Truman beers in the 1950's

Part two of things I missed in the Whitbread Gravity Book. This time it's the turn of Truman.

Here's one of my trademark tables:

Truman beers in the 1950's
Year	Beer	Style	Price	size	package	FG	OG	Colour	ABV	attenuation
1950	Ben Truman Pale Ale	Pale Ale	14.5d	half pint	bottled	1007	1052.1	24 B	5.90	86.56%
1950	Ben Truman Pale Ale	Pale Ale		pint	bottled	1010.1	1060.9	B 13	6.65	83.42%
1951	Ben Truman Pale Ale	Pale Ale	14.5d	half pint	bottled	1010.5	1049.2	21	5.04	78.66%
1953	Ben Truman Pale Ale	Pale Ale	10d	nip	bottled	1009	1051	22	5.48	82.35%
1959	Ben Truman Pale Ale	Pale Ale	16d	half pint	bottled	1010	1049.9	17	5.20	79.96%
1950	Best Stout	Stout	11d	half pint	bottled	1017.2	1041.3	1 + 12	3.11	58.35%
1951	Best Stout	Stout	11d	half pint	bottled	1015.3	1040.9	1 + 16	3.31	62.59%
1954	Best Stout	Stout	12d	half pint	bottled	1017.6	1044	1 + 10	3.41	60.00%
1953	Best Stout (Lactose present)	Stout	12d	half pint	bottled	1015.2	1044.4	1 + 8	3.78	65.77%
1950	Black Ben Stout	Stout	14.5d	half pint	bottled	1014.3	1049	1 + 10	4.50	70.82%
1951	Black Ben Stout	Stout	14.5d	half pint	bottled	1014.9	1047.6	1 + 9	4.23	68.70%
1950	Eagle Ale	Pale Ale	8.5d	half pint	bottled	1005.4	1032	20 Brown	3.46	83.13%
1951	Eagle Ale	Pale Ale	8.5d	half pint	bottled	1005.4	1031.6	20	3.41	82.91%
1951	Eagle Ale	Pale Ale	19d	pint	bottled	1005.8	1031.7	21	3.36	81.70%
1953	Eagle Light Ale	Pale Ale	9.5d	half pint	bottled	1004.6	1034	21 B	3.83	86.47%
1954	Eagle Light Ale	Pale Ale	9.5d	half pint	bottled	1005.3	1031.3	22	3.38	83.07%
1955	Eagle Light Ale	Pale Ale	10d	half pint	bottled	1006.6	1031.1	22	3.18	78.78%
1950	Eagle Pale Ale	Pale Ale	15d	pint	bottled	1005.4	1029.2	23 B	3.09	81.51%
1950	Eagle Stout	Stout	9d	half pint	bottled	1014.8	1034.1	1 + 13	2.49	56.60%
1951	Eagle Stout	Stout	9d	half pint	bottled	1016.7	1037.3	1 + 13	2.65	55.23%
1953	Eagle Stout	Stout	9.5d	half pint	bottled	1012.3	1034	1 + 14	2.80	63.82%
1956	Eagle Stout	Stout	11d	half pint	bottled	1016.1	1034.8	225	2.41	53.74%
1956	Light Ale	Pale Ale	10d	half pint	bottled	1011.4	1031.7	19	2.62	64.04%
1959	Light Ale	Pale Ale	10d	half pint	bottled	1006.5	1032	19	3.31	79.69%
1956	Malt Stout (Lactose present)	Stout	14d	half pint	bottled	1021.2	1045	225	3.06	52.89%
1953	No. 1 Burton Barley Wine	Barley Wine	20d	nip	bottled	1023.6	1095.4	6 + 40	9.42	75.26%
1954	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	12d	half pint	bottled	1015.9	1035.5	350	2.52	55.21%
1955	Pale Ale	Pale Ale			bottled	1011.1	1061	31	6.52	81.80%
1955	Scotch Ale (purchased in Belgium)	Scotch Ale			bottled	1025.6	1083.4	80	7.52	69.30%
1955	Stout	Stout			bottled	1022	1062	225	5.18	64.52%
1950	Trubrown	Brown Ale	16d	pint	bottled	1013.3	1032.5	16 + 40	2.48	59.08%
1950	Trubrown	Brown Ale	9d	half pint	bottled	1013.7	1035.9	16 + 40	2.87	61.84%
1951	Trubrown	Brown Ale	19d	pint	bottled	1012.8	1035.4	16 + 40	2.92	63.84%
1952	Trubrown	Brown Ale	9.5d	half pint	bottled	1007.5	1031.7	7 + 40	3.14	76.34%
1953	Trubrown	Brown Ale	9.5d	half pint	bottled	1012.4	1034.7	16 + 40	2.88	64.27%
1954	Trubrown	Brown Ale	9.5d	half pint	bottled	1011.9	1034.7	17 + 40	2.95	65.71%
1955	Trubrown	Brown Ale	10.5d	half pint	bottled	1013.9	1034.1	105	2.61	59.24%
1956	Trubrown	Brown Ale	10.5d	half pint	bottled	1016.5	1034.9	95	2.37	52.72%
Source: Whitbread Gravity Book

Remember that quote from Campbell about Trubrown being higher than average gravity for a Brown Ale? That view doesn't appear to be borne out by the analyses. Averaging around 1035, it actually has a typical OG. Yes, there were some even weaker Brown Ales, hovering around the 1030 level, but most were 1032-1035. I wonder why Campbell though it was stronger? Perhaps it was the price. Hang on, that's not true. In 1952 Whitbread's Forest Brown cost 10.5d for a half pint (1d more than Trubrown) and was about the same strength.

You can see that, as for most breweries, the majority of Truman's products had gravities well below 1040. Eagle Stout, in particular, didn't deserve the name of  "Stout" with its sub 3% ABV. Though they did have Stouts with more a  respectable gravity and alcohol content.

Ben Truman was the brewery's pitch at the premium Pale Ale market and, with a gravity of 1050, was roughly comparable to bottled Bass. For me it's weird seeing Ben Truman portrayed as a quality, strong Pale Ale. I can only remember it as a shitty, over-priced keg beer that I kept well clear of.

The strongest two beers are worth mentioning. First, No.1 Burton Barley Wine. A full-strength Barley Wine which, like many Burton-brewed beers, was very well attenuated for its gravity. It was a blend of two beers: S1 and R1 (S = Stock and R = Runner), one brewed in Burton, the other in London. S1 was brewed and matured in Burton and then shipped down to London in hogsheads where it was blended with R1 that had been brewed in Brick Lane. The aged beer had some sourness and how of much this character was apparent in the final beer depended on the taste of the blender, who decided the proportions of  young and aged beer.

Finally the Scotch Ale. Though, being brewed in London for the Belgian market, there's little apparent connection with Scotland. Though its gravity and colour are much like those of Scottish-brewed strong Scotch Ales and, indeed, that of John Smith.