Warwicks & Richardsons beers in 1910

I’m so happy to have finally got my hands on a Newark brewing record. Especially as it’s from my favourite period: just before WW I.

And also because it matches up nicely with a Warwicks & Richardsons price list I have from 1906. It’s not a complete match, as I haven’t been able to find XXXX, B or Porter. On the other hand, there are a couple of beers that are in the brewing record, but not in the price list: HA (presumably Harvest Ale), XXX B and HB. 

I’ve been rethinking my ideas on Edwardian Mild. It’s clear that, outside London, X Ale and XX Ale were often below 1050º. Warwicks XXXX Ale, which I haven’t found in the brewing record, probably had an OG in the low 1060s. That I haven’t found it implies that it wasn’t brewed very often.

Though XXX Ale, which is around the strength of a London X Ale, was the commonest of the Warwicks Milds. Looking at the price list, I would have guessed that the four Mild Ales were parti-gyled in various combinations. But this wasn’t the case. Mostly they were brewed single-gyle, as were the Pale Ales.

Warwicks & Richardsons beers in 1910
Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	boil time (hours)		Pitch temp	max. fermen-tation temp
HA	Mild	1036.6	1013.0	3.11	64.39%	3.85	0.56	2	1.5	61.5º F	69º F
X	Mild	1043.8	1013.9	3.96	68.35%	4.98	0.86	2	1.5	61.5º F	69.5º F
XX	Mild	1048.5	1014.7	4.47	69.71%	4.95	0.95	2	1.5	61.5º F	70º F
XXX	Mild	1055.4	1016.3	5.17	70.50%	4.95	1.07	1.5		60º F	70º F
LBB	Pale Ale	1042.7	1012.5	3.99	70.78%	3.68	0.62	2	1.5	62º F	70º F
TA	Pale Ale	1050.1	1015.5	4.58	69.06%	5.82	1.00	2	1.5	62.5º F	69.5º F
BB	Pale Ale	1052.6	1015.8	4.87	70.00%	6.58	1.38	2	1.5	62º F	70º F
XXX B	Pale Ale	1049.9	1015.5	4.54	68.89%	6.58	1.31	2	1.5	62º F	70º F
IPA	IPA	1059.8	1018.0	5.53	69.91%	7.40	1.84	2	1.5	61º F	70º F
A	Strong Ale	1067.9	1022.4	6.01	66.94%	4.93	1.36	2	1.5	60º F	70º F
HB	Strong Ale	1062.9	1019.9	5.68	68.28%	4.00	1.00	2	1.5	60º F	70º F
SS	Stout	1053.7	1022.2	4.18	58.76%	4.83	1.12	2	1.5	60.5º F	70º F
DS	Stout	1069.3	1028.0	5.46	59.60%	4.80	1.46	2	1.5	63º F	70º F
Source:
Warwicks & Richardsons brewing record held at the Nottinghamshire Archives, document number DD/NM/8/4/1.

The Strong Ales look weaker than in London. A London KK was around 1075º and a KKK 1085º at this date. Even the stronger (and missing from the log) B would only have been around 1073º.

SS, Single Stout, is only about the strength of  a London Porter. While DS, Double Stout, is well short of the 1080º gravity of Whitbread’s Double Stout in 1910. 

The Pale Ales are the one set that are similar to London strength. Whitbread’s four Pale Ales in 1910 ranged from 1048º to 1063º. Though their IPA was one of the weaker examples at just 1049º Whitbread’s strongest Pale Ale was simply called PA.

Warwicks & Richardsons beers and prices in 1910
Beer	Style	OG	price per barrel	price per gravity point
HA	Mild	1036.6
X	Mild	1043.8	36	0.823
XX	Mild	1048.5	42	0.866
XXX	Mild	1055.4	48	0.866
LBB	Pale Ale	1042.7	36	0.844
TA	Pale Ale	1050.1	42	0.838
BB	Pale Ale	1052.6	48	0.912
XXX B	Pale Ale	1049.9
IPA	IPA	1059.8	54	0.903
A	Strong Ale	1067.9	60	0.884
HB	Strong Ale	1062.9
SS	Stout	1053.7	42	0.782
DS	Stout	1069.3	48	0.693
Sources:
Warwicks & Richardsons brewing record held at the Nottinghamshire Archives, document number DD/NM/8/4/1.
Lincolnshire Chronicle - Tuesday 25 December 1906, page 1.