Barclay Perkins Ale adjuncts and sugars before WW II

Barclay Perkins also employed a wide range of non-malt fermentables, six in all.

Every beer except the two poshest – PA Export and KKKK – had some flaked maize in the grist. With the Mild Ales containing rather more than the other styles. Flaked maize was a pretty standard ingredient, occurring in the overwhelming majority of brewers’ beers. 10% - 15% is a pretty typical proportion.

At around 10%, the total quantity of sugar in the Mild Ales is towards the low end of typical. The principal type, however, is, however, totally typical: No. 3 invert. Used for both colour and flavour, it was important in achieving the expected character of a Mild. After colour correction, the dark versions would have contained a slightly greater proportion of caramel.

The other sugar which pops up in the Mild Ales and DB is something called “BS”. It could simply be brown sugar.

I was so surprised by the percentage of No. 3 invert sugar in the Pale Ales that I went back to the brewing records to check. I would have expected No. 1 or No.2, especially in those quantities. Checking back through the brewing records, it appears that they switched from No. 2 invert to No. 3 in 1937.

KK once again shadows the Mild Ales, though without any BS. While its stronger siblings are out on their own with No. 2 invert.

Brewed from just pale malt and No. 1 invert, PA Export must have been relatively pale, especially for its gravity. Its simple grist is reminiscent of Pale Ales from the 19th century.

Barclay Perkins Ale adjuncts and sugars before WW II
Year	Beer	Style	flaked maize	no. 1 sugar	no. 2 sugar	no. 3 sugar	BS	caramel
1936	DB	Brown Ale	12.38%			6.60%	3.30%	0.96%
1939	A	Mild	15.15%			8.98%	1.12%	0.66%
1939	X	Mild	15.15%			8.98%	1.12%	0.66%
1939	XX	Mild	15.15%			8.98%	1.12%	0.66%
1939	IPA (bottling)	IPA	11.30%			17.33%		0.14%
1939	XLK (bottling)	Pale Ale	11.02%			17.52%		0.24%
1939	XLK (trade)	Pale Ale	11.10%			16.65%		0.12%
1939	PA	Pale Ale	11.10%			16.65%		0.12%
1936	PA Export	Pale Ale		7.69%
1936	KK	Strong Ale	9.25%			12.34%		1.30%
1937	KK (bottling)	Strong Ale	8.15%		14.49%			1.29%
1936	KKKK	Strong Ale			10.43%			0.87%
Source:
Barclay Perkins brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers ACC/2305/01/621 and ACC/2305/01/623.