Cairnes beers in 1914

Let’s take a look at what Cairnes beers looked like just before the outbreak of WW I.  There have been a few changes in the years since 1898.

Table Beer seems to have been replaced by something called 2d Ale. I assume that refers to the retail price per pint. Now, that’s the price of a London X Ale. But that was considerably stronger at around 1055º. I’m guessing that it was considered a Mild Ale. Though, confusingly, its hopping rate is halfway between that of Mild Ale and Bitter Ale. Talking of which, the hopping of 2d Ale is quite heavy for such a low-gravity beer.

Mild Ale must be the new name for the beer formerly known as simply Ale. The gravity is down 5º. But is still over 1060º, stronger than English X Ale. However, the biggest change is in the hopping rate, down from 9.99 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt to 6.21 lbs. Which is quite a hefty drop.

The Pale Ale and the IPA have both disappeared. In their place, a single beer called Bitter Ale has appeared. Though it’s possible that it’s just a rebadging of E.I. Ale. The hopping rate (per quarter) of the two is pretty much identical. The gravity is 5º lower. About what you would expect. Tax increases in the early years of the 20th century prompted brewers to reduce strengths to avoid raising prices.

Both Stouts are still around. With predictably lower gravities: a 5º reduction for Single Stout, 4º for Double Stout. The per quarter hopping rates are down, but not by a significant amount.
 

Cairnes beers in 1914
Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	Pitch temp
2d Ale	Mild	1038	1012	3.44	68.42%	7.89	1.14	58.5º F
Mild Ale	Mild	1062	1022	5.29	64.52%	6.21	2.06	58.75º F
Bitter Ale	Pale Ale	1050	1019	4.10	62.00%	9.64	1.81	58.5º F
SS	Stout	1050	1014.5	4.70	71.00%	6.70	1.27	59.25º F
DS	Stout	1067	1023	5.82	65.67%	8.49	2.42	58.75º F
Source:
Cairnes brewing record held at the Guinness archives.