Stout in 1960

We’re crawling our way slowly towards the end of this series. I hope you’ve been enjoying it as much as me.

It’s odd to think the child version of me was around at the time these beers were drunk. My dad probably drank some of the beers. I think his drink of choice was Bitter. That’s what he drank at home. I can remember him vaguely complaining about “chemical beer” a couple of times.

Sorry about that. Totally irrelevant to today’s topic. Which is Stout.

You may recall that in a couple of these sets I’ve had to include beers from other years because I didn’t have enough examples from 1960. No such problem with Stout. If anything, there are too many. It tells us a couple of things. First, that there were an awful lot of Stouts being brewed in Britain. Second, that Whitbread kept a very close eye on competitors to its own Mackeson brand.

I was surprised to see how many breweries produced multiple Stouts. Mostly southern breweries and particularly London ones. Not so odd, as it was where the style was born. I was also surprised by how weak many were – in the low 1030’s, or about the same as Mild. Though there were quite a lot at a more reasonable gravity of 1045º.

Because there are so many, I’ve split the Whitbread Gravity Book table into two: Sweet and Not so Sweet. It’s pretty arbitrary, and I’ve taken as the breakpoint 60% apparent attenuation.

Which only analysed two brands of Stout: Guinness and Mackeson. Which were the major national brands of the day and represent the two main types, Dry and Sweet. It’s a shame they didn’t analyse any other brands. I’d have been very interested in the bitterness levels of regional Stouts.

Talking of bitterness, the three Guinness examples are the bitterest beers Which tested. Bass Red Triangle, the bitterest other beer, matched the least bitter Guinness on 55. I have analyses of Guinness from the late 1990’s which have around 35 IBUs. Which I’m sure is much lower. My guess is that the current version of Extra Stout would have even fewer IBUs. This definitely coincides with my subjective view. Guinness used to be pretty bitter but no longer is.

Having brewing records for Mackeson, I know that it had about 1 lb of hops per barrel. Which, when you take into account its gravity, is about the same level as their Mild. That had a bitterness level of 26. Pretty much the same as one Mackeson example. I find the level quite high for a beer that was the archetypal Milk Stout.

The Gravity Book Stouts are all over the shop. Quite a few have laughable ABV’s, due to the minimal attenuation and low OG. Only three of this set have an ABV over 3%. They’d have Mr. Stout from the 1700’s turning in his grave. Unsurprisingly, most of these beers were terrible value for money.

The second set is a little better strength-wise, but still only three are over 4% ABV. It’s clear that Stout had long since ceased to be a synonym for strong.

Table time.

Stout in 1960
Brewer	Beer	Price per pint d	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	Index of Hop Bitter	price per % ABV
Guinness	Draught (Keg) Stout	24	1040.0	1006.2	4.40	84.50%	62	5.45
Guinness	Extra Stout	29	1046.0	1007.7	5.00	83.37%	55	5.80
Guinness	Extra Stout	36	1046.1	1007	5.10	84.82%	56	7.06
Whitbread	Mackeson	32	1046.4	1017.7	3.70	61.85%	27	8.64
Whitbread	Mackeson	36	1047.6	1018.2	3.80	61.87%	31	9.47
Source:
Which Beer Report, 1960, pages 171 - 173.

Sweet Stout in 1960
Brewer	Beer	Price per pint d	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	colour	price per % ABV
Mann Crossman	Cream Label Stout	26	1043.1	1025.2	2.29	41.53%		11.35
Tollemache	Double Stout	24	1037.3	1020.9	2.10	43.97%	250	11.41
Hall & Woodhouse	Glucose Stout	24	1041.8	1021.7	2.51	48.09%	200	9.55
Courage & Barclay	Barclay Stout	29	1043.1	1022	2.71	48.96%	450	10.70
S. Fussell	Extra Stout	24	1037	1018.8	2.28	49.19%	275	10.55
Phipps	Ratcliffe's Stout	22	1037.4	1018.5	2.36	50.53%	325	9.31
Younger, Wm.	Sweet Stout (lactose present)	34	1034.8	1016.9	2.24	51.44%	250	15.20
Cobbs	Margate Stout	29	1045.9	1022.2	2.96	51.63%	275	9.79
Phipps	Jumbo Stout	21	1036.3	1017.5	2.35	51.79%	375	8.94
Tennant Bros.	Glucose Stout	26	1039.7	1019.1	2.58	51.89%	225	10.10
Simonds	Velvet Stout	32	1042.3	1020.3	2.83	52.01%	300	11.31
Abingdon Brewery	Oak Stout	22	1031.4	1015	2.05	52.23%	250	10.73
Fremlin	Special Stout	24	1039.2	1018.6	2.65	52.55%	450	9.06
Ind Coope	Nourishing Stout	20	1031.9	1015	2.18	52.98%	275	9.19
Truman	Malt Stout	26	1041.4	1019.3	2.84	53.38%	250	9.15
Ind Coope	Allsopp's Sweet Stout	26	1037.7	1017.3	2.63	54.11%	300	9.90
Truman	Eagle Stout	20	1035.6	1016.3	2.48	54.21%	250	8.05
Wenlock	Oatmeal Stout	20	1033.6	1015.2	2.37	54.76%	250	8.44
Courage & Barclay	London Stout	20	1034.3	1015.4	2.43	55.10%	350	8.22
Cobbs	Oatmeal Stout	20	1029.8	1013.2	2.07	55.70%	225	9.64
Beasley	Arsenal Extra Special Stout	28	1040.7	1017.7	2.88	56.51%	400	9.74
Mew Langton	Oatmeal Stout	22	1032.7	1014.2	2.31	56.57%	400	9.51
Strong	Black Bess Stout	22	1034.9	1015.1	2.48	56.73%	300	8.89
Dunmow	Flitch Stout	22	1035.4	1015.3	2.51	56.78%	550	8.76
Watney	Hammerton's Stout	30	1046.8	1019.9	3.47	57.48%	375	8.66
Cobbold	Double Stout	20	1036.1	1015.3	2.60	57.62%	250	7.69
Tollemache	Oatmeal Stout	20	1033.1	1013.9	2.48	58.01%	475	8.08
Sampson	Oatmeal Stout	22	1033.1	1013.7	2.42	58.61%	250	9.07
Whitbread	Mackeson Stout	32	1046.4	1019.2	3.51	58.62%	300	9.13
Meux	Stout	22	1037.7	1015.4	2.88	59.15%	375	7.65
Meux	Night Cap Special	32	1044.3	1017.9	3.40	59.59%	350	9.40
Hope & Anchor	Jubilee Stout	26	1038.7	1015.6	2.89	59.69%	225	9.00
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.

Not so Sweet Stout in 1960
Brewer	Beer	Price per pint d	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	colour	price per % ABV
Nicholson	Stout	20	1031.3	1012.2	2.39	61.02%	225	8.38
Hall & Woodhouse	Oatmeal Badger Stout	19	1033	1012.8	2.53	61.21%	275	7.52
Brickwoods	Admiral Stout	22	1037.3	1014.4	2.86	61.39%	275	7.69
Flowers	Sable Stout	30	1043.7	1016.7	3.38	61.78%	275	8.89
Charrington	Anchor Stout	20	1034.6	1013.1	2.78	62.14%	350	7.21
Charles Wells	Stout	24	1040.9	1015.3	3.20	62.59%	200	7.50
Gibbs, Mew	Extra Stout	18	1033.9	1012.2	2.71	64.01%	375	6.64
Fremlin	Nourishing Stout	22	1033.5	1011.8	2.80	64.78%	300	7.85
Shepherd Neame	Oatmeal Stout	20	1029	1010.2	2.35	64.83%	200	8.51
C.E. Cook	Nourishing Stout	16	1034.3	1012	2.79	65.01%	350	5.74
George Gale	Nourishing Stout	20	1032.6	1011.4	2.65	65.03%	375	7.55
Watney	Dairymaid Stout	22	1032.6	1011.2	2.77	65.64%	250	7.95
Marstons	Mello Sweet Stout	28	1039.9	1013.7	3.28	65.66%	250	8.55
Hunter & Oliver	London Stout	20	1033.2	1011.3	2.74	65.96%	250	7.31
Ridley	Stout	21	1032.7	1011.1	2.70	66.06%	350	7.78
Whitbread	Oatmeal Stout	24	1038.9	1013.1	3.34	66.32%	250	7.19
Beasley	London Stout	20	1032.8	1010.6	2.77	67.68%	325	7.21
John R. Fielder	Stout	19	1035.7	1011.4	3.04	68.07%	600	6.26
Threllfall	Extra Stout (lactose absent)	25	1043.5	1013.8	3.71	68.28%	175	6.73
Young & Co.	Stout	22	1037.4	1011.4	3.25	69.52%	600	6.77
Charrington	Punch Stout	29	1046.1	1014	4.16	69.63%	300	6.97
Simonds	Luncheon Stout	20	1034.4	1010.4	3.11	69.77%		6.44
Young & Co.	Mellow Stout	30	1044.3	1012.9	3.93	70.88%	375	7.64
Watney	Reids Special Stout	26	1044.9	1012.9	4.15	71.27%	175	6.27
Burt	Extra Stout	26	1041.2	1011.5	3.71	72.09%	350	7.00
Morland	Stout	20	1033.7	1009.4	3.04	72.11%	300	6.58
Shepherd Neame	Double Stout	24	1032.4	1008.4	3.00	74.07%	175	8.00
Hewitt Bros.	Oatmeal Stout	22	1041.6	1009.7	3.99	76.68%	250	5.52
Guinness	Draught Guinness	21	1037	1007.1	3.89	80.81%	150	5.40
Guinness	Draught Guinness	22	1040	1005.3	4.52	86.75%	150	4.86
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.

Just Strong Ale and Lager to go.