Hugh Baird malts, 8th March 1938

You know what's been missing here recently? Ridiculous levels of ridiculously specific details. Time to put that right. If I'm not careful, I might get some new readers.

The Thomas Usher Gravity Book. You know those books for keeping kids quiet on their holidays? The Bumper Book of Fun or some such. That's what the Usher Gravity Book is for me. Something to slip into my hands on a rainy Mablethorpe Tuesday. Assuming the Mermaid isn't open yet. The beautiful weather this summer has provided plenty of opportunities to immerse myself in its funerificness.

I'm mostly there for the beer details, natch. But I can't help myself being drawn by the hypnotic gaze of other numbers. I'm such a tart. I like these ones so much, I've put them into a table. This table:

Analysis of malts from Hugh Baird, 8th March 1938
Name of malt	extract per 336 lbs (lbs)	moisture	C.W.E.	D.P.	colour
Own Scotch	99.8	1.5%	18.6%	35º	5º L
??'s Scotch	98.2	1.7%	19.0%	36º	6.5º L
Gaza	83.6	1.4%	14.7%	27º	4º L
Chilean	91	1.8%	17.0%	34º	6º L
Aust. Corfu	86.4	1.4%	15.5%	28º	4º L
Calif	88.1	2.4%	15.6%	29º	4.5º L
????	92.3	1.2%	17.0%	34º	6º L
Egyptian	83.9	1.0%	16.5%	31º	5º L
Source:
Document TU/6/11 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive.

I was surprised to see that the Scotch malt gave the best extract. And had the greatest diastatic power.

I'd wondered what C.W.E. stood for. Then an idea , rather like a carelessly thrown mackerel, struck me. Why not look at the malt analyses in Lloyd Hind. They might include  a similar column. And it's a good excuse to include a second table. This one:

2 row Malts in the 1930's
	Pale Ale malts		Mild Ale malts			malt from foreign 2-row barley
	Spratt-Archer	Plumage-Archer	Plumage-Archer	Spratt-Archer	Yorkshire plumage	Moravian	Chilean Chevalier	Bohemian Hanna
moisture %	1.5	1.8	1.7	2.1	2	1.8	1.6	2.5
Extract, lb. 336 lb	100.5	100.6	100.6	99	99.4	98.9	99.9	99.8
colour, 1 inch cell	4.5	4	6.5	6	7	6.5	6.5	4
cold water extract %	18	18.7	19.1	18.7	17.7	17.1	18.7	20.2
diastatic activity Lº	36	37	32	35	32	37	38	35
extract on dry malt	102	102.4	102.3	101.1	101.4	100.7	101.5	102.3
total nitrogen % on dry malt	1.342	1.314	1.322	1.4	1.469	1.518	1.48	1.52
PSN %	0.51	0.509	0.488	0.541	0.469	0.562	0.618	0.6
PSN % on total nitrogen	38	38.7	36.9	38.6	33.3	36.9	41.8	39.5
PSN % on total wort solids	0.67	0.67	0.64	0.72	0.65	0.75	0.82	0.79
Source: "Brewing Science & Practice" H. Lloyd Hind, 1943, p. 254, 256 & 258 Notes: PSN = permanently Soluble Nitrogen

Cold Water Extract. That's what C.W.E. stands for. Doesn't make me much the wiser.

I was going to do the old compare and contrast bit. But there's precious little contrast. The two sets of numbers are pretty damn similar. Only the extract seems a bit low in the case of some of Usher's samples. Bit disappointing that. leaves me a bit . . . . er . . . . . speechless.