It's not unusual for me to either miss or misinterpret things in brewing records. Hopefully, I spot my mistake not too far in. Because then I need to go back and fix all the table entries that I've already transcribed. Not the most fun work. Not that transcribing brewing records is ever something I would describe as fun.
On the face of it, it appears that every batch of Single Stout had a small quantity of what looks like Double Stout parti-gyled with it. And I mean a small amount. For example, there might be 194 barrels of Single Stout and just 14 barrels of "Double Stout".
But what's odd, is that there isn't a full fermentation record for the "Double Stout". Just one or two entrie. While there is a full record for Single Stout, right up to racking. Why would that be?
Eventually I twigged. There's a reason there isn't a full fermentation record. Because that wort wasn't fully fermented. At least not on its own. I'm pretty sure that this is "heading". One of the elements of Irish Stout. It's a strong wort in a high degree of fermentation which was blended in at racking or packaging time. It's effectively a sort of Kräusen.
Based on the amount of Single Stout and heading brewed, about 7% was added. Which would have increased the effective OG a little, as well as providing condition. It's the equivalent of the primings added in England, except it was in the form of wort rather than a sugar solution.
This is the relevant section of a brewing record. Where the Single Stout, with an OG of 1039 in the first row and the heading, with an OG of 1050, is the second.
Looking at it now, I've noticed something else. There's a gap below where it says "Shift to 6". It looks to me as if they're using the dropping system and the "shift" is when they drop from the round to the sttling square.
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3 comments:
How common was that instead of using sugar solutions in the British Isles? Obviously it would have changed over time.
I wonder if Cairnes was using the high cask and low cask method of serving its stout, and the double stout was added to what would become the high cask version of the single stout, to make a highly conditioned beer that was blended at the point of service in the pub with beer from the flatter low cask to give the classic creamy stout … I don't know what the proportions were of high cask to low cask, but I'm guessing you probably only needed one high cask to every six or so low casks, s you wouldn't need much double stout to condition your high casks …
It is possible that Cairnes ever only bottled, most ale and stout in Ireland was until the arrival of the keg.
Oscar
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