1899 William Younger S1

Let me take you back to a simpler time. One before William Younger had discovered they could brew pretty much from corn grits. And when they produced a bewildering array of Stouts.

One of the main differences amongst their Stouts was the degree of attenuation. Ones they’d brewed for a while, like DBS, tended to have a more normal attenuation. While some of the ones introduced towards the end of the 1900’s, er, didn’t. These ones seem to be the ancestors of 20th-century Scottish Sweet Stout, a style with incredibly low attenuation and minimal alcohol.

This one still manages to come out at 4.5% ABV, but that’s only because it has quite a high OG. With that FG and getting on for 20% roasted malt, this must have been a pretty thick and gloopy beer. I wonder who the drinkers were of this stuff? Was it invalids looking to restore their vitality? Or just people with a sweet tooth?

For William Younger, the recipe is just packed with different ingredients. A whole three different types of malt, plus glucose and the inevitable grits.

The trickiest aspect of this range of Stouts is the hopping. Which was minimal. Apart from the large quantities of spent hops also used. What do spent hops bring to the party? A Watneys Seven? I’ve no idea, if I’m honest. I’ve been assuming 10% of their value fresh. But that could be wildly wrong.

To add to the fun, some examples of S1 – not this one – included 3 or 4 gallons of ullage beer barrel. That’s 10-12.5% returned beer. Must have added a lovely extra tang.

1899 William Younger S1
pale malt	10.00 lb	62.50%
black malt	2.00 lb	12.50%
amber malt	0.75 lb	4.69%
grits	1.75 lb	10.94%
glucose	1.50 lb	9.38%
Cluster 120 min (spent)	0.50 oz
Cluster 90 min	0.75 oz
OG	1069
FG	1035
ABV	4.50
Apparent attenuation	49.28%
IBU	25
SRM	46
Mash at	155º F
Sparge at	160º F
Boil time	180 minutes
pitching temp	59.5º F
Yeast	WLP028 Edinburgh Ale