Provincial bottled Pale Ale on the eve of WW II

Bottled Pale Ales came in a wide variety of strengths, from as weak as 1030º to as high as 1056º. The prices charged varied accordingly. In most cases, you got what you paid for. Though the size of the container mattered. Beer sold in half pints worked out slightly more expensive per pint. While that sold in quarts was slightly cheaper.

Provincial bottled Pale Ale under 6.5d per pint
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price per pint (d)	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1936	Beer & Rigden	Pale Ale	5.5	1030.6	1004.2	3.43	86.27%
1938	Shepherd Neame	Pale Ale	5.5	1031.4	1005.1	3.42	83.76%
1935	Wethered	Family Pale Ale	5.5	1031	1006	3.25	80.65%
1934	Tollemache	Light Bitter	5.75	1041	1006.3	4.52	84.63%
1937	Georges	Bitter Ale	6	1035.4	1007.3	3.65	79.38%
1936	Hey	White Rose Table Ale	6	1034	1005.5	3.71	83.82%
1936	Hope Brewery	Sun Bright Pale Ale	6	1044.7	1008.4	4.73	81.21%
1935	Steward & Patteson	Bitter Ale	6	1030	1003.7	3.42	87.67%
1936	Tamplin	Pale Ale	6	1031.7	1002.8	3.77	91.17%
1935	Anglo Bavarian	Pale Ale	6.375	1047	1015.3	4.10	67.45%
1935	Northampton Brewery	Pale Ale		1032	1008.2	3.08	74.37%
1936	Vaux	Pale Ale		1033	1006.5	3.44	80.30%
	Average		5.86	1035.2	1006.6	3.71	81.72%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Thomas Usher Gravity Book held at the Scottish Brewing Archive document TU/6/11,

Most examples are, as you would expect, in the low 1030ºs. The exception being the Hope Brewery beer. That could be because it was packaged in a can. There’s a good chance that it wasn’t a full pint in size. The Tollemache Light Bitter is slightly cheaper than you’d expect because it came in a quart bottle.

The rate of attenuation is extremely high, with the exception of a couple of examples, notably the Anglo Bavarian one. The high attenuation means that, despite there being some low-gravity examples, all come in at well over 3% ABV.

The next price class up, approximately 7d per pint, is much the same as 6d draught beers, in terms of strength. Though the Walmer Ale is a real outlier at just under 1030º. Most of the other examples are somewhere around 1040º.

Provincial bottled Pale Ale under 6.5d to 7.5d per pint
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price per pint (d)	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1934	Eldridge Pope	Crystal Ale	7	1037	1007.3	3.86	80.27%
1938	Fremlin	Elephant Ale	7	1042.5	1013.1	3.81	69.18%
1938	Green	Lutonian Pale Ale	7	1035	1005	3.91	85.71%
1938	Lovibond	Yeoman Ale	7	1043.9	1005.4	5.03	87.70%
1935	Mitchell & Butler	Cape Ale	7	1040	1008.3	4.12	79.25%
1938	Simonds	SB Ale	7	1036.4	1006.1	3.94	83.24%
1938	Thompson & Sons	Walmer Ale	7	1029.8	1004	3.36	86.58%
1934	Woodhead	Special Pale Ale	7	1033.5	1008.4	3.25	74.93%
1935	Mitchell & Butler	All Bright Ale	7.5	1046	1008.6	4.87	81.30%
1934	John Smith	Star Bright Ale		1038.6	1009.7	3.75	74.87%
1937	Magee Marshall	Crown Ale		1037.5	1007	3.97	81.33%
1938	Melbourne	Gold Cup		1040.8	1008.2	4.24	79.90%
1938	Unwin	Pale Ale		1039	1005.7	4.34	85.38%
1934	Vaux	Pale Ale		1040.5	1007.5	4.29	81.48%
	Average		7.06	1038.6	1007.5	4.05	80.80%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Thomas Usher Gravity Book held at the Scottish Brewing Archive document TU/6/11,

The rate of attenuation is almost, but not quite, as high as in the weaker class. There’s just a single beer under 70%, Fremlin Elephant Ale.

The last table is proof that Pale Ales in the strongest were brewed in the province. Though the same ceiling – around 1055º – applied as elsewhere.

Provincial bottled Pale Ale above 7.5d per pint
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price per pint (d)	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1938	Eldridge Pope	Crystal Ale	8	1036.7	1005.9	4.01	83.92%
1936	Hey	Golden Cup Ale	8	1047	1012.9	4.42	72.55%
1936	Hey	White Rose Ale No. 5	8	1045	1013.6	4.07	69.78%
1936	John Smith	No. 5 Special	8	1041	1012.7	3.66	69.02%
1935	Steward & Patteson	Pale Ale	8	1046	1007.8	4.98	83.04%
1934	Strong	Golden Ale	8	1044	1014	3.88	68.18%
1936	Tetley	Yorkshire Ale	8.5	1051	1012.7	4.98	75.10%
1936	Flower	Pale Ale	9	1053	1014	5.07	73.58%
1935	Morgans	Pale Ale	9	1048	1018	3.87	62.50%
1935	Mitchell & Butler	Export Pale Ale	11	1053	1008.4	5.83	84.15%
1936	Felinfoel	Pale Ale		1051	1014.7	4.71	71.18%
1934	Fremlin	Bitter Ale		1049	1001.3	6.27	97.35%
1937	Fremlin	Gold Top English Stock Bbitter		1046.8	1003.2	5.71	93.16%
1936	John Smith	Magnet Pale Ale		1056	1014.2	5.44	74.64%
1934	John Smith	Pale Ale		1050.3	1011.9	4.99	76.34%
	Average		8.55	1047.9	1011.0	4.79	76.97%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.

The rate of attenuation doesn’t average out quite as high as in the other classes, but there is the most highly attenuated of all: Fremlin Bitter Ale. With a finishing gravity of just 1001.3, it must have been bone dry. The label states "almost sugar free" which is certainly true.

I suspect that this is the ancestor of Whitbread’s Stock Bitter bottled beer of the 1970s. Not so strange, as Whitbread did take over Fremlin