Whitbread Porter 1841 - 1849

It's been a while since the last one. Must be time for the next decade of Whitbread Porter. 1840's, that's the next one, right?

There are some periods were there was bugger all change in Whitbread's Porter for many years. This is one of them. For the first half of the 1840's, Whitbread's Porter was brewed to just about exactly the same recipe every time. You can see it so clearly in the table, which gives percentages rather than absolute amounts.

That recipe was 152 quarters of pale malt, 40 quarters of brown malt, 6.5 quarters of black malt, 2300 lbs of hops. Though the hops did vary up and down a bit. And the black malt content was increased to 7 quarters in 1844. Why mend something that isn't broken?

There's little more change over the wjhole of the decade. The brown malt content rose from 15% to 195, and that of black malt from 2.5% to 3%. Not exactly earth-shattering changes. They must have been able to brew this stuff in their sleep.

You'll see that there was a slight erosion of Whitbread Porter's gravity. It slipped from around 1062 to 1059. Not sure why that was. Perhaps the price of malt increased a little. Must look that up.

The 1840's is about when Porter's popularity began to wane. Not, as some would have believe, because of the rise in Pale Ale. No, that was for the nobs. The working man's affection was turning to X Ale. Or Mild as we know it. Though X Ale of the 1840's didn't bear much resemblance to modern Mild . In 1841, Whitbread's X Ale had a gravity of 1076 and was pale in colour.

Hopping rate. Best not forget that. Looks pretty stable to me, hovering around the 3 pounds per barrel, or effing loads, mark.

Whitbread Porter 1841 - 1849
Date	Year	Beer	OG	FG	ABV	App. Attenuation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	Pitch temp	pale malt	brown malt	black malt	sugar	total
11th Dec	1841	P	1063.4	1018.8	5.90	70.31%	12.24	3.53	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
20th May	1842	P	1061.2	1019.4	5.53	68.33%	10.52	2.66	1.5	1.5	3	4	63.25º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
23rd May	1842	P	1062.3	1018.6	5.79	70.22%	11.29	2.85	1.5	1.5	3	4	63.5º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
24th Jan	1842	P	1062.6	1018.3	5.86	70.80%	10.62	2.72	1.5	1.5	3	4	63.75º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
5th Jul	1842	P	1061.2	1017.5	5.79	71.49%	10.76	2.72	1.5	1.5	3	4	63.75º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
5th Sep	1842	P	1062.0	1019.4	5.64	68.75%	12.07	3.08	1.5	1.5	3	4	63.5º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
12th Sep	1842	P	1062.3	1019.7	5.64	68.44%	12.16	3.13	1.5	1.5	3	4	63.75º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
20th Oct	1842	P	1063.2	1019.9	5.72	68.42%	11.54	2.94	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
29th Aug	1842	P	1062.3	1018.0	5.86	71.11%	12.33	3.18	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
26th Sep	1842	P	1060.9	1016.6	5.86	72.73%	12.14	3.06	1.5	1.5	3	4	63.75º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
22nd Jul	1843	P	1062.9	1018.3	5.90	70.93%	10.73	2.64	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
28th Aug	1843	P	1062.6	1019.1	5.75	69.47%	12.15	3.00	1.5	1.5	3	4	63.75º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
21st Sep	1843	P	1062.6	1019.9	5.64	68.14%	12.70	3.04	1.5	1.5	3	4	62º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
19th Oct	1843	P	1063.7	1019.9	5.79	68.70%	12.10	3.04	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
4th Oct	1843	P	1061.8	1019.9	5.53	67.71%	12.76	3.11	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.82%	15.64%	2.54%		100.00%
11th Jul	1844	P	1063.7	1019.4	5.86	69.57%	11.30	2.88	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
19th Aug	1844	P	1063.2	1019.9	5.72	68.42%	11.56	1.67	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
21st Oct	1844	P	1061.2	1018.3	5.68	70.14%	11.46	3.03	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
26thOct	1844	P	1062.0	1019.1	5.68	69.20%	11.49	2.88	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
17th Aug	1844	P	1063.2	1019.1	5.83	69.74%	11.57	2.93	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
26th Aug	1844	P	1062.9	1018.3	5.90	70.93%	11.62	2.92	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
20th Jul	1844	P	1063.4	1019.4	5.83	69.43%	11.39	2.85	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
8th Oct	1844	P	1064.0	1019.9	5.83	68.83%	11.50	3.02	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
3rd May	1845	P	1064.0	1020.8	5.72	67.53%	10.44	2.58	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
30th Jul	1845	P	1063.2	1022.7	5.35	64.04%	11.85	3.04	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
19th Jul	1845	P	1062.6	1021.6	5.42	65.49%	11.71	2.80	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
18th Aug	1845	P	1062.0	1020.5	5.50	66.96%	12.40	3.07	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
20th Oct	1845	P	1061.8	1019.9	5.53	67.71%	11.89	3.19	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
1st Nov	1845	P	1062.3	1019.9	5.61	68.00%	11.51	2.91	1.5	1.5	3	4	64º	81.66%	15.61%	2.73%		100.00%
12th Aug	1846	P	1059.0	1019.4	5.24	67.14%	11.33	2.99	1.5	2	2		64º	78.22%	18.94%	2.84%		100.00%
10th Oct	1846	P	1060.1	1019.1	5.42	68.20%	10.75	2.73	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.43%	19.80%	2.77%		100.00%
14th Sep	1846	P	1059.8	1017.5	5.61	70.83%	10.87	2.77	1.5	2	2		64º	78.22%	18.94%	2.84%		100.00%
10th Dec	1846	P	1058.4	1018.6	5.28	68.25%	10.51	2.47	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.43%	19.80%	2.77%		100.00%
5th Oct	1846	P	1059.3	1018.3	5.42	69.16%	10.86	2.85	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.43%	19.80%	2.77%		100.00%
4th Nov	1846	P	1059.3	1020.2	5.17	65.89%	10.36	2.62	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.43%	19.80%	2.77%		100.00%
27th May	1847	P	1054.6				10.16	2.39	1.5	2	2	2	63.5º	78.14%	18.92%	2.94%		100.00%
26th Jul	1847	P	1057.6	1015.0	5.64	74.04%	11.93	3.07	1.5	2	2		64º	78.22%	18.94%	2.84%		100.00%
18th Aug	1847	P	1056.0	1015.8	5.31	71.78%	11.67	2.97	1.5	2	2		64º	77.79%	19.41%	2.80%		100.00%
18th Oct	1847	P	1057.3	1018.8	5.09	67.15%	11.89	2.98	1.5	2	2		64º	78.22%	18.94%	2.84%		100.00%
26th Aug	1847	P	1053.2	1015.8	4.95	70.31%	12.77	2.89	1.5	2	2		65º	56.45%	18.92%	3.15%	21.47%	100.00%
23rd Oct	1847	P	1056.5	1018.0	5.09	68.14%	10.64	2.67	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.43%	19.80%	2.77%		100.00%
16th Mar	1848	P	1061.5	1019.4	5.57	68.47%	10.53	2.72	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.28%	19.76%	2.96%		100.00%
19th Aug	1848	P	1060.9	1018.3	5.64	70.00%	11.71	3.03	1.5	2	2		64º	78.04%	18.89%	3.07%		100.00%
4th Sep	1848	P	1061.5	1019.9	5.50	67.57%	11.28	2.90	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.28%	19.76%	2.96%		100.00%
18th Sep	1848	P	1060.1	1019.1	5.42	68.20%	11.34	2.91	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.28%	19.76%	2.96%		100.00%
19th Sep	1848	P	1059.0	1018.3	5.39	69.01%	11.69	3.00	1.5	2	2		64º	78.04%	18.89%	3.07%		100.00%
24th Jul	1848	P	1059.8	1016.6	5.72	72.22%	11.28	2.89	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.28%	19.76%	2.96%		100.00%
16th Oct	1848	P	1060.4	1018.3	5.57	69.72%	11.63	3.06	1.5	2	2		64º	78.04%	18.89%	3.07%		100.00%
1st Oct	1849	P	1060.9	1019.9	5.42	67.27%	11.55	3.12	1.5	2	2		64º	77.86%	18.85%	3.30%		100.00%
1st Aug	1849	P	1060.4	1018.6	5.53	69.27%	11.78	3.05	1.5	2	2	2	64º	77.28%	19.76%	2.96%		100.00%
11th Aug	1849	P	1058.4	1019.1	5.20	67.30%	11.78	2.96	1.5	2	2	2	65º	77.28%	19.76%	2.96%		100.00%
1st Oct	1849	P	1060.9	1019.9	5.42	67.27%	11.55	3.12	1.5	2	2		64º	77.86%	18.85%	3.30%		100.00%
Source: Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives  Documents: LMA/4453/D/09/035, LMA/4453/D/09/036, LMA/4453/D/09/037, LMA/4453/D/09/038, LMA/4453/D/09/039, LMA/4453/D/09/040, LMA/4453/D/09/041, LMA/4453/D/09/042, LMA/4453/D/09/043

Let's finish on a light note. Here's an amusing little piece from this very period that mentions Whitbread Porter:

Mr. Leeson was requested to see a girl seventeen years old, and having described the general symptoms, he says,—

"Upon inspecting the lumbar region there was an abscess of large circumference pointing, and situate close upon the sides and middle of the lumbar vertebra;, which in a day or two opened and gave off a thick yellow fluid streaked with blood, and of the most intolerably foetid character. . . Something of an appetite remained, which was the only ground for hope by which I might effect her recovery, and this I cultivated in the most cautious manner.

"The treatment commenced by her taking as much pure milk as she could, night and morning, combined with a portion of stale bread; her dinner consisted of fresh meat, floury potatoes, and Whitbread's porter, beginning with the smallest quantities of each, which she took more from duty than from desire; with this I combined the quinine treatment. Over the circumference of the abscess I kept some linen rags wet with a solution of chloride of lime, and over them a well-adjusted linseed poultice. Evory time these dressings were removed the foetor was horrible, and continued so for some weeks until the whole of the left psoas muscle came away with the forceps as clean as if it had been dissected out, leaving a considerable depression to mark its departure. When this occurred I then plugged the cavity with very soft lint, dipped in a weak solution of nitrate of silver in distilled water, and then sealed it with the linseed poultice."
"The lancet 1846, vol. 2", 1846, page 562.

See it must have been good stuff, the Whitbread Porter. They gave it to invalids. Just as well there was no legal drinking age back in those days.