Burton Ale after WW I

Though much reduced in gravity, Burton remained a popular style in London and was still a standard draught beer.

It was generally brewed as a 9d. draught beer, that is with a gravity of around 1055º. There were stronger versions, but these were mostly sold in bottled form or on draught or as a winter seasonal.

One exception was Fullers Old Burton Extra (OBE), which was a draught beer that wasn’t limited to a specific season. But it was brewed in tiny quantities: at most 40 barrels, often fewer than ten barrels at a time, when Fuller’s brew length was 400-500 barrels. That’s the glory of parti-gyling, being able to efficiently brew a low-volume beer on a large kit.

The fall in gravity, as with Stout was about 20 points. Like Stout, draught Burton Ale was a 9d. per pint beer. Fullers OBE, Barclay Perkins KKK and Courage KK are very similar to pre-war draught KK. Clearly there was still a demand for strong Burton Ales, despite the price.

The draught Burton Ales available in London after WW I all looked pretty similar.

Assuming an average OG for KK of around 1072º before the war and about 1054º after it, that’s a fall of 25%, which is slightly more than the average 23% drop.

London Burton Ale after WW I
Year	Brewer	Beer	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl
1921	Barclay Perkins	KK	1055.2	1015.0	5.32	72.83%	9.60	2.12
1924	Barclay Perkins	KK (bottling)	1070.3	1023.5	6.19	66.57%	14.00	4.24
1924	Barclay Perkins	KKK	1082.1	1028.0	7.16	65.90%	14.00	4.75
1924	Camden	SA	1055.1	1013.9	5.46	74.87%	10.42	2.31
1923	Courage	XXX	1053.5	1015.2	5.06	71.50%	7.26	1.73
1923	Courage	KKK	1073.4	1025.5	6.34	65.28%	11.00	3.28
1925	Fullers	BO	1061.5	1018.8	5.65	69.40%	7.30818	1.83
1925	Fullers	OBE	1072.2	1021.1	6.77	70.85%	7.21355	2.15
1923	Whitbread	KK	1055.4	1017.0	5.08	69.31%	9.07	2.08
Sources:
Barclay Perkins brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers ACC/2305/01/609 and ACC/2305/01/611.
Camden brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/9/5.
Courage brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/08/253.
Fullers brewing record held at the brewery.
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/01/088.

Draught London Burton Ale after WW I
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1923	Barclay Perkins	KK	9d	1051.9	1010.4	5.41	79.96%
1923	Cannon	KK	9d	1054.9	1011	5.72	79.96%
1923	Charrington	KK	9d	1055.9	1014.4	5.39	74.24%
1923	City of London	KK	9d	1052.1	1012.6	5.14	75.82%
1923	Courage	KK	9d	1052.8	1012.8	5.20	75.76%
1923	Hoare	KK	9d	1054.9	1019.4	4.59	64.66%
1923	Huggins	KK	9d	1054.5	1013	5.40	76.15%
1923	Lion	KK	9d	1054.1	1013.6	5.27	74.86%
1923	Mann	KK	9d	1058.7	1013.2	5.93	77.51%
1923	Meux	KK	9d	1054.6	1009.6	5.87	82.42%
1923	Truman	KK	9d	1056	1012	5.73	78.57%
1923	Watney	KK	9d	1059.4	1012.9	6.06	78.28%
1923	Wenlock	KK	9d	1053.7	1010.2	5.67	81.01%
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.

This is an extract from Armistice!,  my wonderful book on brewing in WW I.