You’re probably thinking: “I bet they parti-gyled most of those.” Well, they didn’t. Sort of, I suppose. Because they sometimes blended post-fermentation. One batch of XXXX was blended with X to produce a quantity of XX and XXX as well. Other than that, everything was single gyle.
The Mild Ales are interesting because there’s one below the level of X, in this case called “M”. In other breweries such a beer might have been called “Ale” or Simply “A”. My guess is that it would have cost 10d per gallon, while X Ale usually sold for a shilling, 12d.
The four X Ales have around the gravities you would expect, with XXXX Ale an impressive 1070º. There’s a considerable variation in the hopping rate across the four, with XXXX having more than double the rate per quarter (336 lbs) of malt.
Which has me thinking that XXXX might have been al Old Ale. The hopping rate is the same as Pale Ale and not far short of IPA.
The three Pale Ales cover some of the same gravity range as the Mild Ales. Starting a little higher and ending a little lower. Unusually, AK isn’t the base level beer. Rather, there’s one weaker at 1046.5º. Which is the gravity you would expect for AK. While AK itself is stronger.
Usually, AK was 12d per gallon. But Rose’s was one price category up at 14d per gallon. Which reflects its higher gravity. At most breweries, this would have counted as an XK.
You might find it odd that the Pale Ale has a high OG than the IPA, but that’s not unusual. As many brewers used the terms Pale Ale and IPA randomly, and often interchangeably.
As Rose didn’t go in for parti-gyling, they could set the hopping rate for each individual Pale Ale. And it varies quite a bit, from 6.5 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt for B to 9.25 lbs for IPA.
The Stout is a bit weak for the style, falling somewhere between the gravity of a Porter and a Single Stout.
The apparent rate of attenuation – over 70% in most cases – is pretty decent. Especially when you consider this is a racking gravity. After the secondary fermentation the FG would have been lower.
| Rose beers in 1896 | ||||||||
| Beer | Style | OG | FG | ABV | App. Atten-uation | lbs hops/ qtr | hops lb/brl | Pitch temp |
| M | Mild | 1040.5 | 1011.5 | 3.84 | 71.60% | 4.00 | 0.68 | 60º |
| X | Mild | 1048 | 1012.5 | 4.70 | 73.96% | 4.50 | 0.92 | 59.5º |
| XX | Mild | 1053 | 1014.5 | 5.09 | 72.64% | 5.00 | 1.22 | 58.5º |
| XXX | Mild | 1060 | 1017 | 5.69 | 71.67% | 7.17 | 1.85 | 58.25º |
| XXXX | Mild | 1070 | 1021.5 | 6.42 | 69.29% | 8.47 | 2.67 | 58º |
| B | Pale Ale | 1046.5 | 1011 | 4.70 | 76.34% | 6.45 | 1.25 | 60º |
| AK | Pale Ale | 1052.5 | 1013 | 5.23 | 75.24% | 6.98 | 1.59 | 59º |
| IPA | IPA | 1060 | 9.29 | 2.60 | 58.5º | |||
| PA | Pale Ale | 1062 | 1016.5 | 6.02 | 73.39% | 8.52 | 2.26 | 59º |
| Stout | Stout | 1061 | 1019.5 | 5.49 | 68.03% | 8.00 | 2.23 | 58.5º |
| Source: | ||||||||
| Rose brewing record held at the North Yorkshire County Record Office, catalogue number ZDI. | ||||||||
By 1896 fewer and fewer brewers were making beers they called "porter", as the style fell out of favour, but increasing numbers were selling "stout", which remained popular - so I wouldn't be surprised if that weakish "stout" was in fact the porter rebadged.
ReplyDeleteDid have a go at the Rose 1896 AK recipe early this year, and very good it was too! (From the "AK! Story of Light Bitter" book ... and very good it is too!). Using flaked rice as the book mentioned Rose were only to fall in line with those using flaked maize just a little later. And using caramelised "No.2 Invert Sugar" as I was still to learn the UK never intentionally caramelised Invert Sugar.
ReplyDeleteRose 1886 beers ... well worth trying to repeat! Thanks.
Martyn,
ReplyDeleteI think many brewers rebadged their Porter as a Stout. The more I look at price lists and brewing records the more convinced I am.