Wednesday, 1 October 2025

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1885 Thomas Usher PA 60/-

A Thomas Usher 90/- Ale label featuring a six-pointed star and the words "natural condition".
Don’t you just love the random use of Shilling designations by Usher? It’s clear that the original use of shilling classifications: to indicate the wholesale price of a hogshead, was over. 

There’s no way that this beer wholesaled for 60/- a hogshead. A fancy Pale Ale like this would probably have cost 54/- a barrel, 81/- a hogshead. 60/- would be the price of something like an XX Mild Ale.

Most of the grist was a single type of Scottish pale malt. Along with a tiny amount of caramel. Which darkens the colour a bit. But couldn’t have really had much impact on the flavour.

Two types of hops, as usual, California from the 1883 season and Alsace from 1884.

As the hopping rate is the same as for the weaker Pale Ales, I don’t think this beer was aged for any length of time. No more than a couple of months, at most. Though it was probably conditioned for longer than its weaker siblings. 

1885 Thomas Usher PA 60/-
pale malt 14.00 lb 99.79%
caramel 1000 SRM 0.03 lb 0.21%
Cluster 90 min 2.25 oz
Strisselspalt 30 min 2.25 oz
Goldings dry hops 1.00 oz
OG 1060
FG 1017
ABV 5.69
Apparent attenuation 71.67%
IBU 60
SRM 7.5
Mash at 152º F
Sparge at 175º F
Boil time 90 minutes
pitching temp 59º F
Yeast WLP028 Edinburgh Ale

 

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