London X Ale adjuncts and sugars 1900 - 1915

Most X Ales by this point contained unmalted grains. Just one of them, as everyone seemed to have settled on flaked maize. Flaked rice had clearly had its day.

Not so with sugar, where there’s a stack of different types. Which illustrates the increasing sophistication in its use. Unsurprisingly, No. 3 – the classic Dark Mild sugar – is the most popular. Possibly even more so than the table suggests. Other sugar includes a lot of unspecified sugar and there’s a good chance than some of those were No. 3.

Overall, the quantity of sugar has increased, from 13.5% to 14.4%. Additionally, every single example includes at least a little. And some more than just a little, the outlier being the 1902 Fullers at 29%.

Glucose makes its first appearance. It wouldn’t be its last. Fullers, in particular were big fans of glucose, making extensive use of it in the first half of the 20th century. Caramel also pops up more regularly, presumably for colour correction. 

London X Ale adjuncts and sugars 1900 - 1915
Year	Brewer	flaked maize	no. 3 sugar	glucose	caramel	other sugar	total sugar
1900	Barclay Perkins	11,63%				17,50%	17,50%
1906	Barclay Perkins	10,11%		2,81%	0,06%	11,23%	14,10%
1909	Barclay Perkins	10,18%			0,04%	18,54%	18,59%
1914	Barclay Perkins	8,20%				5,76%	5,76%
1900	Whitbread					8,70%	8,70%
1905	Whitbread		9,00%				9,00%
1910	Whitbread		10,53%				10,53%
1914	Whitbread		6,59%				6,59%
1902	Fullers	3,21%			0,71%	28,61%	29,32%
1910	Fullers	6,56%	8,75%		0,65%	10,00%	19,39%
1914	Fullers	6,29%	12,59%	5,59%			18,18%
1914	Courage					11,02%	11,02%
1900	Truman	8,93%				10,63%	10,63%
1905	Truman	8,79%			0,44%	11,71%	12,15%
1910	Truman	9,13%				13,91%	13,91%
1915	Noakes	0,54%	23,91%		0,48%	0,48%	24,87%
	Average	7,60%					14,39%
Sources:
Barclay Perkins brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers ACC/2305/1/593, ACC/2305/1/599, ACC/2305/1/601 and ACC/2305/1/603.
Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/065, LMA/4453/D/01/070, LMA/4453/D/01/076 and LMA/4453/D/01/079.
Fullers brewing records held at the brewery.
Courage brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/08/247.
Truman brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers B/THB/C/181, B/THB/C/186 and B/THB/C/190.
Noakes brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/17/34.