Robert Younger's beers 1909 - 1939

It's time to move on. To move on to another Scottish brewery, namely Robert Younger. The least fashionable of Scotland's three Younger breweries.

We'll begin with analyses and then move on to what I've extracted from their brewing records. That makes it sound like more than it is. There are only two Robert Younger brewing books in the Scottish Brewing Archive. They cover 1957 to 1961, the last four years of its operation. I'll tell you something, what they have revealed about Scottish brewing practices have stunned. But more about that further down the road. We're just leaving the house and heading for the country.

There's not a huge long list of styles this time around. Just Pale Ales and one lonely Strong Ale. I'm so glad of the couple of scribbled analyses of other breweries beers in one William Younger brewing log. It gives me an insight into the world of pre-WW I Scottish brewing.  Look at that 1906 60/-. Who would have thought that 40 years later it would be much more than half that gravity?

The other Pale Ales all look like 60/-, too. Here's an fascinating point. 1053º was a typical gravity for London X Ale pre-WW I. And the high 1030's is where it was interwar. It definitely looks as if 60/- is filling the Mild-shaped hole in the Scottish brewing lineup. Something it still just about does today.

I must mention colour again. Note the different shades, despite them all looking like the same beer. Those crazy Scots and their caramel colouring. 37 and 40 are way too dark for an English Pale Ale. More like Brown Ale country.

Not much to say about the Strong Ale. Except: it looks like a typical Scottish Strong Ale. Dark, strong. That sort of beer. Any idea where that dark brown colour comes from? If you're a regular reader you should be able to guess? No? You'll have to wait for my analysis of their brewing records, then.

Next time, the 1940's and 1950's.

Robert Younger's beers 1909 - 1939
Year	Beer	Style	package	FG	OG	colour	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1906	60/- PA	Pale Ale	draught		1053.1	15.5
1927	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1010	1038.5		3.70	74.03%
1928	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1010	1037	40	3.50	72.97%
1930	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1010.5	1038.5		3.63	72.73%
1930	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	draught	1013	1036	37	2.97	63.89%
1930	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1013	1036	23	2.97	63.89%
1934	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	draught	1011.25	1038		3.46	70.39%
1939	60/- Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1009.25	1039.75	9 – 10	3.96	76.73%
1939	60/- Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1009.5	1038		3.70	75.00%
1928	Strong Ale	Strong Ale	bottled	1030	1080	105	6.47	62.50%
Sources:
Thomas Usher Gravity Book document TU/6/11 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive
Document WY/6/1/1/14 of the William Younger archive held at the Scottish Brewing Archive.
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001