Wednesday, 4 February 2026

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1932 Youngs PAB

A Youngs Pale Ale label featuring a drawing of a ram.
A bit of a change today. With a recipe from the 1930s reather than the Golden Age of UK brewing (1880 to 1914). 

The weaker of Youngs two Pale Ales looks very much like a post-WW II Ordinary Bitter. And a beer which, in most of the interwar period, would have sold for 5d per pint. Though in 1931 to 1933 would have sold for 6d per pint.

There a few interesting features to the grist. I’ve simplified the base malt, which in the original had three elements: pale malt, PA malt and a small quantity of enzymic malt. PA malt being the best quality pale malt.

Most interesting is the lack of any type of adjunct. Which is unusual. A few other brewers – Whitbread, for example – but that was very much the exception. Most brewers employed an adjunct, usually in the form of flaked maize.

There were three types of hops. East Kent from the 1931 harvest and two types of Kent hops, both from 1930. 

1932 Youngs PAB
pale malt 6.25 lb 83.33%
malt extract 0.250 lb 3.33%
No. 1 invert sugar 1.00 lb 13.33%
Fuggles 120 min 1.00 oz
Fuggles 60 min 1.00 oz
Goldings 30 min 1.00 oz
OG 1036
FG 1008
ABV 3.70
Apparent attenuation 77.78%
IBU 40
SRM 5
Mash at 153º F
Sparge at 174º F
Boil time 120 minutes
pitching temp 59º F
Yeast WLP002 English Ale

 

No comments: