Let's Brew - 1945 Truman XXX

A special post to commemorate the end of WW II. At least according to the Russians. And continuing my series of wartime WW II Burton Ale recipes.

This particular beer was brewed on 1st May 1945. So may well have taken a part in the VE Day celebrations.

Truman’s Burton Ale was always a bit of an outlier in the London market. If only because it was really brewed in Burton, unlike most of its rivals.

It was also a class weaker, starting the war as a 7d per pint beer, when almost everyone else in London had an 8d Burton. The war may have changed the strength and prices, but Truman’s Burton remained around 4º weaker than those of other London brewers.

You can tell this was a version parti-gyled with the Milds rather than the Pale Ales, due to the presence of crystal malt. Which was only present in the Mild grists. I’m still trying to get my head around the difference between batches of XXX.

Other than swapping flaked barley for flaked maize and the addition of tint amount of black malt, the grist is much the same as in 1939. It is just over 1% ABV weaker, mind.

You’ll need to add caramel to get the colour in the table below. Which I’m sure is what Truman did.

The hops were all English, from the 1943 harvest. A third from Truman’s own hop gardens.

1945 Truman XXX
pale malt	4.50 lb	50.48%
high dried malt	2.00 lb	22.43%
crystal malt 60 L	0.50 lb	5.61%
black malt	0.04 lb	0.45%
flaked barley	1.00 lb	11.22%
No. 3 invert sugar	0.75 lb	8.41%
malt extract	0.125 lb	1.40%
Fuggles 90 mins	0.50 oz
Fuggles 60 mins	0.33 oz
Goldings 30 mins	0.33 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.25 oz
OG	1039.5
FG	1008
ABV	4.17
Apparent attenuation	79.75%
IBU	15
SRM	21
Mash at	148º F
Sparge at	160º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	62º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1028 London Ale (Worthington White Shield)