Bottling in 1901 - maltose and dextrin in bottled beers

Maybe it's just me, but I find the information in this section of Lott's article fascinating. It takes a very close look at the different sugars in wort and finished bottled beer and their relationship with the degree of attenuation. I know, I've very strange taste in reading material.

"I will now ask you to refer to the figures on Table III. First with regard to the malt analyses, the average figures of which are given in the first column.

These worts, obtained with an initial heat of about 151º F., showed, prior to fermentation, an average composition of 1 of non-sugar to 3 of sugar, and after a vigorous fermentation, practically carrying the attenuation to a fourth the original gravity, the ratio of non-sugars to sugars was 1 to 2.6. The average amount of maltose remaining unfermented is practically the same as the average amount of dextrin, i.e., 0.99 to 1.

Comparing these figures with the finished beers, we find but little difference in the ratio of total non-sugars to total sugars, except in the peculiar samples in the last two columns. Omitting these samples, it will be seen that the average attenuation is also the same as in the fermented wort, i.e., one-fourth, except in the case of the old pale ales, which average very nearly one-eighth.

Table III.                                       

		Newly racked mild ales.	Newly racked pale ales.		Old matured bottled pale ales.		Old matured bottled strong ales.		Peculiar samples.
	(Average) 13.	(Average) 5.	(Average) 6.	Typical.	(Average) 6.	Typical.	(Average) 6.	Typical.	Very old strong ale 24 years old.	Pale ale 9 months old.
Original gravity	1029	1076.5	1061	1063	1065	1067	1110	1113	1132	1060
Present gravity	1007.5	1021.7	1015.7	1016	1008.1	1008.6	1027	1027	1047	1000
Ratio present to original gravity	3.9	3.5	3.9	4	8	7.8	4	4	2.8	-
Fermented matter	58.7	60	61	69	70.5	70.6	61	61.9	47.8	81.6
Free maltose	2.8	2.7	2.6	3.2	0	0	1.6	3.4	9.8	0
Combined maltose	11.2	10.5	9	9.4	6	6.2	10.4	9.2	10.6	2.7
Combined dextrin	4	5.2	6.5	5.4	2	1.8	3.4	2.6	0	0
Free dextrin	10.1	7.2	5.8	6.6	7	7.4	9.3	8.3	14.2	0
Inactive matter	13.2	14.4	15.1	15.8	14.5	14	14.3	14.6	17.6	15.7
	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100	100
Ratio Total sugars/Total not sugar	2.66	2.73	2.65	2.6	3.7	3.7	2.7	2.92	2.14	5.37
Percentage of dry solids, possibly fermentable	76.7	78.4	79.1	77.6	78	78	76.4	77.1	68.2	84.3
Percentage of fermentable matter fermented	77	76	77	77	69.7	90	80	80	70	57
Percentage of unfermentod residue, possibly fermentable	44	46	47	45	27.5	27	40	40	39	14
Ratio Total unfermented maltose/Total unfermented dextrin	0.99	1.06	0.95	1.05	0.66	0.67	0.95	1.16	1.44	-

 

"
Journal of the Federated Institutes of Brewing, Volume 7, Issue 2, March-April 1901, pages 204 - 205.

I find apparent attenuation more understandable than the ratio of present to original gravity used in the table. That gives us figures like this:

		Original gravity	Present gravity	apparent attenuation
Fermented malt wort.	(Average) 13.	1029	1007.5	74.14%
Newly racked mild ales.	(Average) 5.	1076.5	1021.7	71.63%
Newly racked pale ales.	(Average) 6.	1061	1015.7	74.26%
	Typical.	1063	1016	74.60%
Old matured bottled pale ales.	(Average) 6.	1065	1008.1	87.54%
	Typical.	1067	1008.6	87.16%
Old matured bottled strong ales.	(Average) 6.	1110	1027	75.45%
	Typical.	1113	1027	76.11%
Peculiar samples.	Very old strong ale 24 years old.	1132	1047	64.39%
	Pale ale 9 months old.	1060	1000	100.00%

The fermented wort and newly-racked Pale Ales are about what you would expect, near as dammit 75% attenuation. The Mild Ales are slightly lower at just under 72%. It's no surprise to discover that matured bottled Pale Ales - which would have undergone a long secondary conditioning in the cask and then bottle - have attenuation of over 85%. It is a shock to see that matured Strong Ales managed to reach 75% attenuation. OK, they too had a long secondary conditioning, but with the lower fermentability of Strong Ales worts from the type of malt used and the mashing scheme, I wouldn't have expected quite so high a degree of attenuation. It also doesn't tally with what I've seen in brewing records.

Here are beers of the period from my favourite London breweries:

Whitbread Beers in 1901 - 1902
Year	Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Attenuation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl
1901	PA	Pale Ale	1058.4	1017.0	5.48	70.91%	10.98	2.93
1901	2PA	Pale Ale	1053.7	1014.0	5.26	73.95%	9.85	2.39
1901	FA	Pale Ale	1051.8	1013.0	5.13	74.90%	10.92	2.54
1901	FA casks	Pale Ale	1050.4	1013.0	4.95	74.21%	11.71	2.66
1902	IPA	IPA	1049.9	1013.0	4.88	73.93%	11.97	2.65
1901	KK	Stock Ale	1073.0	1030.0	5.69	58.91%	12.00	4.03
1901	KKK	Stock Ale	1082.8	1036.0	6.19	56.53%	12.00	4.58
1901	2KKK	Stock Ale	1078.7	1033.0	6.05	58.07%	12.00	4.35
1901	X	Mild	1054.2	1014.0	5.31	74.15%	6.03	1.44
1901	XK	Mild	1061.2	1017.0	5.85	72.24%	6.03	1.63
Sources:
Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/066 and LMA/4453/D/01/067.

Barclay Perkins Beers 1899 - 1900
Year	Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Attenuation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl
1899	X	Mild	1054.7	1009.4	5.99	82.78%	8.85	1.98
1900	PA	Pale Ale	1060.2	1016.0	5.85	73.42%	11.23	4.00
1900	XLK	Pale Ale	1053.5	1012.5	5.43	76.70%	10.00	2.16
1900	KK	Stock Ale	1073.0	1019.4	7.09	73.44%	14.03	4.20
Source:
Barclay Perkins  brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/1/593.

One thing to bear in mind is that the FG's of all the above beers were measured at the end of primary fermentation, thus are newly-racked beers. With the exception of Whitbread's KK and KKK Stock Ales and Barclay Perkins X Ale, all have apparent attenuation of around 75%. Even allowing for a long secondary conditioning, I doubt Whitbread's KK and KKK would ever have attained 75% attenuation.

"Comparing the figures representing the percentage of original dry solids which might be considered as possibly or difficultly fermentable, the agreement is very marked, ranging from 76.7 in the malt wort to 79.1 in the newly racked pale ales. The percentage of this fermentable matter actually fermented, as shown in the next line, is of course markedly greater in the old beers as compared with the new, but more especially in the well-attenuated "dry" old pale ales.

Looking at the unfermented residue, the percentage possibly fermentable is also much the same in the malt wort and new beers, but falls considerably in the old pale ales, and appreciably in the old strong ales.

Comparing the total maltose and dextrin in the unfermented residue, it will be seen that there are about equal amounts in the fermented malt wort and in all the ales, except the old pale ales, the M/D ratio varying from 0.95 to 1.16, whilst in these latter there is nearly double the amount of dextrin, the ratio being 0.66.

The ratio of combined maltose to combined dextrin is lower in most of the ales than in the malt wort, except in the old strong ales. In the strong ale this figure is very different, being greater than in the average malt wort, but it is not quite strictly comparable, because the malt used for the production of the strong ale would no doubt have given very different figures to those in column 1, and I may refer you again to Tables Ia and IIa.

It may at first sight appear somewhat strange to find free maltose in old ales, but it will be noted that this is only the case in the old strong ales, and especially noticeable in the peculiar old sample 24 years old. I think the very high figure for the original gravity, and the corresponding large percentage of alcohol present, will probably explain this fact and at the same time I would draw your attention to the fact that in nearly all beers, no matter how old, it is possible to produce a further fermentation by degrading with C.W.M.E. or diastase, and adding new yeast.

The peculiar composition of the pale ale given in the last column is probably due in the first place to the use of an undercured malt, and in the second place to a low mashing heat. It will be noted that 97 per cent. of the possibly fermentable matter has been fermented in nine months, a most unusual thing."
Journal of the Federated Institutes of Brewing, Volume 7, Issue 2, March-April 1901, page 206.

You would expect the free maltose content of the matured Pale Ales to be lower than the newly-racked ones, as fermentation would have continued after racking. It's difficult to draw any conclusions from the dextrin content of the matured Pale Ales. Had it been significantly lower than in newly-racked beers, I would have suspected the action of a secondary-conditioning yeast such as Brettanomyces. The 9 month-old Pale Ale in the last column, with its FG of 1000 and almost zero remaining sugars, certainly looks like it's had Brettanomyces at work on it.

In the case of the 24 year-old Strong Ale, it looks as if, as Lott suggests, the residual sugars are the result not of everything possible being fermented out, but because the high level of alcohol (I make it 12.5% ABV) stopped the yeast working.

And that's me done with Lott's extremely informative article. What on earth will I do now?