Let's Brew Wednesday - 1896 Eldridge Pope AK

You’ll be pleased to hear that I have a surprising number of AKs in my brewing record collection. Enough to keep this series going for a while.

This one is from AK’s traditional habitat, the South of England. The Southwest, to be precise, Eldridge Pope being located in the county of Dorset. Though, as you can see from the advertisement below, it wasn’t marketed under that name, but “Crystal” instead. No idea why that was, as the other two beers in the advert, Pale Ale and KK, were called the same in the brewhouse.

Light Dinner Ale it’s described as, a moniker quite often applied to AK. The “strongly recommended for table and family use” means that it was aimed at the off trade. In the 19th century it was still common for people to buy casks of beer to drink at home. The fact that it was available in bottles as well demonstrates the rise of beer in this form. One which would eventually see cask beer disappear from homes.

The recipe is about what you’d expect: base malt, adjunct and quite a lot of sugar. I’ve guessed No. 2 invert, which is the most likely candidate. No. 1 is another possibility. Or it could be something else entirely. The brewing record just says “sacc.”.

Three types of hops, all English, of unspecified vintage. I’ve guessed a combination of Fuggles and Goldings.

 Taunton Courier and Western Advertiser, Wednesday 4th February 1891, page 4.

 

1896 Eldridge Pope AK
pale malt	8.25 lb	78.57%
flaked maize	0.50 lb	4.76%
No. 2 invert sugar	1.75 lb	16.67%
Fuggles 150 mins	1.00 oz
Fuggles 60 mins	1.00 oz
Goldings 30 mins	1.00 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.50 oz
OG	1048.5
FG	1011.5
ABV	4.89
Apparent attenuation	76.29%
IBU	39
SRM	8.5
Mash at	151º F
Sparge at	160º F
Boil time	150 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity