This is my full set of analyses of Bass Pale covering almost 150 years. If you have any I've missed, I'd be delighted to hear about them.
As a world-renowned beer, Bass Pale Ale was analysed by all sort of people. Which is dea handy for numbers freaks like me.
It's obvious from looking at even these bare stats that there's no one true "authentic" Bass Pale Ale. Like every other British beer, it changed and adapted to the times. Which mostly consisted of dropping in strength. Though, as a special expensive beer, it avoided the most drastic slashing.
Though, if you were to ask me, I'd say the classic OG was around 1065º
| Bass Pale Ale 1851 - 1994 | |||||||||
| Year | Beer | package | Price per pint d | OG | FG | ABV | App. Atten-uation | Acidity | colour |
| 1851 | Domestic IPA | 1064 | 1012.8 | 6.69 | 80.00% | ||||
| 1852 | Domestic IPA | 1073.7 | 1019.2 | 7.11 | 73.95% | ||||
| 1862 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1067.8 | 1014.3 | 7.04 | 78.91% | |||
| 1862 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1069 | 1017.2 | 6.80 | 75.07% | |||
| 1862 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1069.5 | 1016.9 | 6.91 | 75.68% | |||
| 1862 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1063.2 | 1012.4 | 6.69 | 80.38% | |||
| 1862 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1066.9 | 1015.6 | 6.74 | 76.68% | |||
| 1869 | Pale Ale (brewed 2nd Jan 1869) | draught | 1065.9 | 1010.2 | 7.33 | 84.50% | 0.17 | ||
| 1869 | Pale Ale (brewed 24th Dec 1868 | draught | 1065.4 | 1012.5 | 6.96 | 80.87% | 0.16 | ||
| 1869 | Pale Ale (brewed 27th Jan 1869) | draught | 1066.7 | 1011.8 | 7.20 | 82.33% | 0.13 | ||
| 1869 | Pale Ale | draught | 4 | 1067.0 | 1013.2 | 6.81 | 80.31% | 0.28 | |
| 1869 | Pale Ale | draught | 3 | 1056.5 | 1010.1 | 5.98 | 82.08% | 0.29 | |
| 1870 | India Pale Ale | 1060.0 | |||||||
| 1887 | Pale Ale | 1064.2 | 1009.3 | 7.08 | 84.75% | 0.117 | |||
| 1887 | Pale Ale | 6.21 | 0.18 | ||||||
| 1887 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1063.5 | 1009.5 | 7.08 | 85.04% | 0.12 | ||
| 1888 | Pale Ale | 1069.6 | 1010.6 | 7.58 | 83.82% | 0.189 | |||
| 1888 | Pale Ale | 1069.0 | 1011.2 | 7.58 | 83.77% | 0.19 | |||
| 1892 | Extra Pale Ale | bottled | 1059.2 | 1009.1 | 6.55 | 84.62% | |||
| 1896 | Pale Ale | 1060.8 | 1006.9 | 6.98 | 87.97% | 0.234 | |||
| 1897 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1060.4 | 1004.1 | 7.41 | 93.21% | |||
| 1897 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1062.8 | 1005.6 | 7.52 | 91.08% | |||
| 1897 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1058.9 | 1005.4 | 7.03 | 90.83% | |||
| 1898 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1064.9 | 1015.6 | 6.43 | 76.02% | |||
| 1901 | Dog's Head | bottled | 1065.6 | 1003.3 | 8.06 | 94.59% | 0.171 | ||
| 1901 | White Label | bottled | 1063.8 | 1007.4 | 7.25 | 87.73% | 0.171 | ||
| 1901 | draught Pale Ale | draught | 1064.0 | 1013.4 | 6.48 | 78.03% | 0.144 | ||
| 1921 | Pale Ale (bottled by Whitbread) | bottled | 1055.2 | ||||||
| 1922 | Pale Ale (bottled by Whitbread) | bottled | 1055 | ||||||
| 1922 | Pale Ale (bottled by Aldridge) | bottled | 1055.1 | ||||||
| 1922 | Pale Ale (Belgian sample) | bottled | 1055.1 | 1010.9 | 5.76 | 80.22% | |||
| 1922 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1054.7 | 1011 | 5.70 | 79.90% | 20 | ||
| 1927 | Pale Ale | draught | 1055.5 | ||||||
| 1928 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1059 | 1013 | 6.00 | 77.97% | 19 | ||
| 1929 | Pale Ale | bottled | 1056 | 1008 | 6.28 | 85.71% | |||
| 1930 | Blue Triangle | bottled | 1058 | 1011.9 | 6.01 | 79.48% | |||
| 1931 | Blue Triangle | bottled | 10 | 1056.3 | 1011.2 | 5.88 | 80.11% | 0.06 | |
| 1931 | Pale Ale | draught | 1054.7 | ||||||
| 1932 | Pale Ale | draught | 1054.7 | 1012 | 5.56 | 78.06% | 0.05 | ||
| 1933 | Pale Ale (bottled by Whitbread) | bottled | 1055 | 1007 | 6.28 | 87.27% | 0.08 | ||
| 1933 | Pale Ale (Probyn & Co.) | bottled | 4.5 | 1055.8 | 1012.2 | 5.68 | 78.14% | 0.06 | |
| 1933 | Blue Label | bottled | 1057.5 | 1014 | 5.66 | 75.65% | |||
| 1937 | Pale Ale | draught | 8 | 1055.0 | |||||
| 1940 | PA | bottled | 15 | 1055.8 | 1007 | 6.39 | 87.46% | 0.06 | |
| 1940 | Pale Ale | draught | 9 | 1051.6 | |||||
| 1941 | PA | bottled | 1054.2 | 1007.8 | 6.07 | 85.61% | 0.05 | ||
| 1941 | PA | bottled | 1056 | 1008 | 6.28 | 85.71% | 0.04 | 20 | |
| 1941 | PA | bottled | 18 | 1054.9 | 1008.6 | 6.05 | 84.34% | 0.08 | |
| 1942 | PA | bottled | 1054.6 | 1010.4 | 5.77 | 80.95% | 0.08 | ||
| 1942 | PA | bottled | 1054.3 | 1010.7 | 5.68 | 80.29% | 0.06 | ||
| 1942 | PA | bottled | 1054.6 | ||||||
| 1942 | PA | bottled | 1054.3 | ||||||
| 1943 | PA | bottled | 1054.5 | 1011.2 | 5.64 | 79.45% | 0.05 | 24 | |
| 1943 | Bitter | draught | 14 | 1047.6 | 1008.9 | 5.04 | 81.30% | 0.08 | 26 |
| 1944 | PA | bottled | 23 | 1053.3 | 1007 | 6.06 | 86.87% | 0.11 | 17 |
| 1944 | Bitter | draught | 16 | 1048.1 | 1008.2 | 5.20 | 82.95% | 0.12 | 21 |
| 1946 | PA | bottled | 1053.8 | 1011.2 | 5.55 | 79.18% | 0.08 | 20.5 | |
| 1946 | PA (Red Triangle) | bottled | 1054.8 | 1010.1 | 5.83 | 81.57% | 0.08 | 20 | |
| 1946 | PA (Red Label) | bottled | 1051.9 | 1008.2 | 5.71 | 84.20% | 0.07 | 18 | |
| 1948 | PA | bottled | 18.5 | 1054.2 | 1009.1 | 5.89 | 83.21% | 0.10 | 17.5 |
| 1948 | Red Triangle Pale Ale (bottled in Brussels) | bottled | 1053.8 | 1008.9 | 5.86 | 83.46% | 0.05 | ||
| 1948 | Draught Bass | bottled | 1047.8 | 1009.8 | 4.95 | 79.58% | |||
| 1949 | PA | bottled | 1054 | 1008 | 6.01 | 85.19% | 0.10 | ||
| 1949 | PA | bottled | 27 | 1054.1 | 1008.6 | 5.94 | 84.10% | 0.12 | |
| 1949 | Export Pale Ale (Munching Inc, USA) | bottled | 1051 | 1010.6 | 5.26 | 79.22% | 0.05 | 19.5 | |
| 1950 | PA | bottled | 1058 | 1008.3 | 6.51 | 85.69% | 0.05 | 21 | |
| 1950 | PA | bottled | 31 | 1057.1 | 1007.6 | 6.48 | 86.69% | 0.06 | 19 |
| 1950 | PA | bottled | 37 | 1056.1 | 1004.6 | 6.76 | 91.80% | 0.13 | 19 |
| 1950 | Pale Ale | draught | 18 | 1049.7 | 23 | ||||
| 1951 | Pale Ale | draught | 19 | 1049.9 | 1008.8 | 5.36 | 82.36% | 0.07 | 26 |
| 1952 | Pale Ale | draught | 19 | 1044.8 | 22 | ||||
| 1952 | Pale Ale | draught | 19 | 1046.4 | 24 | ||||
| 1953 | Pale Ale (Blue Triangle purchased in Belgium) | bottled | 1060.8 | 1010.5 | 6.58 | 82.73% | 0.04 | 21 B | |
| 1953 | Blue Label PA | bottled | 12 | 1058.7 | 1013.8 | 5.85 | 76.49% | 0.08 | 18.5 |
| 1953 | Pale Ale | draught | 19 | 1044.7 | 26 | ||||
| 1954 | Pale Ale | draught | 19 | 1046 | 1008.7 | 4.86 | 81.09% | 0.04 | 20 |
| 1955 | Pale Ale (Blue Triangle) | bottled | 1063.5 | 1003.1 | 7.96 | 95.12% | 0.07 | 19 | |
| 1955 | Pale Ale (Red Triangle) | bottled | 1063.2 | 1009.6 | 7.02 | 84.81% | 0.04 | 19 | |
| 1956 | Pale Ale (Blue Triangle) | bottle | 34 | 1051.9 | 1012.4 | 5.14 | 76.11% | 0.04 | 21 |
| 1956 | Pale Ale (Red Triangle) | bottle | 34 | 1053.5 | 1004.1 | 6.48 | 92.34% | 0.05 | 20 |
| 1957 | Pale Ale | draught | 21 | 1044.6 | 1005.4 | 5.12 | 87.89% | 0.04 | 21 |
| 1959 | Pale Ale | bottle | 32 | 1050.7 | 1010.7 | 5.21 | 78.90% | 0.02 | 17 |
| 1960 | Bass Red Triangle | Bottled | 32 | 1054.4 | 1004.1 | 6.60 | 92.46% | ||
| 1960 | Red Triangle Bass | draught | 18 | 1043.1 | 1008.5 | 4.50 | 80.28% | ||
| 1960 | Pale Ale | bottle | 34 | 1054.2 | 1008.3 | 6.00 | 84.69% | 0.04 | 21 |
| 1960 | Pale Ale (Blue Triangle) sold in Belgium | bottle | 1061.1 | 1012.7 | 6.32 | 79.21% | 0.04 | 17 | |
| 1960 | Bitter | draught | 21 | 1044 | 1009.8 | 4.45 | 77.73% | 0.04 | 19 |
| 1961 | Pale Ale (Red Triangle) | bottle | 36 | 1054.3 | 1002.7 | 6.78 | 95.03% | 0.04 | 18 |
| 1964 | Pale Ale (Blue Triangle) | bottle | 34 | 1051.2 | 1010.1 | 5.36 | 80.27% | 0.04 | 21 |
| 1964 | Pale Ale (Red Triangle) | bottle | 34 | 1053.9 | 1008.6 | 5.92 | 84.04% | 0.05 | 21 |
| 1965 | Blue Label sold in Belgium | bottle | 1068.8 | 1014 | 7.17 | 79.65% | 0.04 | 18 | |
| 1965 | Draught PA | draught | 1050.5 | 1009.4 | 5.36 | 81.39% | 0.04 | 16 | |
| 1967 | Blue Triangle | bottle | 41 | 1046.2 | 1007.7 | 5.02 | 83.33% | 0.04 | 17 |
| 1967 | Red Triangle | bottle | 43 | 1051.2 | 1009.2 | 5.48 | 82.03% | 0.03 | 20 |
| 1977 | Worthington White Shield | bottled | 1052 | ||||||
| 1977 | Draught Bass | draught | 1044 | ||||||
| 1979 | Worthington White Shield | bottled | 1052 | ||||||
| 1979 | Draught Bass | draught | 1044 | ||||||
| 1981 | Worthington White Shield | draught | 1052 | ||||||
| 1981 | Draught Bass | draught | 1044 | ||||||
| 1982 | White Shield | bottled | 1051 | ||||||
| 1982 | Draught Bass | draught | 1044 | ||||||
| 1983 | Worthington White Shield | draught | 1051 | ||||||
| 1983 | Draught Bass | draught | 1044 | ||||||
| 1986 | Worthington White Shield | bottled | 1052 | ||||||
| 1986 | Draught Bass | draught | 1044 | ||||||
| 1989 | Worthington White Shield | bottled | 1052 | 1009.1 | 5.60 | 82.60% | |||
| 1989 | Draught Bass | draught | 1044 | 1010.1 | 4.40 | 77.05% | |||
| 1993 | Worthington White Shield | bottled | 5.6 | 20.5 | |||||
| 1993 | Draught Bass | draught | 1043 | 1009.2 | 4.4 | 78.60% | 19 | ||
| 1994 | White Shield | bottled | 5.60 | ||||||
| 1994 | Bass Distinction | bottled | 5.10 | ||||||
| 1994 | Black Dove | bottled | 5.10 | ||||||
| Sources: | |||||||||
| "The Lancet 1852, vol.1", 1852, page 474 | |||||||||
| "The lancet 1853, Volume 2", 1853, page 631. | |||||||||
| British Medical Journal August 28th 1869, page 245 | |||||||||
| Bass price list | |||||||||
| Wahl & Henius, pages 823-830 | |||||||||
| "Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel" by Joseph König, 1889, page 835 | |||||||||
| Wisconsin Dairy and Food Commission | |||||||||
| "Report, returns and statistics of the inland revenues of the Dominion of Canada", By Canada. Dept. of Inland Revenue, 1898, pages 34-49 | |||||||||
| Whitbread Gravity Book | |||||||||
| Younger, Wm. & Co Gravity Book document WY/6/1/1/19 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive | |||||||||
| Thomas Usher Gravity Book document TU/6/11 | |||||||||
| Truman Gravity Book | |||||||||
| Which Beer Report, 1960, pages 171 - 173. | |||||||||
| GBG 1978 | |||||||||
| GBG 1978 | |||||||||
| GBG 1980 | |||||||||
| GBG 1980 | |||||||||
| GBG 1982 | |||||||||
| GBG1983 | |||||||||
| GBG 1984 | |||||||||
| GBG 1987 | |||||||||
| GBG 1990 | |||||||||
| 1993 Real Ale Drinker's Almanac | |||||||||
| The Best of British Bottled Beer | |||||||||
My dad liked beer in a normal sort of way, and he knew his beer, and he used to talk about it, so when we were out in the car and we'd pass a pub he might comment on the quality of the beer. He liked Tetleys and Ramsdens (being from Bradford) but if he sent me to the off license for a bottle it would be Shire Light (had a green label) or Pale (blue) from R. Whitakers. I used to like their slogan "Cock of the North". All this was well before my drinking days, I would have been 12 or thereabouts, off licenses obviously were much more lax in those days.
ReplyDeleteThe bloke at the offie knew me, no questions asked. He always used to call me Boris. God knows why, maybe I should be the PM! Or maybe he thought I looked like Boris Karloff.
Anyway my dad went on a works trip to Redcar Races and of course this involved a long trip to the pub afterward. Redcar with its steel mills was in a strong beer area, and the pub they went to was a Bass pub. Someone said to my dad, now come on Doug, this Draught Bass, it's not like drinking Tetleys you know, you won't be able drink as much of it. Well challenge laid down and challenge accepted.
When he got home after what would have been a long coach journey, dad was definitely squiffy, which was unusual for him. He regaled us with the tale of how he had been drinking Draught Bass - the name pronounced with reverence - and can you manage another Doug... and another... and, holding up an imaginary pint glass to the light, down went another.
I don't know what my mum thought of this but I was hanging on every word. Even though I was far too young to drink, and hated the taste of beer, even in shandy, I knew that when I got older and acquired a taste for beer Draught Bass was something special and worth looking out for. And I made sure I had a pint of it on my last return to England even though I only found one pub selling it - the ever reliable Half Moon at Durham.
When did Draught Bass become common? Was it always in Bass pubs? Or only around Burton?
ReplyDeleteBarm,
ReplyDeleteI think it was a national beer before WW II. Certainly in bottled form. But it also turned up in other brewers' pubs on draught.
Chris Pickles,
ReplyDeletethat's a great story.
Draught Bass could be a wonderful beer in the 1970s and early 1980s. But always seemed quite temperamental and landlord had to know how to look after it. I haven't tried it in ages.
Maybe I should look out for it next time I'm in the UK.
Just caught up with this. Thanks for posting, as we discussed the utility of a table in this form, some time ago.
ReplyDeleteGary Gillman