Let's Brew - 1941 William Younger No. 1

The most surprising thing about No. 1 is just how little it has changed after a few years of war. And the fact that they were still churning it out in quite large quantities.

I’d love to know where No. 1 was consumed during the war. As there were few beers this strong. Was it sipped as a nightcap in their pubs? Or was most distributed as off sales?

You’ll notice grist have reappeared in this recipe. Alongside some rice. I’m still not 100% certain about my current interpretation. But, as there’s a column clearly marked “grits”, it’s reasonable to assume that there are some in there. It’s all pretty confusing, to be honest.

The presence of two adjuncts has knocked down the malt percentage, but it’s still higher than in the mid-1930s, when Younger’s beers were typically 45% grits and 55% malt. One other change is a reduction in the amount of lactose.

Just a single type of hops this time, Kent from the 1939 harvest.

1941 William Younger No. 1
pale malt	11.25 lb	59.21%
crystal malt 120L	1.50 lb	7.89%
grits	2.00 lb	10.53%
flaked rice	3.75 lb	19.74%
lactose	0.50 lb	2.63%
Fuggles 150 min	1.00 oz
Fuggles 60 min	1.00 oz
Fuggles 30 min	1.00 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.25 oz
OG	1081
FG	1027
ABV	7.14
Apparent attenuation	66.67%
IBU	30
SRM	16
Mash at	156º F
Sparge at	160º F
Boil time	150 minutes
pitching temp	59º F
Yeast	WLP028 Edinburgh Ale