Let's Brew Wednesday - 1914 Thomas Usher 80/- MA

I'm guessing that you may assume that this is like a modern 80/-. It isn't. It's a totally different type of beer. It's an 80 Shilling, but a Mild Ale 80/-. While the modern beer of that name is a Pale Ale. 80/- is merely an indication of a beer's price and strength. Not what style it is.

At the outbreak of WW I Thomas Usher still brewed a decent range of Mild Ales.  44/-, 50/-, 60/-, 80/- and 100/-, varying in gravity from 1032º to 1065º. The war would put paid to that. In the 1920’s User brewed just a single Mild.

In London, there were no Mild Ales as weak as this before WW II. But out in the English provinces, there were Milds of 1040º, or even less. In 1914, for example, Adnams had an X Ale at 1033º and XX Ale at 1042º. London X Ales were a minimum of 1050º.

The recipe doesn’t look that dissimilar to an English Mild of the same period. Pale and crystal malt, flaked maize and sugar. The original doesn’t include No. 3 invert, but a dark proprietary sugar called DL. At least I think it’s dark, based on the type of beers it’s used in and the fact that the first letter of its name is a “D”.

The hopping, unsurprisingly, is fairly modest. I’ve guessed English hops. It could just as easily have a mixture of North American, English and even continental hops. Use any combination of those, if you’re so inclined. 

1914 Thomas Usher 80/- MA
pale malt	7.00 lb	73.68%
crystal malt	0.50 lb	5.26%
flaked maize	0.50 lb	5.26%
No. 3 invert sugar	0.75 lb	7.89%
cane sugar	0.75 lb	7.89%
Fuggles 120 min	0.75 oz
Fuggles 60 min	0.50 oz
Fuggles 30 min	0.50 oz
OG	1046
FG	1016.5
ABV	3.90
Apparent attenuation	64.13%
IBU	22
SRM	10
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	170º F
Boil time	120 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	WLP028 Edinburgh Ale