Let's Brew - 1912 Thomas Usher IP

I just can’t resist another watery IPA recipe. You might get the idea that I’m trying to prove a point with these recipe. As if I’d ever do something as tacky as that.

I hope you aren’t getting bored of all these Scottish recipes. I see it a documentary duty to get at least a few dozen genuine Scottish recipes out there. One wee widdle into a hurricane, given the number of made up ones out there. But at least I’m trying. I have increased the number of fact-based recipes by several hundred percent this year. Looking at it positively.

It’s always a good laugh looking at how a beer like this scores on the style characteristics in BeerSmith. Way wrong on every single one. The only one even vaguely close, the ABV, is wrong because it assumes a much better rate of attenuation than the original achieved.

Here’s how it scored:

This isn’t a dig at BeerSmith. It just uses the “official” BJCP styles. Hang on. BeerSmith lets me define my own style.

I’ve just added this one:

That looks way better, doesn’t it? When do you reckon the BJCP will add English Watery IPA to their style guidelines? When they start gritting the roads in Hades? Even though I’ve done all the work for them. I can even think of at least two current examples: Greene King IPA and Harvey’s IPA. Which is about as many “Southern English Brown Ales” I can think of.

I need to take this further. Add more real old styles, old and new. Entering as many recipes to BeerSmith as I am, I should be able to refine the definitions as I go on. What a fascinating project.
Almost forgot about the recipe. It’s more pale malt, flaked maize and sugar. Incidentally, they’re the ingredients listed in my official style definition of English Watery IPA. Do you think I should trademark the term? Wouldn’t want some bastard nicking it.

What else? All English hops, which is a bit odd pre-WW I. You’d usually expect some American ones in there.

It was parti-gyled with a couple of even weaker beers, 50/- Br and 60/- Br, at 1034º and 1031º. Really, really watery for back then. I’m still wondering what the hell “Br” means. First records I have that mention it are from 1894. Could it mean “Bright” or “Brilliant”, i.e. a chilled and filtered bottled beer? The 1890’s is when that type of beer was appearing. None of the beers with the designation is over 1037º.

Right. Recipe time. (And tea-time for me.)

1912 Thomas Usher IP
pale malt	7.25 lb	80.56%
flaked maize	1.00 lb	11.11%
No. 2 invert sugar	0.75 lb	8.33%
Fuggles 90 min	0.75 oz
Fuggles 60 min	0.75 oz
Fuggles 30 min	0.75 oz
OG	1042
FG	1014
ABV	3.70
Apparent attenuation	66.67%
IBU	28
SRM	6
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	170º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	WLP028 Edinburgh Ale