Let's Brew - 1942 Shepherd Neame LDA

As was so often the case, this LDA was parti-gyled with the BB we’ve just seen.

I’m certain about what this beer was sold as – Light Dinner Ale – but that doesn’t remove all the question marks about it. True, the name implies that it was a Light Ale, that is a light, bottled Pale Ale. But it’s unwise to make too many assumptions.

Between the wars Whitbread brewed a beer called LA – Light Ale. But light wasn’t being used to refer to the colour, but to the strength. In reality, it was a low-gravity Dark Mild. It’s just as well to be aware that light was used with different meanings in beer descriptions.

Shepherd Neame brewed several beers at 1027º - effectively the minimum gravity a beer could be brewed at – during the war years. The high degree of attenuation makes this almost intoxicating. Though with the minimal level of hopping it must have been a pretty watery and insipid drink.

1942 Shepherd Neame LDA
pale malt	5.25 lb	85.37%
No. 3 invert sugar	0.50 lb	8.13%
malt extract	0.40 lb	6.50%
Fuggles 85 mins	0.25 oz
Goldings 60 mins	0.25 oz
Goldings 30 mins	0.25 oz
OG	1027
FG	1005
ABV	2.91
Apparent attenuation	81.48%
IBU	11
SRM	6
Mash at	152º F
Sparge at	170º F
Boil time	85 minutes
pitching temp	64º F
Yeast	a Southern English Ale yeast