sugar content dropped right down to 8.5%. Not really surprising as sugar was needed for purposes other than brewing. And it stayed at that reduced level right up until the last year of the war, when it returned to something like pre-war levels. Presumably because the supply of sugar had improved.

Very constant is the quantity of malt extract used. Around 3%. Why were they using malt extract? For the enzymes. UK brewers were paranoid about not having enough enzymes and were always looking for ways to top them up. Diastatic malt extract being a pretty obvious choice. One shared by quite a few other brewers. Youngs were still using malt extract in the 1970s.

Malt extract aside, there’s only really one type of sugar used: No. 1 invert. Which is exactly what you would expect in a top-of-the-range Pale Ale. The one exception being in May 1945 when there was a small amount of No. 3. Why? No fucking idea, to be honest. Maybe they were a little short of No. 1. 

Youngs PA adjuncts and sugars 1939 - 1945
Date	Year	flaked barley	malt extract	no. 1 sugar	no. 3 sugar	total sugar
27th Jul	1939		2.86%	11.43%		14.29%
22nd May	1940		2.86%	11.43%		14.29%
1st May	1941		2.84%	5.67%		8.51%
3rd Jul	1941		2.44%	6.10%		8.54%
8th Jul	1941		2.44%	6.10%		8.54%
23rd Oct	1941	4.23%	2.11%	7.04%		9.15%
7th May	1942	6.29%	2.80%	6.99%		9.79%
9th Jul	1942	4.20%	2.80%	6.99%		9.79%
20th Oct	1942	10.11%	3.37%	5.62%		8.99%
30th Apr	1943	13.33%	3.33%	6.67%		10.00%
20th Jul	1943	12.59%	2.80%	6.99%		9.79%
1st May	1944	10.00%	3.33%	6.67%		10.00%
8th May	1944	10.00%	3.33%	6.67%		10.00%
19th Oct	1944	10.49%	2.80%	6.99%		9.79%
8th May	1945	14.37%	2.99%	8.38%	2.40%	13.77%
3rd Jul	1945	17.14%	2.86%	11.43%		14.29%
12th Jul	1945	14.37%	2.99%	10.78%		13.77%
Sources:
Young's brewing records held at Battersea Library, document numbers YO/RE/1/8 YO/RE/1/9 YO/RE/1/10, YO/RE/1/11, YO/RE/1/12, YO/RE/1/13 and YO/RE/1/14.

 

 

Youngs PA malts 1939 - 1945

And how did the recipe change over the war years? Well, let’s take a look. Starting with the malts.

In total, four malts were employed over the wartime years. But only one appeared in every iteration: PA malt. Though there were only a couple of times that it was the only malt.

The second most common malt is, a bit surprisingly, mild malt. I assume this was used because of supply difficulties. And mild malt happened to be what they had plenty of.

Other than in 1941, the grists were all over the place. With several different combinations of PA, mild and enzymic malt. It’s all very chaotic and a sign that they were having to make do with the malts that they could get hold of.

I’m guessing that, had it been available, they would have used enzymic malt all through the war. The patchy way it was used implies that the supply was somewhat irregular.

The percentage of malt is also all over the place. Starting the war at 86% and ending it at 63%. But, between those, it goes up and down quite a bit. Peaking at 91% in 1941. 

Youngs PA malts 1939 - 1945
Date	Year	pale malt	PA malt	mild malt	enzymic malt	total malt
27th Jul	1939	32.14%	50.36%		3.21%	85.71%
22nd May	1940	28.93%	53.57%		3.21%	85.71%
1st May	1941		88.30%		3.19%	91.49%
3rd Jul	1941		88.72%		2.74%	91.46%
8th Jul	1941		88.72%		2.74%	91.46%
23rd Oct	1941		36.97%	46.48%	3.17%	86.62%
7th May	1942	27.27%	56.64%			83.92%
9th Jul	1942		51.40%	31.47%	3.15%	86.01%
20th Oct	1942		33.71%	47.19%		80.90%
30th Apr	1943		76.67%			76.67%
20th Jul	1943		74.48%		3.15%	77.62%
1st May	1944		63.33%	16.67%		80.00%
8th May	1944		80.00%			80.00%
19th Oct	1944		41.96%	37.76%		79.72%
8th May	1945		53.89%	17.96%		71.86%
3rd Jul	1945		45.71%	22.86%		68.57%
12th Jul	1945		62.87%			62.87%
Sources:
Young's brewing records held at Battersea Library, document numbers YO/RE/1/8 YO/RE/1/9 YO/RE/1/10, YO/RE/1/11, YO/RE/1/12, YO/RE/1/13 and YO/RE/1/14.

 

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1909 Maclay DBS 54/-

Now, Scottish Stouts could be pretty weird. Very weird, in fact. I’m looking at you William Younger, with your barely fermented spent hop Stouts.

This Stout is unusual for a couple of reasons. For a start, it’s incredibly weak from something claiming to be a Double Stout. Which I would expect to be around 1070º. The gravity here of just 1044º is pretty pathetic. That’s weak, even for a Porter. And, if it really wholesaled for 54/- a hogshead, that implies a gravity of at least 1050º.

The second area of oddness is in the grist. Which has 20% malted oats. For a beer that isn’t even billing itself as an Oat Stout. There’s a simple explanation for that: it was parti-gyled with their Oat Malt Stout.

In addition to pale and oat malt, there’s also black and amber malt. Rather a lot of black malt. Which is why the colour is so dark.

Lots of hops again. That seems to have been the Maclay way. Hallertau from the 1905, Hallertau and 1907 harvests; Californian from 1907, Farnham from 1908 and Worcester from 1905. 

 

1909 Maclay DBS 54/-
pale malt	5.25 lb	53.16%
black malt	1.00 lb	10.13%
amber malt	0.375 lb	3.80%
malted oats	2.00 lb	20.25%
No. 2 invert sugar	1.00 lb	10.13%
caramel	0.25 lb	2.53%
linseed	0.66 oz
liquorice	0.33 oz
Cluster 120 min	0.75 oz
Hallertau 60 min	0.75 oz
Goldings 30 min	1.50 oz
OG	1044
FG	1013
ABV	4.10
Apparent attenuation	70.45%
IBU	55
SRM	47
Mash at	144º F
after underlet	154º F
Sparge at	170º F
Boil time	120 minutes
pitching temp	60.75º F
Yeast	WLP028 Edinburgh Ale

Youngs Pale Ale 1939 – 1945

In order to give some idea of what was going on in UK brewing during WW II, we'll take a look at a single beer, Youngs Pale Ale. And see what happened to it between 1939 and 1945.

In a way, it is totally typical of what went on in the war. Because the drop in gravity - just 5º over the whole period - is quite a bit less than usual. Though the gravity did fall lower: to 1039.7º in 1942. But, rather oddly, increased again early in 1943 to 1042.5º. And stayed at that level for the remainder of the war.

To make changes easier to spot, I’ve highlighted them in red

There are relatively few changes in gravity. But loads in the hopping rate. Which kicked off the war at 8 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt. Dropping to 7 lbs in May 1940, then just over 5 lbs in May 1941 and 4.75 lbs in July of the same year. That’s quite a fall.

Though the rate did quickly bounce back to 5 lbs per quarter. Over the next couple of years the rate varied between 4.5 lbs and 6 lbs per quarter. Which I think is a reflection of variations in the supply of hops.

Youngs PA 1939 - 1945
Date	Year	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl
27th Jul	1939	1047.6	1013.3	4.54	72.09%	7.98	1.50
22nd May	1940	1047.0	1013.3	4.46	71.71%	7.00	1.29
1st May	1941	1043.0	1010.5	4.30	75.52%	5.14	0.83
3rd Jul	1941	1043.0	1008.3	4.59	80.67%	4.79	0.80
8th Jul	1941	1043.0	1010.0	4.37	76.81%	5.04	0.85
23rd Oct	1941	1042.4	1013.9	3.78	67.33%	5.09	0.85
7th May	1942	1040.0	1010.5	3.90	73.69%	4.48	0.72
9th Jul	1942	1039.7	1012.2	3.64	69.30%	5.46	0.87
20th Oct	1942	1039.9	1011.1	3.81	72.23%	4.52	0.73
30th Apr	1943	1042.5	1014.4	3.72	66.11%	4.89	0.82
20th Jul	1943	1042.3	1011.1	4.13	73.81%	5.46	0.95
1st May	1944	1042.5	1011.1	4.16	73.93%	5.56	0.93
8th May	1944	1042.7	1011.1	4.18	74.05%	6.00	0.99
19th Oct	1944	1042.8	1011.1	4.20	74.11%	5.46	0.93
8th May	1945	1042.8	1008.9	4.49	79.29%	5.41	0.94
3rd Jul	1945	1042.5	1011.1	4.16	73.93%	4.85	0.87
12th Jul	1945	1042.8	1011.1	4.20	74.11%	4.94	0.86
Sources:
Young's brewing records held at Battersea Library, document numbers YO/RE/1/8 YO/RE/1/9 YO/RE/1/10, YO/RE/1/11, YO/RE/1/12, YO/RE/1/13 and YO/RE/1/14.