England vs Scotland, part 3e: early 1850's Imperial Mild Ale

Does this series seem never ending? I thought so. Don't despair. I'm finishing up with Mild this time. At least for the early 1850's.

Imperial Mild. There's a name to conjure with (maybe turn it into a rabbit or something). The name has been used by others, but I'd like to set its definition in stone so future generations will be able to cherish it. A bit like other style guidelines. Didn't the head prophet at the BJCP bring down stone tablets of beer style definitions down from Mount Sinai? Though obviously there were more than 10. Must have been a real struggle carrying 100-odd lumps of stone.

My definition of Imperial Mild - get your chisel ready - is this: Mils ale with a gravity over 1100º. Do you think I'm being too specific? At least you don't have to do much carving.

Why am I being so jovial? Have to find something top write about. You'll see what I mean when you look at the table:

England vs Scotland early 1850's Mild >1100º
Date	Year	Brewer	Beer	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	Pitch temp	max. fer-ment-ation temp	length of fer-ment-ation (days)
19th Oct	1850	Truman	XXX Ale	1102.8				12	5.59				58
5th Oct	1850	Truman	XXX Ale	1102.8				12	6.24				59
18th Feb	1851	Truman	XXX Ale	1105.8				10	5.19				58
4th Sep	1850	Truman	XXX Ale	1108				14	8.14				59
19th Aug	1850	Truman	XXX Ale	1108	1029.1	10.44	73.08%	14	8.48				59	77	10
Average				1105.5	1029.1	10.44	73.08%	12.40	6.73				58.6	77.0	10.0
1st Nov	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1100	1040	7.94	60.00%	6.00	3.00	1.25	1.5		55	68	8
10th Oct	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1101	1040	8.07	60.40%	6.95	3.52	1.25	1.33		58	69	8
5th Nov	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1101	1041	7.94	59.41%	5.00	2.47	1.33	1.25		55	69	9
16th Apr	1853	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1102	1039	8.33	61.76%	8.26	4.75	1.25			56	70	8
19th Apr	1853	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1102	1033	9.13	67.65%	8.70	5.56	1.25			55	67	7
13th Dec	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1103	1040	8.33	61.17%	10.00	5.50	1.25			54	68	9
23rd Jul	1852	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1103	1040	8.33	61.17%	7.81	4.03	1	1.08		59	70	8
27th Jul	1852	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1103	1040	8.33	61.17%	7.14	3.85	1.08	1.17		59	69	8
7th Oct	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1104	1039	8.60	62.50%	5.24	2.86	1.5	1.25		56	69	9
15th Oct	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1104	1040	8.47	61.54%	5.00	2.65	1.25	1.25		56	68	9
25th Oct	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1104	1040	8.47	61.54%	5.00	2.79	1.25	1.25		58	68	9
6th Nov	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1104	1040	8.47	61.54%	5.00	2.65	1.33	1.25		56	69	10
17th Nov	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1104	1042	8.20	59.62%	5.00	2.53	1.25	1.5		55	68	9
27th Nov	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1104	1042	8.20	59.62%	5.00	2.62	1.25	1.75		55	68	10
24th Mar	1852	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1104	1041	8.33	60.58%	5.00	2.56	1.25	1		56	68	9
25th Mar	1852	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1104	1042	8.20	59.62%	5.00	2.50	1.17	1.08		55	68	10
25th Apr	1853	Younger, Wm.	120/-	1104	1046	7.67	55.77%	9.00	6.25	1.5			54	68	8
31st Oct	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1105	1042	8.33	60.00%	5.00	2.59	1.25	1.5		54	69	10
4th Dec	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1105	1042	8.33	60.00%	5.66	2.82	1.25			55	69	9
26th Apr	1853	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1105	1039	8.73	62.86%	9.09	6.15	1.25			55	70	7
24th Oct	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1106	1045	8.07	57.55%	5.00	2.95	1.25	1.33		56	69	8
12th Nov	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1106	1041	8.60	61.32%	5.00	2.58	1.25	1.25		56	69	8
26th Feb	1852	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1106	1042	8.47	60.38%	4.49	2.38	1.17	1		55	68	11
8th Oct	1851	Younger, Wm.	100/-	1108	1041	8.86	62.04%	5.24	2.89	1.33	1.17		55	69	9
Average				1103.8	1040.7	8.35	60.26%	6.19	3.44	1.26	1.27		55.8	68.6	8.8
difference				-1.6	11.6	-2.09	-2.24%	-6.21	-3.29	1.26	1.27		-2.9	-8.4	-1.3
Sources:
William Younger brewing record document number WY/6/1/2/5 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive
Truman brewing record document number B/THB/C/132 held at the London Metropolitan Archives

See what I mean? So many details are missing from the London beers that there's not much to compare. I'll limit myself to those items where there's enough information to work with.

Hopping rates. Now isn't this confusing. Younger's are on average much lower, which isn't what we saw in the other classes of Mild. And the spread amongst the Younger's beers is enormous: from 2.38 to 6.25 lbs per barrel. I can make no sense out of them. A couple are hopped in a way similar to the London beers, others at a much, much lower rate. For once, I don't know what to say.

Fermentation temperatures. We've only got enough data for pitching temperature. I love this. Lovely and clear, all the data nicely clumped together. I'm oozing confidence as I say: in the early 1850's Younger's Imperial Mild Ales were pitched on average about 3º F cooler than equivalent London beers.

Bit disappointing that. Not really anything much to say.