Wednesday 3 July 2019

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1944 Adnams XX

Having started the war at 1029º, XX had little scope for getting much weaker. Especially if you understand how the tax system worked.

Tax was charged on a “standard barrel” – 36 imperial gallons at 1055º. A weaker or stronger beer was charged at a proportional rate. Thus two barrels of 1027.5º made one standard barrel. But there was a restriction. The minimum rate of tax was the equivalent of a 1027º beer. So if you brewed a beer at 1020º, you paid tax as if it were 1027º. Clearly this was a financially unattractive move. Making 1027º the weakest anyone ever brewed.

The biggest change from the 1943 recipe is the replacement of flaked oats by flaked barley. This was a change once again dictated by the authorities. Breweries had to use a certain proportion of flaked barley whether they wanted to or not.

With two coloured malts, the grist is quite unusual for a Mild. Few contained anything darker than crystal and often not even that.

The hops were exactly the same as in the PA, that is English from the 1942 and 1943 harvests.


1944 Adnams XX
mild malt 4.00 lb 66.01%
crystal malt 80 L 0.33 lb 5.45%
amber malt 0.33 lb 5.45%
flaked barley 1.00 lb 16.50%
No. 3 invert sugar 0.33 lb 5.45%
caramel 2000 SRM 0.07 lb 1.16%
Fuggles 120 mins 0.50 oz
Fuggles 60 mins 0.25 oz
Goldings 30 mins 0.25 oz
OG 1027
FG 1006
ABV 2.78
Apparent attenuation 77.78%
IBU 15
SRM 16
Mash at 148º F
After underlet 150º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 120 minutes
pitching temp 60º F
Yeast WLP025 Southwold

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