Boddington XXXX looks very similar to a London XX Ale. Except they didn’t exist anymore. Despite Mild’s huge popularity, the capital’s brewers restricted themselves to just one example, X Ale. Stronger Milds had died out in the last couple of decades of the 19th century.
At over 6% ABV and 39 (calculated) IBU, it’s not what anyone today would call a Mild. But these beers did exist up until WW I made a total mess of UK brewing. I’ll never forgive Kaiser Bill for that.
With batches of 70-odd barrels, it was brewed in decent quantities for a strong beer. I wonder who drank it? Was it a special weekend treat? Or was there a specific class of drinker that preferred it? Sadly, I have no clue.
The recipe is essentially the same as for all the other Milds: base malt and sugar, loads of different hops, mostly English.
| 1901 Boddington XXXX | ||
| pale malt | 14.00 lb | 93.33% |
| No. 3 invert sugar | 1.00 lb | 6.67% |
| Cluster 140 mins | 0.50 oz | |
| Fuggles 60 mins | 1.50 oz | |
| Fuggles 30 mins | 1.50 oz | |
| Fuggles dry hops | 0.50 oz | |
| OG | 1068 | |
| FG | 1022 | |
| ABV | 6.09 | |
| Apparent attenuation | 67.65% | |
| IBU | 39 | |
| SRM | 10 | |
| Mash at | 152º F | |
| Sparge at | 165º F | |
| Boil time | 140 minutes | |
| pitching temp | 60.5º F | |
| Yeast | Wyeast 1318 London ale III (Boddingtons) | |
"Who drank it?" would be an extremely cool thing to write about these historic evidence if there's any evidence at all that you run across.
ReplyDeleteWe know this for some styles: oat stouts and sweet stouts were marketed as health drinks, dinner ales were marketed for people to drink at home.
Maybe the well-heeled drank higher gravity ales when they weren't quaffing claret?
Pierce,
ReplyDeleteI would really love to know. My impression is that the better-off drank things like Bass or Guinness. Or perhaps Barley Wine in the winter.
It's also worth bearing in mind that Boddington would have only been supplying the Manchester/Salford market. Where there wouldn't have been a limited number of the well-heeled.
In the 1870s drinkers in Eldride Pope pubs finished the evening with a Hardy Ale. Perhaps XXXX was drunk like that - as something a bit stronger to round off a session.
I believe there were a large number of beerhouses where the licence didn't extend to the sale of spirits. Perhaps the drink was intended as a replacement for spirits in outlets that couldn't stock them?
ReplyDeleteThom Farrell,
ReplyDeletethat's a possibility. In 1900, around a third of English pubs were beer houses.