The Lancet and Bass's Barley Wine

Bass No. 1 Ale, the original Barley Wine, is a remarkable beer for many reasons. If only because it's still clinging on by a thread. Another top-class brand that's been abused and neglected by its owners over the last 50 years.

I love the way medical men used to recommend booze to their patients. Even during Prohibition "medicinal" whiskey was available on prescription. This isn't quite as bad as that, but it's still odd recommending a beer of 10% ABV for health reasons.

THE "LANCET" AND "BASS' BARLEY WINE."
The beer known "Bass' No. 1 Barley Wine," which the medical profession are now recommending as a sustaining and nourishing food-beverage for the winter months, and for such persons as need a safe pure malt liqueur, is mentioned the pages the '"Lancet" of the 23rd January. After giving the figures arrived at by the able chemists who conduct the analyses for the journal, the following interesting comment is appended. - "It cannot be doubted, therefore, that the beer possesses a decidedly nourishing value, and more so than many so-called nourishing stouts which have examined. The beer was in excellent condition, free from hardness or acidity, and from excess of gas. It a very palatable malt liquor, having an attractively rich malty flavour." We understand that Bass and Co. guarantee that this "No. 1 Barley Wine," like their Pale Ale, is brewed solely from malt and hops, and of the best that can be procured.
Aberdeen Journal - Saturday 13 February 1909, page 3.

I wouldn't be doing my job if I couldn't come up with some numbers to match the newspaper article. And they demonstrate something very unusual about Bass No. 1. Its gravity didn't drop across the two World Wars. That's only true of a small number of very strong beers, for example Barclay Perkins/Courage Russian Stout.

Bass No. 1 1870 - 1953
Year	Beer	Price	size	package	Acidity	FG	OG	colour	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1870	Barley Wine	5d	pint	draught	0.23	1032.3	1114.8		10.84	71.85%
1879	No. 1		pint	bottled		1029	1104		9.83	72.12%
1896	Strong Ale				0.288	1034.9	1101.9		8.56	63.64%
1921	No. 1		pint	bottled		1032	1094		8.06	65.96%
1927	No. 1 Barley Wine		pint	bottled		1035	1105	70	9.13	66.67%
1935	Barley Wine		halfpint	bottled	0.07	1023.3	1109		11.32	78.62%
1952	Barley Wine	21.5d	nip	bottled	0.08	1035.6	1104.1	10 + 40	8.93	65.80%
1953	Barley Wine	20d	nip	bottled	0.08	1036.3	1104.6	10 + 40	8.90	65.30%
Sources:
British Medical Journal 1870, vol. 1, 1870, page 68.
Wahl & Henius, pages 823-830
Thomas Usher Gravity Book document TU/6/11
Younger, Wm. & Co Gravity Book document WY/6/1/1/19 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive
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

I can remember drinking Bass No. 1 way, way back in the 1970's in a Bass tied house in Mablethorpe. I can't remember much about it. Though I seem to recall it being amber rather than dark brown. Could be my memory playing tricks.