Monday 5 July 2021

Not really that early IPA

In response to my posts about early IPA, Gary Gillman pointed me at some analyses made by the Lancet in 1862.

They show some surprisingly strong examples. But there's some room for interpretation, as they don't include a full set of numbers - OG, FG and ABV, rate of attenuation. And it's not clear (at least to me) what one of the columns is.

It's headed "Absolute Alcohol" with a note saying "Specific gravity 793.9". Does it mean ABV or ABW? I'm not sure myself. Any help would be welcome. Here's what the table looks like:

To try to work out which it is, I've filled in the missing numbers. The first time assuming ABV:

Lancet beers in 1862 assuming ABV
Brewer Beer Style package OG FG ABV atten-uation
Allsopp Mild Ale Mild draught 1063.6 1024.7 5.02 61.16%
Allsopp Pale Ale IPA draught 1055.7 1008.6 6.15 84.55%
Allsopp Pale Ale IPA bottled 1059.7 1009.3 6.59 84.42%
Allsopp Pale Ale IPA bottled 1072.9 1008.6 8.46 88.19%
Allsopp Pale Ale IPA draught 1058.3 1007 6.72 87.99%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1057.3 1014.3 5.59 75.04%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1058.8 1017.2 5.40 70.75%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1059.0 1016.9 5.46 71.33%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1053.2 1012.4 5.31 76.69%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1056.8 1015.6 5.35 72.54%
Garton Pale Ale IPA draught 1042 1011.6 3.94 72.38%
Fowler Prestonpans Beer Ale draught 1039.3 1010 3.80 74.55%
Fowler Pale Ale IPA draught 1047.7 1008.1 5.16 83.02%
Fowler Twelve-Guinea Ale Scotch Ale draught 1141.6 1068 9.52 51.96%
Richardson, Sanders Pale Stout Pale Stout draught 1066.6 1015.8 6.62 76.28%
Salt Burton Ale Barley Wine draught 1082.6 1012 9.30 85.47%
Salt Burton Ale Barley Wine draught 1093.8 1021 9.56 77.61%
Salt Burton Ale Barley Wine draught 1104.4 1034 9.18 67.42%
Salt Pale Ale IPA draught 1066.8 1007.7 7.76 88.46%
Source:
The Lancet, Volume 83, December 6th 1862, page 631.

On that basis, all the Bass Pale Ales look to have too low an OG. Other analyses show it consistently around 1065º. But the FGs also also look way too high. 

Assuming ABW makes the Bass OGs look more as expected. But a couple of the Pale Ales look ridiculously strong, around 10% ABV. Way higher than any others I've seen. It also gives Fowlers 12-Guinea Ale an OG of 1159. Though, knowing the ridiculous gravities Scottish beers sometimes had, that doesn't seem impossible.

Lancet beers in 1862 assuming ABW
Brewer Beer Style package OG FG ABV atten-uation
Allsopp Mild Ale Mild draught 1073.1 1024.7 6.28 66.21%
Allsopp Pale Ale IPA draught 1067.1 1008.6 7.68 87.18%
Allsopp Pale Ale IPA bottled 1059.7 1009.3 6.59 84.42%
Allsopp Pale Ale IPA bottled 1088.4 1008.6 10.58 90.27%
Allsopp Pale Ale IPA draught 1070.8 1007 8.41 90.11%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1067.8 1014.3 6.99 78.91%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1069.0 1017.2 6.75 75.07%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1069.2 1016.9 6.82 75.58%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1063.2 1012.4 6.64 80.38%
Bass Pale Ale IPA bottled 1066.9 1015.6 6.69 76.68%
Garton Pale Ale IPA draught 1049.5 1011.6 4.93 76.57%
Fowler Prestonpans Beer Ale draught 1046.5 1010 4.75 78.49%
Fowler Pale Ale IPA draught 1057.4 1008.1 6.45 85.89%
Fowler Twelve-Guinea Ale Scotch Ale draught 1159.0 1068 11.90 57.23%
Richardson, Sanders Pale Stout Pale Stout draught 1066.6 1015.8 6.62 76.28%
Salt Burton Ale Barley Wine draught 1099.5 1012 11.62 87.94%
Salt Burton Ale Barley Wine draught 1111.2 1021 11.95 81.12%
Salt Burton Ale Barley Wine draught 1121.2 1034 11.48 71.95%
Salt Pale Ale IPA draught 1081.1 1007.7 9.70 90.50%
Source:
The Lancet, Volume 83, December 6th 1862, page 631.

Any ideas? I'm just confused.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looking at old definitions of absolute alcohol in chemistry it seemed a weight measure, but happy to know differently if that's not right.

Gary Gillman

Kevin said...

Ron what happened to the search bar a the top of the page?

Ron Pattinson said...

Kevin,

I can't remember there being one there.

Chris said...

The gravity of alcohol (793 g/L) given is the density of 100% ethanol at 15C which is the temperature most hydrometers are calibrated at. But not sure that helps much.

Kevin - I still see the blogger search bar on the desktop site. Not the mobile one though. It still works to search the blog.

John said...

Kevin - are you viewing on a mobile device? If so, scroll to the bottom of the page, click view web version, and the search bar is at the top.

Kevin said...

I'm reading the site on the same PC with the same browser I have used since 2009.