Look, if I do a poll of those legally able to drink in this family, 100% like Dark Mild. Love it even. There - statistical proof, Andrew, that everyone loves Dark Mild. Not the beers we'll be looking at today were necessarily that dark. Many London Milds between the wars were half dark, about midway between true Dark Mild and Bitter. Though there were breweries, Barclay Perkins, for example, who produced differently coloured versions of the same beer by adding caramel at racking time.
I've so many examples of Watney's Mild, I'm spreading them across several instalments. And ridiculous numbers from other London breweries. Unsurprisingly, as Mild was an extremely popular style and an important product for most breweries. It's obvious that Whitbread and Truman would be very interested in what their competitors were up to with their Milds.
Just checked on Whitbread's Mild output in the 1920's and it's rather less than I would have expected - a little over 20% of the total. Here are all the numbers in nice table form.
| Whitbread Mild output in the 1920's | |||||||||
| LA | X | MA | All Milds | All beers | |||||
| Year | barrels brewed | %age of total | barrels brewed | %age of total | barrels brewed | %age of total | barrels brewed | %age of total | barrels brewed |
| 1921 | 127,944 | 18.94% | 53,930 | 7.98% | 181,874 | 27% | 675,647 | ||
| 1922 | 99,485 | 17.27% | 35,893 | 6.23% | 135,378 | 23% | 576,118 | ||
| 1923 | 89,145 | 17.65% | 22,939 | 4.54% | 112,084 | 22% | 505,097 | ||
| 1924 | 21,844 | 3.96% | 101,221 | 18.35% | 123,065 | 22% | 551,616 | ||
| 1925 | 18,260 | 3.46% | 103,961 | 19.69% | 122,221 | 23% | 527,977 | ||
| 1926 | 14,861 | 2.90% | 104,632 | 20.41% | 119,493 | 23% | 512,528 | ||
| 1927 | 10,660 | 2.31% | 93,752 | 20.28% | 104,412 | 23% | 462,250 | ||
| 1928 | 9,317 | 6.55% | 113,934 | 23.33% | 123,251 | 25% | 488,357 | ||
| 1929 | 7,972 | 9.29% | 130,609 | 29.42% | 138,581 | 31% | 443,888 | ||
| Sources: | |||||||||
| Whitbread Ale brewing records document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/086, LMA/4453/D/01/087, LMA/4453/D/01/088, LMA/4453/D/01/089, LMA/4453/D/01/090, LMA/4453/D/01/091, LMA/4453/D/01/093, LMA/4453/D/01/094, LMA/4453/D/01/095 and LMA/4453/D/01/096 held at the London Metropolitan Archives. | |||||||||
| Whitbread Porter brewing records document numbers LMA/4453/D/09/113, LMA/4453/D/09/114, LMA/4453/D/09/115, LMA/4453/D/09/116, LMA/4453/D/09/117, LMA/4453/D/09/118, LMA/4453/D/09/119, LMA/4453/D/09/120, LMA/4453/D/09/121 and LMA/4453/D/09/122 held at the London Metropolitan Archives. | |||||||||
Before we go any further, I should emphasise that the beers were looking at here are the full-strength Milds. Beers usually called X Ale by the brewery. There were two other weaker classes which we'll examine in a later post. Whitbread LA and MA in the table above belonged to the weakest class of Mild.
| Watney's Mild Ale 1870 - 1929 | |||||||
| Date | Beer | Price per pint (pence) | Acidity | FG | OG | ABV | App. Atten-uation |
| 1870 | Mild | 2 | 0.19 | 1018.7 | 1063.76 | 5.85 | 70.67% |
| 1922 | X | 7 | 1008.6 | 1042.1 | 4.36 | 79.57% | |
| 1922 | X | 7 | 1009 | 1042.5 | 4.36 | 78.82% | |
| 1922 | X | 7 | 1008.8 | 1042.8 | 4.42 | 79.44% | |
| 1922 | X | 7 | 1042.9 | ||||
| 1922 | X | 7 | 1009 | 1044 | 4.55 | 79.55% | |
| 1922 | X | 7 | 1009.3 | 1046.3 | 4.82 | 79.91% | |
| 1923 | X | 7 | 1008.6 | 1038.6 | 3.90 | 77.72% | |
| 1923 | X | 6 | 1007.6 | 1041.1 | 4.36 | 81.51% | |
| 1923 | X | 6 | 1009 | 1041.5 | 4.22 | 78.31% | |
| 1923 | X | 7 | 1008.6 | 1042.6 | 4.42 | 79.81% | |
| 1923 | X | 7 | 1008.8 | 1043.8 | 4.55 | 79.91% | |
| 1923 | X | 7 | 1009 | 1044 | 4.55 | 79.55% | |
| 1923 | X | 7 | 1009 | 1045 | 4.68 | 80.00% | |
| 1923 | X | 7 | 1008.4 | 1045.4 | 4.82 | 81.50% | |
| 1924 | X | 6 | 1008.5 | 1044.9 | 4.74 | 81.07% | |
| 1924 | X | 6 | 1045.9 | ||||
| 1924 | X | 6 | 1009.4 | 1046 | 4.76 | 79.57% | |
| 1925 | X | 6 | 1009.8 | 1044.9 | 4.56 | 78.17% | |
| 1926 | X | 6 | 1039.6 | ||||
| 1926 | X | 6 | 1041.3 | ||||
| 1926 | X | 6 | 1043 | ||||
| 1926 | X | 6 | 1043.3 | ||||
| 1926 | X | 6 | 1043.5 | ||||
| 1926 | X | 6 | 1043.5 | ||||
| 1928 | X | 6 | 0.06 | 1010.3 | 1041.3 | 4.02 | 75.06% |
| 1928 | X | 6 | 0.07 | 1012.3 | 1043.3 | 4.02 | 71.59% |
| 1928 | X | 6 | 1009.8 | 1044.8 | 4.55 | 78.13% | |
| 1929 | X | 6 | 0.08 | 1011.2 | 1043 | 4.13 | 73.95% |
| 1929 | X | 6 | 0.07 | 1013 | 1043.1 | 3.90 | 69.84% |
| Sources: | |||||||
| British Medical Journal 1870, vol. 1, 1870, page 68. | |||||||
| Truman Gravity Book document B/THB/C/252 held at the London Metropolitan Archives. | |||||||
| Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001. | |||||||
You'll notice that I've thrown in a Watney's Mild from the 1870's. That gravity in the 1060's is pretty typical of X Ales of the period.
But how typical was Watney's Mild of London X Ales? Let's take a look shall we:
| London Mild Ales in the 1920's | ||||||||
| Year | Brewer | Beer | Price per pint (pence) | FG | OG | colour | ABV | App. Atten-uation |
| 1922 | Barclay Perkins | 7d | 7 | 1010 | 1042 | 4.16 | 76.19% | |
| 1922 | Camden | M | 1010.5 | 1043.8 | 40 | 4.40 | 75.95% | |
| 1922 | Charrington | 7d | 7 | 1010 | 1042 | 39 | 4.16 | 76.19% |
| 1922 | Lion Brewery | X | 7 | 1006.3 | 1041.2 | 4.55 | 84.71% | |
| 1922 | Mann | 7d | 7 | 1010 | 1046.5 | 50 | 4.75 | 78.49% |
| 1922 | Meux | X | 7 | 1006.8 | 1041.3 | 4.49 | 83.54% | |
| 1922 | Truman | X | 7 | 1011.1 | 1042.1 | 4.02 | 73.63% | |
| 1922 | Whitbread | X | 7 | 1009.3 | 1043.3 | 4.42 | 78.52% | |
| 1923 | Barclay Perkins | X | 7 | 1013.2 | 1044.7 | 4.08 | 70.47% | |
| 1923 | Camden | M | 1009.4 | 1043.8 | 40 | 4.54 | 78.48% | |
| 1923 | Charrington | X | 7 | 1009.6 | 1042.6 | 4.29 | 77.46% | |
| 1923 | Lion Brewery | X | 7 | 1007.6 | 1042.1 | 4.49 | 81.95% | |
| 1923 | Mann | X | 7 | 1010 | 1042.5 | 4.22 | 76.47% | |
| 1923 | Meux | X | 6 | 1009.6 | 1042.2 | 4.24 | 77.25% | |
| 1923 | Truman | X | 7 | 1010.2 | 1041.7 | 4.09 | 75.54% | |
| 1923 | Whitbread | X | 1008 | 1042.1 | 40B + 1.5R | 4.44 | 81.00% | |
| 1924 | Barclay Perkins | X | 6 | 1011.7 | 1044.6 | 4.27 | 73.77% | |
| 1924 | Camden | M | 1011.1 | 1043.5 | 45 | 4.29 | 74.52% | |
| 1924 | Cannon Brewery | X | 6 | 1010.5 | 1039 | 3.69 | 73.08% | |
| 1924 | Mann | X | 6 | 1007.3 | 1043.7 | 4.74 | 83.30% | |
| 1924 | Smith Garrett | X | 6 | 1045.1 | ||||
| 1924 | Truman | X | 6 | 1014.1 | 1043 | 3.74 | 67.21% | |
| 1924 | Whitbread | X | 1012.0 | 1042.7 | 40 + 5 | 4.06 | 71.87% | |
| 1925 | Barclay Perkins | X | 6 | 1011.4 | 1044 | 4.23 | 74.09% | |
| 1925 | Cannon Brewery | X | 6 | 1010.4 | 1039.8 | 3.81 | 73.87% | |
| 1925 | Meux | X | 6 | 1004 | 1041.2 | 4.86 | 90.29% | |
| 1925 | Truman | X | 6 | 1010.8 | 1041 | 3.92 | 73.66% | |
| 1925 | Whitbread | X | 1010.0 | 1042.2 | 40 + 7 | 4.26 | 76.30% | |
| 1926 | Barclay Perkins | X | 1010.8 | 1043.2 | 4.21 | 75.00% | ||
| 1926 | Charrington | X | 6 | 1043.4 | ||||
| 1926 | City of London | X | 6 | 1045.4 | ||||
| 1926 | Lion Brewery | X | 6 | 1042.6 | ||||
| 1926 | Mann | X | 6 | 1043.8 | ||||
| 1926 | Meux | X | 6 | 1043.8 | ||||
| 1926 | Smith Garrett | X | 6 | 1041.9 | ||||
| 1926 | Taylor Walker | X | 6 | 1045.7 | ||||
| 1926 | Truman | X | 6 | 1045 | ||||
| 1926 | Wenlock | X | 6 | 1042.8 | ||||
| 1926 | Whitbread | X | 1012.5 | 1042.6 | 40 + 13 | 3.99 | 70.68% | |
| 1927 | Whitbread | X | 1014.0 | 1042.8 | 40 +13 | 3.81 | 67.27% | |
| 1928 | Barclay Perkins | X | 1011.0 | 1042.9 | 42 | 4.22 | 74.35% | |
| 1928 | Courage | X | 6 | 1010 | 1042.7 | 4.25 | 76.58% | |
| 1928 | Hoare | X | 6 | 1012.2 | 1043.3 | 4.03 | 71.82% | |
| 1928 | Mann | X | 6 | 1010.7 | 1045.6 | 4.53 | 76.54% | |
| 1928 | Taylor Walker | X | 6 | 1013 | 1044.5 | 4.08 | 70.79% | |
| 1928 | Truman | X | 6 | 1011.7 | 1042.7 | 4.02 | 72.60% | |
| 1928 | Whitbread | X | 1012.5 | 1042.1 | 40 + 13 | 3.92 | 70.31% | |
| 1929 | Barclay Perkins | X | 1012.5 | 1042.6 | 40 | 3.98 | 70.65% | |
| 1929 | Hoare | X | 6 | 1011 | 1044.7 | 4.38 | 75.39% | |
| 1929 | Mann | X | 6 | 1009 | 1044 | 4.55 | 79.55% | |
| 1929 | Taylor Walker | X | 6 | 1014.7 | 1044 | 3.79 | 66.59% | |
| 1929 | Truman | X | 6 | 1010 | 1042 | 4.16 | 76.19% | |
| 1929 | Whitbread | X | 1012.0 | 1042.2 | 40 + 14 | 4.00 | 71.57% | |
| Average | 6.3 | 1010.5 | 1043.0 | 4.21 | 75.43% | |||
| Sources: | ||||||||
| Barclay Perkins brewing records | ||||||||
| Camden Brewery brewing records document number ACC/2305/9/5 held at the London Metropolitan Archives. | ||||||||
| Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252 | ||||||||
| Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001 | ||||||||
| Whitbread brewing records document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/089, LMA/4453/D/01/090, LMA/4453/D/01/091, LMA/4453/D/01/093, LMA/4453/D/01/094 and LMA/4453/D/01/095 held at the London Metropolitan Archives. | ||||||||
The answer is: pretty typical. The gravity was usually a point or two either side of the average of 1043. The attenuation was a tad higher than the average of 75%, but there were examples from other breweries with values over 80%. Looking at both tables, it does appear that the rate of attenuation was higher in the first half of the decade than the second.
A note on the colour values. 40 is the half dark colour, 40 + 13 is dark brown.
Next time we'll have a quick run through the other classes of London Mild in the 1920's.
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