Here we go again, Diving into the Bitters brewed in different regions of the UK in 1971. Hopefully, it's going to be informative. Probably not entertaining, but at least informative.
This is a set of which I have little personal experience. I definitely drank Magnet, but not until a good bit later in the 1980s, when John Smiths resurrected a cask version. Though that was stronger at 1040º. The Vaux beer was, I suspect Lorimer & Clark Best Scotch, which was brewed at Caeldonian in Edinburgh. In which case, I definitely drank it multiple times.
Unexpectedly, this set is better value than the Mild Ales. Both overall and from the North. Having two beers from Federation helps boost the average. Though, to my shock, the best value of the bunch is from one of the Big Six in the form of Newcastle Exhibition. Perhaps it was the competition with Federation that kept them on their toes. Only the Mild from Carlisle State Brewery scored better.
The average OG, at 1037.3º, is just about exactly the average for all beer brewed in the UK. Funny that.
There's a worse average rate of attenuation than for the Mild Ales. Not sure what that tells us. Though there is a considerable amount of variation across the individual beers: 71% to 85%.
Next will be another set of Bitters. I've not decided which region yet. Still thinking about that.
| Northeastern Bitter in 1971 | ||||||||
| Brewer | Beer | Price per pint (p) | º gravity per p | % ABV per p | OG | FG | ABV | App. Atten-uation |
| Federation | Ordinary | 11 | 3.05 | 0.28 | 1033.6 | 1009.7 | 3.10 | 71.28% |
| Vaux | Scotch Bitter | 12 | 2.86 | 0.30 | 1034.3 | 1006.8 | 3.57 | 80.17% |
| John Smith | Magnet Bitter | 13.5 | 2.58 | 0.27 | 1034.8 | 1006.7 | 3.65 | 80.75% |
| Vaux | Gold Tankard | 14 | 2.90 | 0.27 | 1040.6 | 1011.4 | 3.79 | 72.04% |
| Sam Smith | Taddy Bitter | 12 | 2.91 | 0.32 | 1034.9 | 1005.3 | 3.86 | 84.96% |
| Federation | Special | 12 | 3.40 | 0.33 | 1040.8 | 1010.7 | 3.91 | 73.90% |
| Scottish & Newcastle | Newcastle Exhibition | 12.5 | 3.42 | 0.35 | 1042.8 | 1009.4 | 4.34 | 78.04% |
| Average | 12.4 | 3.02 | 0.30 | 1037.4 | 1008.5 | 3.75 | 77.31% | |
| Source: | ||||||||
| Sunday Mirror - Sunday 21 March 1971, page 25. | ||||||||
Growing up on Tyneside the term "bitter" was a term only used by those filthy southerners way down south, starting around York.
ReplyDeleteScotch ales were dark and more or less the equivalent of southern Milds. Lorimers Scotch,sent south in tankers to Vaux for tanker distribution was not a bitter, it was dark and drunk in areas to the Southern side of the Tyne Bridge although it did have a few outposts on Northern Tyneside. The northern Tyneside equivalent was McEwan's scotch, very similar.
Interestingly in the working men's clubs Fed ordinary was often referred to as "scotch" due to its lower alcohol content despite its pale colour.
Newcastle Ex was actually a very nice beer, invariably served on electric pump from cellar tanks.
Served through a sparkler it was very smooth with a big rocky head and being unpasteurised it was a good halfway house between keg and real ale.
Later a keg version, keg ex, appeared but was a shadow of the real stuff.
Wales?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeletewhy do you mention Wales?
As the next region...unless you'd already covered Wales, which may have slipped my memory sorry
ReplyDelete