Barley Wine grists 1970 - 1982

The recipes for Barley Wine were pretty diverse. A total of five different malts were used, including three different base malts: pale, mild and lager. Both f the beers using the latter had the word “gold” in their names: Export Gold and Gold Label.

After the base malts, the most common malt was crystal, appearing in three beers. A bit surprised to see it in Hardy Ale. As with Golden Pride, I’m sure that its presence can be explained by the fact that it was parti-gyled with Bitter.

I’ll be honest with you: I’m not sure what form the wheat was in the Eldridge Pope beers. The brewing records aren’t very specific. It could have been flaked or even just simple flour.

Most examples have a malt content of 80% or more. The exception being Gold Label, with just 70% malt.

No shock that flaked maize is the most popular adjunct. Given how beloved it was of UK brewers. The only other unmalted grain was a tiny amount of roast barley in Yorkshire Stingo. Obviously there for colour. Something which the majority of the beers, being pale in colour, didn’t require. 

Barley Wine grists 1970 - 1982
Year	Brewer	Beer	pale malt	mild malt	lager malt	crystal malt	wheat malt	total malt	flaked maize	roast barley
1977	Adnams	Tally Ho		84.97%		4.72%		89.69%
1971	Watney	Yorkshire Stingo	83.00%					83.00%		0.30%
1981	Eldridge Pope	Hardy Ale	59.67%		26.52%	4.97%	8.84%	100.00%
1982	Eldridge Pope	Goldie	92.59%				7.41%	100.00%
1968	Fullers	Golden Pride	77.78%			2.08%		79.86%	14.58%
1970	Higson	Stingo Gold	80.84%					80.84%	7.82%
1971	Watney	Export Gold			90.00%				5.00%
1973	Whitbread	Gold Label			69.70%			69.70%	8.88%
Sources:
Adnams brewing record held at the brewery.
Eldridge Pope brewing record.
Fullers brewing record held at the brewery.
Boddington brewing record held at Manchester Central Library, document number M693/405/134.
Watney Man Quality Manual
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/09/141.
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002.