Saturday, 14 March 2026

Let's Brew - 1990 Youngs Winter Warmer

A Youngs Winter Warmer label featuring a drawing of a ram.
A very special beer, this. The last London Burton Ale. Which, by this point, had been a seasonal beer for quite a long while. I’m so pleased that it isn’t one of the many Youngs beers which disappeared after the Wandsworth site closed. Fingers crossed that it survives for a few more decades.

With no Mild to be parti-gyled with, it was brewed single-gyle. With a recipe quite similar to Old Nick. The big difference being the total absence of No. 3 invert sugar. This is basically the same as the Old Nick recipe with the No. 3 removed and everything else left unchanged.

The sugar was all Young’s Special mix. A blend of glucose, molasses and caramel. Whose exact composition varied to his extract and colour specifications.  I’ve gone with what I’m hoping is a typical proportion of glucose 73%, molasses 25% and caramel 2%. 

Two types of hops without indication of vintage. All, seemingly, added at the start of the boil. As with Old Nick. I’ve had to increase the hopping by 0.5 oz. for each type to get the IBU value in the brewing record. 

1990 Youngs Winter Warmer
pale malt 9.00 lb 74.32%
crystal malt 120 L 0.875 lb 7.23%
torrefied barley 0.875 lb 7.23%
glucose 1.00 lb 8.26%
molasses 0.33 lb 2.73%
caramel 2000 SRM 0.03 lb 0.25%
Fuggles 60 min 1.25 oz
Goldings 60 min 1.25 oz
OG 1056
FG 1020
ABV 4.76
Apparent attenuation 64.29%
IBU 30
SRM 16
Mash at 149º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 60 minutes
pitching temp 61º F
Yeast WLP002 English Ale

 

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