Mitchell & Butler Light Ale and Pale Ale 1929 - 1993

Time for the next installment in my series on the beers of Birmingham. We'll be looking at the Light Ale and Pale Ales of M & B.

A word of explanation first about Cape Ale. I've called it a Light Ale, but don't read too much into that. These were entries that I transcribed from the Whitbread Gravity Book early on. By the time I'd got further through, I'd given up trying to classify beers as Light Ale unless they had Light Ale in the name.

As you can see, there are also some examples of Family Ale, classed as Pale Ale. Basically because of the colour. So a bit arbitrary, really.

All Bright Ale is an intriguing one. It seems to have lost almost not gravity across WW II, which is unusual. 1044º in 1932, it was almost unchanged on 1042º in 1951. It was one opf many bottled Pale Ale type beers M & B brewed.

In the 1950's there was Cape Ale at about 1033º, All Bright Ale at 1042º and Export Pale Ale at 1047º. It's a surprisingly large number, especially when you throw in the confusing Family Ale at 1032º.

Moving onto beers I have personal experince of, there are the two draught Bitters from the 1970's and 1980's: Brew XI 1039º and DPA, also known as Dunkirk Pale Ale or Darby Pale Ale, at 1032º. As I said in my earlyier post, I wasn't a fan of Brew XI. At the time, it was sometimes compared to a Light Mild, due to its iunderlying sweetness.

DPA was a much better beer, but, frustratingly, much harder to find. It was discontinued sometime in the 1980's, which was a real shame. How often has that happened top me? Where a brewery drops the good beer and continues to brew a crapper alternative. To give it its due, Brew XI was a decent gravity for a Big Six Ordinary Bitter. Just not much cop.

I'm sure that you're all as excited by this series as I am. You'll be delighted to hear that there's another installment still to come. Or maybe two. Not quite decided yet.

Mitchell & Butler Light Ale and Pale Ale 1929 - 1993
Year	Beer	Style	Price	size	package	Acidity	FG	OG	colour	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1951	All Bright Ale	Light Ale	1/4.5d	pint	bottled	0.04	1010.1	1041.9	21 B	4.1	75.89%
1951	Cape Ale	Light Ale	7.5d	half	bottled	0.04	1008.3	1034	31 B	3.3	75.59%
1951	Cape Ale	Light Ale	7.5d	half	bottled	0.06	1007.3	1034.8	19	3.6	79.02%
1953	Cape Ale	Light Ale	8.5d	half	bottled	0.06	1007.3	1033.8	33 B	3.4	78.40%
1954	Cape Ale	Light Ale	9d	half	bottled	0.05	1007.7	1033.5	28	3.3	77.01%
1956	Cape Ale	Light Ale	1/3d	half	bottled	0.04	1008.5	1032.7	31	3.1	74.01%
1929	All Bright Ale	Pale Ale	7.5d	pint	bottled	0.07	1009.1	1046.9		4.9	80.60%
1931	Family Ale	Pale Ale	7d	pint	bottled		1007.2	1039.4		4.2	81.73%
1932	Family Ale	Pale Ale	7d	pint	bottled	0.05	1006.5	1037		4.0	82.43%
1932	All Bright Ale	Pale Ale	8.5d	pint	bottled	0.05	1007.5	1044		4.8	82.95%
1932	Export Ale	Pale Ale	6d	half	bottled	0.06	1006.6	1049		5.5	86.53%
1935	Export Pale Ale	Pale Ale	5.5d	half	bottled	0.05	1008.4	1053		5.8	84.15%
1935	All Bright Ale	Pale Ale	7.5d	pint	bottled	0.05	1008.6	1046	24	4.9	81.30%
1935	Cape Ale	Pale Ale	3.5d	half	bottled	0.04	1008.3	1040		4.1	79.25%
1949	PA	Pale Ale	1/10d	pint	draught	0.05	1006.5	1042.6	17 Brown	4.7	84.74%
1950	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	21d	pint	draught			1045.4	30
1951	Export Pale Ale	Pale Ale	10.5d	half	bottled	0.05	1010.3	1047.5	19 B	4.8	78.32%
1953	Allbright Ale	Pale Ale	1/7.5d	pint	bottled	0.05	1009.5	1040.9	21 B	4.1	76.77%
1955	Export Pale Ale	Pale Ale	1/1d	half	bottled	0.04	1011.8	1045.7	20	4.4	74.18%
1955	Allbright Ale	Pale Ale	1/8.5d	pint	bottled	0.05	1011.5	1041.2	25	3.8	72.09%
1955	Cape Ale	Pale Ale	9.5d	half	bottled	0.04	1008.7	1033.1	28	3.2	73.72%
1959	Export Pale Ale	Pale Ale	13d	half	bottled	0.03	1012.4	1046.6	19	4.3	73.39%
1961	Anker	Pale Ale	23d	pint	draught	0.04	1010.9	1043.4	16	4.1	74.88%
1966	Family Ale	Pale Ale	19.5d	pint	bottled	0.04	1005.8	1031.6	25	3.2	81.65%
1966	Export Pale Ale	Pale Ale	17d	half	bottled	0.04	1009.1	1044.9	19	4.5	79.73%
1977	Brew XI	Pale Ale		pint	draught			1038.8
1977	DPA	Pale Ale		pint	draught			1032
1979	Brew XI	Pale Ale		pint	draught			1038.8
1979	DPA	Pale Ale		pint	draught			1032
1981	Brew XI	Pale Ale		pint	draught			1038.8
1982	Brew XI	Pale Ale		pint	draught			1040
1983	Brew XI	Pale Ale		pint	draught			1040
1986	Brew XI	Pale Ale		pint	draught			1040
1989	Brew XI	Pale Ale		pint	draught		1008.45	1040		4.1	78.87%
1993	Brew XI	Pale Ale			draught		1008	1038	18	3.9	78.95%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002
1993 Real Ale Drinker's Almanac
Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252
Good Beer Guide 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1990.