Saturday, 8 February 2025

Let's Brew - 1895 Rose PA

Climbing ever higher up the Pale Ale tree we get to, er, Pale Ale. A pretty decent strength. If not quite at the heights of a Burton Pale Ale.

As with the other Pale Ales from Rose, there’s not a great deal to the grist. Just base malt, flaked rice and sugar. Once again, with around a quarter of the malt made from foreign barley, the rest from English.

Two types of sugar, No. 1 invert and something just described as “White”, which I’ve interpreted as sucrose. Combined with the pale malt, all this basically colourless sugar leaves the beer with a very light shade. Just 5 SRM. Which is extremely pale for a beer of this gravity.

As always with Rose, there are three types of hops, Kent, Worcester and Hallertau, all from the 1895 harvest. As were the Hallertau dry hops.

My guess is that this was a semi-Stock beer, aged for three months or so. 

1895 Rose PA
pale malt 10.25 lb 84.85%
flaked rice 0.75 lb 6.21%
No. 1 invert sugar 0.75 lb 6.21%
white sugar 0.33 lb 2.73%
Fuggles 130 mins 1.50 oz
Fuggles 60 mins 1.50 oz
Hallertau 30 mins 1.50 oz
Hallertau dry hops 0.50 oz
OG 1055
FG 1015
ABV 5.29
Apparent attenuation 72.73%
IBU 55
SRM 5
Mash at 154º F
Sparge at 175º F
Boil time 145 minutes
pitching temp 58º F
Yeast Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire Ale Timothy Taylor

Friday, 7 February 2025

What wasn't allowed in a pub in 1914?

Quite a lot of things, as it turns out. Some of them pretty understandable.

The first set mostly refer to pissed-up punters.

2.—As to Public Order.
Offences.-Any licence holder is guilty of an offence against the Licensing Acts and renders himself liable to a penalty not exceeding on a first conviction £10, and on a second or any subsequent conviction £20, who by himself or by his servants acting within the general scope of their employment does any of the following things:—

(1) Selling to Drunken Person.—Sells any intoxicating liquor to any drunken person. Note.—If the person to whom the liquor is sold is in fact drunken the offence is committed whether the person by whom the liquor was sold knew him to be drunken or not.
Brewers' Almanack 1915, page 305.

To put those fines into context, a pint of Mild cost 2d. Ten quid, then, was the equivalent 240 pints of Mild. Quite a sum.

More about drunks.

(2) Selling to Habitual Drunkard.-Knowingly sells or supplies any intoxicating liquor to or for the consumption of any person, notice of whose conviction has been sent to the police authority under Section 6 of the Act of 1902 within three years of the date of such conviction.

(3) Permitting Drunkenness.-Permits drunkenness to take place on his licensed premises. Note.—Where a licensed person is charged with this offence, and it is proved that any person was drunk on his premises, the presumption will at once be raised that the fact of the drunkenness was known or connived at by the licensed person or by the person left by him in charge of the premises, and that presumption cannot be rebutted unless the licensed person proves that he and the persons employed by him took all reasonable steps for preventing drunkenness on the premises.

If the drunkenness is on the part of a lodger on the licensed premises, or of a private friend of the licence holder, the licence holder will still be liable to conviction; and it is immaterial whether the drunkenness takes place before or after closing time.

(4) Permitting Disorder.—Permits any violent, quarrelsome, or riotous conduct to take place on his licensed premises.
Brewers' Almanack 1915, page 306.

You get the idea. The authorities really didn't like the plebs getting pissed up and causing trouble. Those killjoy bastards.
 

Thursday, 6 February 2025

Beerhouses

In 1830, in a rare attack of liberalism, beerhouses were created. Intended to usher in an era of free trade in beer, licences were issued for beer-only pubs directly from the Excise, outside the control of local licensing magistrates. This was changed in 1869, when such licences came under control of the justices.

However, beerhouse licences which had existed before that date were given some protection. And couldn't be revoked as easily as full licences (ones allowing the sale of all alcoholic drinks).

Two Classes of “old On-Licences."- Beerhouse licences, beer and wine on-licences, and cider on-licences which were in force on May 1, 1869, and have since remained continuously in force, were specially protected as regards the grounds upon which their renewal might be refused by the Wine & Beerhouse Acts of 1869 and 1870. The protection so given to them was preserved in a modified form by the Act of 1904. Licences so protected are hereinafter spoken of as protected or ante-1869 beerhouse licences. Old on-licences of the same kind which either were not in force on May 1, 1869, or, having been in force at that date, have not since remained continuously in force, do not enjoy this protection, and are herein after spoken of as unprotected beerhouse licences. Full licences are also outside this protection, and must be deemed to be included whenever in the following paragraph is unprotected old on-licences are spoken of.
Brewers' Almanack 1915, page 257.

There was a specific list of circumstances which allowed for the removal of beerhouse licences:

(2) Ante-1869, or Protected Licences. In the case of protected beerhouse licences--that is to say, of beerhouse licences, beer and wine on-licences and cider on-licences--which were in force on May 1, 1869, and have since remained continuously in force in respect of the samepremises, the justices may not refuse to renew without compensation on any ground other than the following:

 1. That the applicant has failed to produce satisfactory evidence of good character.
 2. That the house or shop in respect of which the licence is sought, or any adjacent house or shop owned or occupied by the person applying for the licence is of a disorderly character, or frequented by thieves, prostitutes, or persons of bad character.
 3. That the applicant, having personally held a licence for the sale of wine, spirits, beer, or cider, the same has been forfeited for his misconduct, or that he has through misconduct been at any time previously adjudged disqualified from receiving any such licence or from selling any of the said articles.
 4. That the applicant or the house in respect of which he applies is not duly qualified as by law is required.
Brewers' Almanack 1915, page 258. 

The licensing authorities really didn't like prostitutes and thieves.


Wednesday, 5 February 2025

A gentle reminder

that my latest book, "Keg!" is now available.

It's packed full of information about the grooviest decade of the 20th century, the 1970. As well as a brewery guide to the 1970s, there are also more than 100 home-brew recipes. All in all, it's the perfect guide to the decade.

Get your copy of "Keg!" now!

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1895 Rose B

You'd better get used to the late Victorian and Edwardian period. Because I'm now 100% concentrating on that, as I return to working on "Free!".

And now we move onto our second gravity tree, this time for Pale Ales. Of which there are four.

Kicking off with B. Which I assume stands for “Bitter”. It’s pretty low gravity for a 19th-century Pale Ale. A Light Bitter, really. I would say that it’s the equivalent of an AK. Except that Rose has an AK in their range. A beer next up the strength tree trunk.

Beautifully simple is how I would describe the grist. Just base malt, flaked rice and sucrose. There were three types of pale malt, two made from English barley and one from foreign. Which, as you’re probably aware by now, was pretty standard.

Three types of hops, too. Two English, Worcester from the 1895 harvest and Kent from 1894. Both of which I’ve interpreted as Fuggles. Along with Hallertau from 1894.

As a Light Bitter, this wouldn’t have been aged. As is obvious from the gravity and hopping rate. 

1895 Rose B
pale malt 9.00 lb 85.71%
flaked rice 1.00 lb 9.52%
white sugar 0.50 lb 4.76%
Fuggles 135 mins 0.75 oz
Fuggles 60 mins 0.75 oz
Hallertau 30 mins 0.75 oz
Hallertau dry hops 0.25 oz
OG 1046
FG 1013
ABV 4.37
Apparent attenuation 71.74%
IBU 29
SRM 4
Mash at 154º F
Sparge at 175º F
Boil time 125 minutes
pitching temp 59º F
Yeast Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire Ale Timothy Taylor

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Lager in the early 20th century

For the next couple of months I'll be back before WW I. Now that my attention has turned full time to my book "Free!".

During my research, I came across this passage on the different types of Lager.

Our attention must now be directed to the principal subject of this evening's paper: Lager Beers ("Lager Biere"). Of these there are four recognised types :—Bohemian, Vienna, Bavarian, and American. As a general rule, three varieties of each are brewed : Light, Ordinary  or Summer Lager, and Export. The exports are all brewed consider ably stronger and contain more alcohol. All the types vary a good deal in colour, flavour, palate-fulness, amount of hops, acidity and alcohol. For example :—

1. Bavarian and Munich beers possess a light to dark-brown shade of colour, are lightly hopped, and are characterised by their palate fulness, sweet taste and malt flavour. Their gravities vary from 12.5° to 15.0° B. in the Light, and from 15.0° to 18.0° B. in the Export beers.

2. The Bohemian are light-yellow, as in the case of the Pilsener, to a peculiar greonish-yellow colour. They taste somewhat sharp, dry and wine-like, but with a prevailing bitter of hops as opposed to the lightly-hopped Bavarians. Their gravities vary from 10.5° to 11.5° B. for the Light, and from 11.0° to 12.8° B. for the Heavy.

3. The Vienna Lagers come somewhere midway between the Bavarian and Bohemian, especially as regards colour, hops, and taste. The gravities vary from 10.5° to 13.5° B. in the Light, and from 13.5° to 15.5° B. for the Heavy and Export beers. The larger amount of the common beer of Vienna is brewed at a gravity of 13.5° B.

4. The American Lagers generally follow the German rather than the Austrian types, yet differ considerably in the many American cities.
"Lager Beers" by James Grant in Journal of the Institute of Brewing Volume 15, Issue 3, May 1909, page 379. 

Interesting that American Lager was considered a type in its own right. Though, of course, there were various different styles of Lager brewed in the USA. These did have European Lagers as their inspiration, but had been adapted to meet American tastes and production methods.

 

Monday, 3 February 2025

1780 - 1815 Cellarmanship

Well, that's the 1970s finished. Time to look further back. All the way to the 18th century. Which is about as far back as I go.

Just as with cask-conditioned beer today, all the care taken in brewing a good beer was in vain if it was poorly handled in the cellar.

The text below is taken from "A Treatise on the Brewing of Beer" by E. Hughes, Uxbridge, 1796, pages 34-37.

"Beware, lest you forget to pay attention to your beer which is at tap; for, "as the eye of the master maketh his horse fat", so the head of a family, now and then giving a look into his cellar, may be the cause of beer drinking more agreeable to his palate, by taking care that the vent-holes are kept closely stopped, and the cocks secure.

"Do not fail to stoop your cask when the beer is about two parts in three out; this should be done whilst the tap is spending, for then you will not disturb the sediment. By stooping the cask when the beer is about two parts in three out will prevent it from becoming flat and sour; when, on the other hand, it is too frequently to be observed when a person is drawing a pot of beer, the stream is impeded; for the beer, being so nearly out, will not run till it is stooped. Now before this, the cock discharging the beer but slowly, the air is admitted into the cask, which causes the beer to drink flat, and, perhaps, turn sour: therefore this will enforce the necessity of stooping your cask before it be so nearly out."

Stooping I take to be tipping up the cask. Which you need to do to get the last of the beer out of a cask. Interesting  that the author recommends that this is done while the tap is open. That sounds rather counterintuitive.

"This is a fault with many publicans, not paying attention to their cellars; even many who brew their own beer are neglectful, notwithstanding their own interest and credit is concerned. Tis not uncommon for the vent-peg, and even the bung, to be left out of those casks which are actually on draught.

"Publicans, who retail common brewer's beer, and neglect their cellars, have this excuse, if their customers find fault with the beer, by saying "tis such beer as my brewer sends me," so it may be; but let a publican be served with beer of the first quality, it entirely depends on the management of the retailer thereof, whether the beer shall be of good or bad quality. This is proved by persons in the same town, each being served with beer from one and the same brew-house; there will be generally a disparity in the quality after it comes into the stock of the respective retailers thereof, which proves it to be the good or bad management in the cellar."

Just as today, there was plenty of room for the publican to fuck up a good beer, either through ignorance or laziness.

"I am convinced I shall not offend the attentive publican by what I have said respecting the cellar; but should this fall into the hands of the inattentive, it may offend; but that I will excuse, if, by the reading of this, he should be convinced of his error, and pay more attention to his cellar; that he may be enabled to draw a pot of beer to please those useful and valuable men, the labourer and the mechanic; and where they used to drink but one pot of beer with him, they may, from finding his ale much better than usual, perhaps, drink two." 

There you have it: if the beer was well looked after, customers would drink more. I don't think I can argue with that.
 

Sunday, 2 February 2025

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part forty-seven)

Three Bass Charrington breweries today. All in the Northwest. All closed as production was switched to the disastrous Runcorn plant.

I've absolutely no idea what any of their beers were like. Doubtless better than the stuff churned out by Runcorn.

Bent
Liverpool,
Merseyside.
Founded:    1810
Closed:            1975
Tied houses:    514

Bought in 1967 by Bass Charrington, soon after its formation. One of the breweries closed to make room for Runcorn.

beer style format OG description
Red Label Stout Stout bottled 1045.2  


Case
Barrow-in-Furness,
Cumbria.
Founded:    1860
Closed:            1972
Tied houses:    60

Bought by Hammond's United Breweries Ltd. 1959. One of the smallest breweries operated by Bass Charrington.


Catterall & Swarbrick
Blackpool,
Lancashire.
Founded:    1871
Closed:            1971
Tied houses:    104

Bought by Northern Breweries in 1961.

The above is an excerpt from my latest book, "Keg!".

Get your copy of "Keg!" now!

Saturday, 1 February 2025

Let's Brew - 1966 Maclay PA 6d

To get you in the mood for the 1970s, here's a beer from the mid-1960s. A 60/-. Is it a Mild, is it a dark Pale Ale? Who gives a fuck? I don't any more. SO what if I thought it was a Dark Mild when I drank it?

There’s not a great deal to the recipe, which is also typically Scottish. Mostly pale malt with a bit of sugar and, some flaked maize. There’s also a proprietary sugar called DCS. No idea what that is, so I’ve just increased the quantity of No. 1 invert. And a touch of malt extract. But it’s really just a variation on a theme. Styrian Golding and English hops.

As for colour, the one in the recipe is as brewed. The versions I drank were around 20-25 SRM. Feel free to colour it with caramel to any shade you fancy.

1966 Maclay PA 6d
pale malt 5.00 lb 75.28%
flaked maize 0.75 lb 11.29%
malt extract 0.125 lb 1.88%
No. 1 invert sugar 0.75 lb 11.29%
caramel 5000 SRM 0.02 lb 0.26%
Styrian Goldings 90 mins 0.50 oz
Fuggles 60 mins 0.50 oz
Goldings 30 mins 0.50 oz
Goldings dry hops 0.50 oz
OG 1030
FG 1012
ABV 2.38
Apparent attenuation 60.00%
IBU 23
SRM 11
Mash at 148º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 90 minutes
pitching temp 61º F
Yeast WLP028 Edinburgh Ale


 

Friday, 31 January 2025

Keg! is out

The 1970s. A decade as fashionable as mullets and flared trousers. One not remembered with the same rose-tinted specs as the 1960s. But the time when I started drinking beer.

A worrying frailty of my own memories meant an idea to weave a book out of their fraying threads was immediately ditched. What if I could, like a lamprey, latch onto fellow oldies and drink their memories? Yes, that would work.

An attempt to cling onto a vanishing past. Before my memories fade into grey dust. And to keep alive those glorious technicolour days of the 1970s. 

Get your copy of "Keg!" now!




Beer Guide to the 1970s (part forty-six)

Three more Big Six breweries for you. One Allied and two Bass Charrington.

Can you guess which was my favourite? It's not hard.

Wrexham Lager Brewery
Wrexham,
Wales.
Founded:    1878
Closed:    2000
Tied houses:    

Bought by Ind Coope in 1949. One of the first dedicated Lager breweries in the UK that didn’t collapse after a few years. I can’t remember ever seeing their beer anywhere. Not that I would have tried them, as they were Lager.


Bass Charrington (Tadcaster)
Burton-on-Trent,
Staffordshire.
Founded:    early 18th century
Closed:    still open
Tied houses:    247

The Tower Brewery was purchased by Hammond in 1946. I never cared much for their beer. XXXX Mild was way inferior to Tetley’s Mild.

beer style format OG description
Brew Ten Pale Ale draught 1036 enjoyable
Extra Light Pale Ale draught 1034 thin
Mild Mild draught 1033.7 fruity
XXXX Mild Mild draught 1031.8 thin
Toby Light Pale Ale draught 1031.8 very thin


Bass Worthington (Burton)
Burton-on-Trent,
Staffordshire.
Founded:    1777
Closed:    still open
Tied houses:    

The original Bass brewery, which merged with M & B in 1961.Home of the magnificent Draught Bass and Worthington White Shield, two beers which were run through the union sets. 

beer style format OG description
Draught Bass Pale Ale draught 1044 well-hopped and distinctive
Worthington Best Bitter Pale Ale draught 1036 pleasant and refreshing
Joules Bitter Pale Ale draught 1035  
Light Mild (or M) Mild, Light draught 1033.1 thin
Worthington E Pale Ale keg 1040  
Worthington White Shield IPA bottled 1052 nutty
Bass Red Triangle IPA bottled 1052 same beer as White Shield
Bass Blue Triangle IPA bottled 1052 filtered Red Triangle
Nut Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled 1033.2  
Light Ale Light Ale bottled 1031  
BB Pale Ale bottled 1036.6  

Thursday, 30 January 2025

New local update

How is it going, the search for a new local? Well, we seem to be settling on Checkpoint Charlie.

For the last six months our little gang has been going there pretty much every Saturday. Who's there on any given weekend varies quite a bit. Me and Will are often off on the other side of the world. And Mikey is sometimes too knacked after working. But most weekends at least some of us make it.

Steamed up window of Checkpoint Charlie

We haven't really started to interact with other customers. Not being as intimate as Butcher's Tears, contact with other punters isn't as easy. And it doesn't seem to have the same number of Saturday regulars. Perhaps the drinkers here are in more self-contained groups, too.

At least the bar staff seem to be getting to know us. Probably because Lucas is such a social bloke.

What do I miss most from Butcher's Tears? The beer.Being able to reply, when asked what I'd like to drink "A pint of Mild, please." Having the choice of multiple beers I would like to drink. Not just Mild, but also a full-strength Stout. Or an Old Ale.

On the beer front, Checkpoint Charlie just can't compete. There is a guest tap, which sometimes has something to tempt me. Otherwise, there's just 't Ij Zatte amongst the draught offerings that I might opt for. Otherwise, I have to delve into the bottled selection for a Tripel Karmeliet.

On the upside, they do have a drinkable jenever - Zuidan Korenwijn - at a decent price. Something I take advantage of later in the session.

It's starting to feel more like home. Not the same as Butcher's Tears. And without some of that's features. But still a new home. For now.

Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1877 Strangman X Ale

Here’s another confusing beer from Strangman. On the face of it, the name, X Ale, indicates that this was a Mild Ale. But it’s not that simple.

The gravity is very much in the range of a London X Ale. However, the hopping is a good bit heavier. At 14 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt, the rate is about double that of London Mild Ales. And similar to the hopping rate of a London Pale Ale. It’s also higher than the hopping rate for Strangman Beer. Which makes no sense, as Ale should be more lightly hopped than Ale.

Not much to the recipe: just one type of malt and one of hops. The malt was made from English barley by Strangman themselves. The hops, from grower Springett, were, I assume, English. And were pretty fresh, being from the 1876 harvest.
 

1877 Strangman X Ale
pale malt 13.00 lb 100.00%
Fuggles 90 mins 2.25 oz
Fuggles 60 mins 2.25 oz
Fuggles 30 mins 2.25 oz
OG 1056
FG 1013
ABV 5.69
Apparent attenuation 76.79%
IBU 75
SRM 5
Mash at 152º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 90 minutes
pitching temp 60º F
Yeast WLP004 Irish Stout

 

Tuesday, 28 January 2025

Australia here I come

I've just booked up flights to Australia for me and my son Andrew. It's been a long time since I was last there. 1991, to be precise. I wonder if it's changed at all?

We'll be there from Sunday 20th July until Monday 4th August. Visiting Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. 

Hopefully, we'll get to meet some people and drink some beer. Any tips on good places to drink will be much appreciated.

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part forty-five)


We're still with Allied Breweries today. Possibly the least bunch of twats of the Big Six. And the brewers of one of my favourite beers of all time, the wonderful Tetley’s Mild.

An Ind Coope pub wouldn't have been my first choice of pub in London. I knew they had pubs in Leeds that were swapped with Tetley in the 1960s, but I was surprised at some of them. Like the Cross Green, Garden Gate and Hyde Park. Pubs that I drank in and thought were typical Tetley's pubs. I can remember seeing one (particularly run down) pub in Leeds in 1975 that still had an Ind Coope sign up.


Ind Coope (Romford)
Romford,
Essex.
Founded:         1800
Closed:            1992
Tied houses:    

The most southerly of all the Allied breweries. I tried the Bitter in a few London pubs and it was OK, but nothing particularly impressive or distinctive.


Tetley Walker (Leeds)
Leeds,
West Yorkshire.
Founded:         1822
Closed:            2011
Tied houses:    1,100

The brewery of Joshua Tetley, one of the largest in Yorkshire. And home of my beloved Tetley’s Mild. It served cask in most of its pubs, especially in the Leeds area. Where I lived for the second half of the 1970s.


Tetley Walker (Warrington)

Warrington,
Lancashire.
Founded:         1864
Closed:            1996
Tied houses:    

Merged with Joshua Tetley in 1960 to form Tetley Walker. I had their beer a few times when west of the Pennines. I didn’t think they were as good as those brewed in Leeds.
 

Monday, 27 January 2025

bespoke historic birthday recipe

Just reminding you all of the terrific service I offer. A bespoke recipe of a beer brewed on your birthday (or some other significant date) at some point in the past. For just 25 euros. Bargain, I say.

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Make your birthday special - by brewing a beer originally made on that date.

For a mere 25 euros, I'll create a bespoke recipe for any day of the year you like. As well as the recipe, there's a few hundred words of text describing the beer and its historical context and an image of the original brewing record.

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Beer Guide to the 1970s (part forty-four)

Slight mistake in the last post in this series. I started the Big Six with Bass Charrington. Where, obviously, I should have kicked off with Allied. Apologies for that.

Alleid was probably my favourite of the Big Six. Mostly on account of Tetley, whose Mild I loved. And because they didn't mess their pubs around like most of the other big brewers. Leaving the multiroom layout in most of their pubs.

Allied Breweries
With just seven breweries, the production of Allied Breweries was very concentrated. Meaning that they didn’t have many breweries to close. Unlike some of the other national brewers.


Alloa
Alloa,
Scotland.
Founded:    1810
Closed:    1998
Tied houses:    

The former Arrols Brewery. Came under the control of Allsopp in 1931. Fully taken over by Ind Coope & Allsopp in 1951. Operated as a Lager-only plant in the 1970s.

beer style format OG description
Skol Lager keg 1033.2  


Ansell
Birmingham,
West Midlands.
Founded:    1838
Closed:    1981
Tied houses:    1,800

A rather troubled brewery in the 1970s, it was closed after a series of strikes. The Bitter wasn’t great, but I had a really soft spot for their Mild.

beer style format OG description
Aston Ale Pale Ale draught 1045 well-hopped, slightly sweet
Mild Mild draught 1035.5 dark
Bitter Pale Ale draught 1037 pleasant and sweet
Kingpin Keg Pale Ale keg 1034  


Ind Coope (Burton)
Burton-on-Trent,
Staffordshire.
Founded:    1740
Closed:    still open (sort of)
Tied houses:    

Originally the brewery of Samuel Allsopp, after running into financial difficulties in the runup to WW I, it struggled along for a while before merging with Ind Coope in 1934. In the 1970s, the brewery was best-known for keg Double Diamond and later cask Burton Ale. Which, ironically, was the same as the bottled version of Double Diamond.

beer style format OG description
Bitter Pale Ale draught 1037 light
Burton Ale Pale Ale draught 1047.5 sweetish and malty
Double Diamond Pale Ale keg 1037.6  
Super Draught Mild keg 1031.1  
Long Life Keg Pale Ale keg 1043  
Superdraught Bitter Pale Ale keg 1036.4  
Double Diamond Pale Ale bottled 1047.2  
Light Ale Pale Ale bottled 1031.4  
Long Life Pale Ale bottled 1039.8  
Nightcap Stout Stout bottled 1034.7  
Arctic Barley Wine Barley Wine bottled 1078.6  
Brown Ale Brown Ale bottled 1032  

 

Sunday, 26 January 2025

Beer in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s (part two)

Time for another instalment of 1980s socialist nostalgia.

In this period Czechoslovakia had the best overall beer quality of anywhere I've ever been. I never came across a beer which wasn't of at least a decent standard. Even the stuff I wasn't that keen on - such as Staropramen - was still perfectly acceptable.

Something which never seems to get mentioned nowadays is the serving method. People go on about crap like "mlíko" pours - something I never came across in the 1980s and which I suspect was just made up recently. But not the reason why Czech beer was so drinkable: air pressure. Rather than CO2, air pressure was used to pump up beer from the celaar. Much like tall fonts in Scotland. The resulting half litre had a wonderful creamy head, but wasn't overly fizzy. Being more like beer served through a sparkler in texture. Why does no-one lament the loss of this wonderful practice?

In recent years, breweries have been built as standard projects in Slovakia with an annual output of around 750,000 hectolitres, in Hurbanovo or in Banska Bystrica. This is intended to relieve the burden on breweries in the homeland of beer, Bohemia, and to generally improve quality. In the "U Kalicha", where Schwejk wanted to meet with the sapper Vodicka "at six o'clock after the war", there is now Pilsner Urquell, and this Prague restaurant is just as much a tourist attraction as "U Fleku" in Kremencova Street, where beer was brewed 33 years before Columbus discovered America.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 55.

The brewing industry was relatively undevelopped in Slovakia, which is why large new breweries were built there.

Here's a confession: despite having read Švejk in the original Czech, I've never been in U Kalicha. Too touristy, even in the 1980s. I preferred the more basic type of Czech pub. Ones in the third or fourth category in the official way of classifying pubs. The type of place that only sold 10º beer.

Of the 1,500 beer bars in Prague, however, “U Fleku” is one of the best known because, as I said, they not only serve beer here, they also brew it. The famous 13-degree dark lager has been available here since 1840 in the large beer garden and in the many stylish rooms decorated by Czech artists. The rooms have their own names, such as Jitrnice (liver sausage), Redakce (editorial office), Academy, V kufru (In a suitcase), Chmelnice (hop garden). However, there is an inimitable atmosphere in all rooms, and workers, craftsmen, writers, artists and scientists have always sat together at the beer table in cheerful and contemplative conversation, stimulated by the tasty dark beer.
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 55.

U Fleku, on the other hand, was a wonderful place. Not totally swamped with tourists and genuinely having all walks of society clumped together along its long tables. And home to a magnificent dark Lager. The beer - at least the last time I was ther emore than ten years ago - was still excellent. The atmosphere, not so much so.

These are specialties in the CSSR that are often recommended to visitors, because beer drinkers quickly agree on where a good beer flows from the tap.

By the way, beer from the CSSR is served in 80 countries around the world. Recently, for tropical zones (and not only for these), beer is available in cans with “Budvar” and a “golden pheasant” on the label.

In addition to “Urquell”, it is above all “Budvar” and “Crystal” from České Budějovice, the Prague “Staropramen” and the dark Pilsner lager “Diplomat” that have a good name all over the world and are witnesses to the art of Bohemian brewing. Over 1,250,000 hectolitres of Czechoslovak beer flow in a never-ending stream all over the world - to the delight of beer connoisseurs and beer drinkers!
"Rund ums Bier" by Emil Ulischberger, Leipzig, 1986, page 55.

Currently, Czechia exports considerably more than Czechoslovakia did in the 1980s. Over 5 million hectolitres.

Saturday, 25 January 2025

Let's Brew - 1882 Strangman H Porter

Another Strangman beer today. And another mystery. So many questions and so few answers. As so often when bathing in the pool of history.

Here we have a beer which actually is called Porter. Though what does the prefix “H” stand for? Could it be “heading”.

Heading being the high gravity, fermenting wort added at racking time as a sort of Kräusen. Two problems with that theory: the gravity isn’t high enough and there’s far too much of it. The 132 barrels would have been enough for 7 or 8 batches of their Beer. So about two weeks’ worth. But it wouldn’t last that long. And it was pitched in tuns the normal way.

My guess is that it’s one of the other elements of Irish Porter and Stout” aged beer. At least, that’s what the high hopping rate implies to me.

The grist is similar to Single Stout, having around 5% black malt. Of which around 20% was added to the copper rather than the mash tun. Which probably resulted in a beer darker than the 27 SRM in the recipe below.

Just a single type of hops, which I assume, based on the grower’s name of Noakes, were English. 

1882 Strangman H Porter
pale malt 15.25 lb 94.57%
black malt 0.875 lb 5.43%
Fuggles 90 mins 2.25 oz
Fuggles 60 mins 2.25 oz
Fuggles 30 mins 2.25 oz
Fuggles dry hops 0.75 oz
OG 1068.5
FG 1016
ABV 6.95
Apparent attenuation 76.64%
IBU 69
SRM 27
Mash at 153º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 90 minutes
pitching temp 58.5º F
Yeast WLP004 Irish Stout

Friday, 24 January 2025

Beer Guide to the 1970s (part forty-three)

Yippee! We're finally moving on to the final part of my guide to 1970s breweries: the Big Six. Who, at the time, operated a large number of plants. Especially Bass and Whitbread.

Bass owned breweries of massively differing size, ranging from the massive Runcorn plant to tiny operations such as Case and Highgate. There was a similar huge variation in the quality of the beer they brewed. Which was pretty much in reverse proportion to the size of the plant.

None of the three featured today brewed any cask beer.

Bass Charrington (Belfast)
Belfast,
Northern Ireland.
Founded:         1897
Closed:            2004
Tied houses:    

The former Caffrey’s plant in Belfast was the only brewery in Northern Ireland. It brewed exclusively for the local market.

Bass Charrington (Runcorn)
Runcorn,
Merseyside.
Founded:         1974
Closed:            1991
Tied houses:    

The infamous megakeggery, which was plagued by industrial action and production problems during its short life.

Bass Charrington (Hope & Anchor)
Sheffield,
South Yorkshire.
Founded:         1892
Closed:            1994
Tied houses:     

In 1960 merged with Hammonds United Breweries and John Jeffrey to form Northern Breweries. It didn’t brew any cask beer in the 1970s.

beer style format OG description
Jubilee Stout Stout bottled 1042.3 Sweet Stout