Wadworth had four Mild Ales in 1922: XX 1029.6º, XXX 1033º and XXXX 1040.7º
But this wasn’t a standard brew of XXXX. It’s usual OG was 1040.7º, this batch is much stronger. Why on earth suddenly brew a much higher OG version? In the comments section is says “Stk Sep 10”. Not sure at all what that means.
At this strength, XXXX looks very much like a Southern Old Ale. Which is basically just a stronger Mild Ale.
Base malt, maize and sugar. So many 20th-century British beers are made up of those three elements. The type of invest is a guess. I could be wrong. The hop variety is a guess, too. As are the mashing temperatures. The information I have is very basic. Not much more than a list of ingredients.
| 1922 Wadworth XXXX | ||
| pale malt | 9.00 lb | 76.14% |
| flaked maize | 1.25 lb | 10.58% |
| glucose | 0.75 lb | 6.35% |
| No. 3 invert sugar | 0.75 lb | 6.35% |
| caramel 1000 SRM | 0.07 lb | 0.59% |
| Fuggles 90 mins | 0.75 oz | |
| Fuggles 60 mins | 0.75 oz | |
| Fuggles 30 mins | 0.75 oz | |
| OG | 1056 | |
| FG | 1020 | |
| ABV | 4.76 | |
| Apparent attenuation | 64.29% | |
| IBU | 25 | |
| SRM | 12.5 | |
| Mash at | 152º F | |
| Sparge at | 170º F | |
| Boil time | 90 minutes | |
| pitching temp | 58º F | |
| Yeast | Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley ale | |
Wadworth 6x was released in 1923. Perhaps this was a try-out for the new beer?
ReplyDeleteMike in NSW,
ReplyDeleteI doubt it. Especially as it was parti-gyled with XX Mild.
Is 4.8% ABV still a mild? Just what exactly is a mild?
ReplyDelete“stk sep 10” - “stk” sounds like “stock” used for mixing. “sep 10” though..! it’s not a date is it? The recipe is not from 20/9 is it? Perhaps I'm insulting your intelligence. I’ll go back to my beer.
ReplyDeleteTJ,
ReplyDeleteI wondered about that. But, as the beer was brewed on 9th January, September 10th seems too long after that. Unless it's when the beer came out of stock.
Michael Foster,
ReplyDeletejust a decade earlier, before WW I, most London Mild was stronger than 4.8% ABV. Go back to the 1830s, and X Ame, the weakest Mild, was over 7% ABV and the strongest over 10%.
Mild has nothing to do with strength of bitterness levels. It's just an Ale that's sold young. It didn't even start becoming dark until the 1880s or 1890s.
Fascinating--thanks for the reply! I absolutely love the blog, btw. Please don't stop writing.
Delete"Stk"? Stronger version? Obviously this was a Sticke Mild, a previously unknown hybrid style.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit late with this comment!
ReplyDeleteIs the first comment here so unlikely? Looking at this by Brian Yorston (Wadworth, Brewlab, etc., etc.): http://www.breweryhistory.com/journal/archive/137/6X.pdf ...
The bit about their existing two Wadworth XXXXs, a stronger (the one being discussed here) and weaker version. (The PDF doesn't replicate the brewery record photos too well).
A premium English "Bitter" (6X that is) morphing from an Edwardian Mild Ale? That should raise a few hackles. But I can't begin to guess where “stk sep 10” might fit into it.