Let's Brew 1939 Barclay Perkins X (Dark)

At the outbreak of war Barclay Perkins brewed a baffling range of Mild Ales, at different strengths and with different colours.

The standard X Ale came in two variations, Light and Dark. The beers were brewed exactly the same way. The only difference was that the Dark version was adjusted with caramel at racking time.

The grist is quite exciting for a Mild of the period. Most had nothing darker than crystal malt and some not even that, deriving all the colour from sugar. Here there are four malts (well, five, really, as I’ve substituted more mild malt for SA malt): pale and mild as base, plus crystal and amber.

There are three types of sugar: No. 3 invert, caramel and something called BS. I’ve just bumped up the quantity of No. 3 to account for that.

The hops are all from Kent:  Mid Kent Fuggles (1938 CS), Kent Fuggles (1938), Mid Kent Fuggles (1937 CS).

1939 Barclay Perkins X (Dark)
pale malt	1.75 lb	21.77%
mild malt	2.75 lb	34.20%
crystal malt 60 L	0.50 lb	6.22%
amber malt	0.33 lb	4.10%
flaked maize	1.25 lb	15.55%
No. 3 invert sugar	1.25 lb	15.55%
caramel 1000 SRM	0.21 lb	2.61%
Fuggles 150 mins	0.50 oz
Fuggles 60 mins	0.50 oz
Fuggles 30 mins	0.50 oz
OG	1037
FG	1010
ABV	3.57
Apparent attenuation	72.97%
IBU	20
SRM	22
Mash at	146º F
After underlet	154º F
Sparge at	170º F
Boil time	150 minutes
pitching temp	62º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread Ale