Dark Mild (part seven)

Back to Dark Mild again. With an example that I'd already caught, but was lying hidden in one of my spreadsheets.

It also demonstrates why it's so difficult to find references when searching the newspaper archive. Because, as you'll see, it doesn't say Dark Mild straight out.

Sussex Agricultural Express - Saturday 24 January 1903, page 9.

The "Dark" and "Mild" don't even appear on the same line. Though reading with human eyes, it's clear that XB is being described as a Dark Mild. Interestingly, it does cost a little more than the pale version.

I assume that XXB, described as Family Ale, is a slightly stronger Mild Ale. I base that on its position in the advert and the "X" designation. But the term was used for different styles of beer. Whitbread's Family Ale was a lower-gravity Pale Ale. While Tetley's was a type of Mild.

I'm intrigued by the AK, which is described as "Crystal Ale". Eldridge Pope marketed their AK as "Crystal Ale". The term implies a sparkling, clear beer. It was often used for filtered, non-deposit bottled beers.

But what's the difference between AK and BB, another Bitter selling for the same price? And which is described as "Tonic Dinner Ale", which is typical of the description of  AK. Don't get me started on AKK and what the hell "Amber Ale" signifies.

Kent Beers in 1902

Doing one of my random searches of the British Newspaper Archive a fascinating page of adverts.

It's from a local paper and features advertisements from three breweries from the immediate vicinity. What fascinates me are the similarities and differences between the three brewery's ranges.

The only beer common to all three is my old favourite, AK. Tomson & Wotton even brewed two AKs, presumably at different strengths because the prices are different. Slightly weird to see an AK described as East India Pale Ale. Light Bitter, which how the other two breweries describe it, is more usual.

Shepherd Neame and Tomson & Wotton also both have a beer called KK as their strongest Pale Ale. While Rigden's is called XXK. Though that is another way of writing KK. The london breweries originally called their Stock Ales XXK, XXXK and XXXK, before switching over to KK, KKK and KKKK. At 60s, Shep's KK was a very expensive beer. That's about the same as you'd pay for a barrel of Bass Pale Ale, a beer that commanded a high price.

I'm sure Tomson & Wotton brewed a Mild, even though it isn't mentioned in their advert. Odd that the other two breweries both call theirs Mild Beer rather than the more standard Mild Ale. Note that both only have a single beer described as Mild.

I was surprised to see that the two Faversham breweries produced both Table Ale and Table Beer. Table anything was pretty rare in England by this point. It had long been dropped by the big London brewers. The examples here must have been pretty low gravity as they're under 30s per barrel. At that price, they's have to be under 1040º.

Porter was already starting to die out in the provinces by this time. Though it seems to have clung on longer in the Southeast, possibly because of the proximity to London. Porter remained popular in the capital longer than elsewhere.

There's only one Strong Ale, Rigden's XXX. Which I'm guessing is a Stock Ale rather than a Stock Pale Ale.

Kent Beers in 1902
Brewery	Place	year	beer	price per barrel (s)	price per gallon (d)
Shepherd Neame	Faversham	1902	Stock KK India Pale Ale	60	20
Shepherd Neame	Faversham	1902	East India Pale Ale, No. 1	48	16
Shepherd Neame	Faversham	1902	East India Pale Ale, No. 2	36	12
Shepherd Neame	Faversham	1902	East India Pale Ale, AK	34	11.33
Shepherd Neame	Faversham	1902	Mild Beer	36	12
Shepherd Neame	Faversham	1902	Table Ale	28	9.33
Shepherd Neame	Faversham	1902	Table Beer	24	8
Shepherd Neame	Faversham	1902	Stout	50	16.67
Shepherd Neame	Faversham	1902	Porter	36	12
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	XXK Bitter Ale	50	16.67
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	SA Special Ale	42	14
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	AK Light Bitter Ale	36	12
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	XXX Stock Ale	58	19.33
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	X Mild Beer	36	12
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	TA Table Ale	28	9.33
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	TB Table Beer	22	7.33
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	DBS Double Brown Stout	53	17.67
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	Nourishing Stout	48	16
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	P Porter	36	12
Tomson & Wotton	Ramsgate	1902	AK Light Bitter Ale	30	10
Tomson & Wotton	Ramsgate	1902	AK Light Bitter Ale	36	12
Tomson & Wotton	Ramsgate	1902	AKK Pale Ale	42	14
Tomson & Wotton	Ramsgate	1902	KK Pale Ale	48	16
Source:
Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald - Saturday 06 December 1902, page 1.

Bottled beer in the 1850's

Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, Saturday 06 June 1857, page 5.

I enjoyed our little look at bottled beer of the 1840's that I thought I'd extend the series. It saves me the trouble of doing any proper research or exerting any other effort. As I keep telling you, I'm a lazy bastard at heart.

Again, I've arbitrarily assigned styles to the beers. Not that there are many unclear ones in this set. About the only decision I had to make was to assign Strong Ale to the Burton Ales.

I'll mention now a difficulty that bottled beer presents when trying to guess the strength of a beer. With draught beers it's a piece of piss to work out relative strength. That's because the measures are known. A barrel is 36 gallons, a kilderkin is 18 gallons, etc. The capacity in gallons is often also specifically mentioned in advertisements. No such luck with bottles. Sometimes no size is indicated. Others it says "large" or "small". Even when it says "pint" or "quart" there's uncertainty. Because often that doesn't mean an imperial pint or quart but a "reputed" pint or quart. These were two-thirds of the imperial measure, or 378.85 ml and 757.7 ml, respectively.

In some entries in the table below, it can't possibly be an imperial pint. For example the Barnstaple Porter. 1s 9d for a dozen pints is 1.75d. per pint, which is below the draught price of 2d. per pint. That must be a reputed pint.

Do you see the biggest change in this list? Lower-gravity Pale Ales have appeared. Beers that definitely aren't IPA's and are considerably weaker. Or at least considerably cheaper. For example, Ind Coope's AKK Ale. The draught version cost 1s 2d per gallon, which implies a gravity of 1050-1055º. You can see that a quart of it (probably a reputed quart) cost the same as an imperial pint of Allsopp's IPA.

Alnwick Mercury, Monday 01 March 1858, page 1.

Note that there are still several examples of bottled Mild and Porter, though the latter is considerably outnumbered by bottled Stouts. As we progress through the decades of the 19th century you'll see how these become progressively rarer, with bottled Porter disappearing entirely. You can clearly see the most popular bottled styles emerging: IPA, Pale Ale, Stout and Strong Ale. Undoubtedly helped along by the most hyped beers of the day: Bass and Allsopp IPA, Guinness Extra Stout and Bass and Allsopp Strong Burton Ales.

I almost forgot the sad little Table Ale. A the advertisement was in a Northumberland newspaper, it's almost certainly of Scottish origin.

You know the score. I've still four decades of the 19th century to go. More to follow.

Bottled beers in the 1850's
Brewery	Place	year	beer	style	price per dozen	size	source
Wm. Younger	Edinburgh	1852	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	4s	pint	Medical times and gazette, Volume 5, 1852, page 155
Wm. Younger	Edinburgh	1852	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	4s 6d	pint	Medical times and gazette, Volume 5, 1852, page 155
Unknown	Edinburgh	1855	Edinburgh Ale	Edinburgh Ale	6s		"Food and its adulterations" by Arthur Hill Hassall, 1855, page 52.
Allsopp	Burton	1853	Pale Ale	IPA	5s	Imperial pint	"The lancet 1853, vol. 2", 1853, page 258
Allsopp	Burton	1855	East India Pale Ale	IPA	5s		"Food and its adulterations" by Arthur Hill Hassall, 1855, page 52.
Bass	Burton	1858	Pale India Ale	IPA	7s	quart	Alnwick Mercury - Monday 01 March 1858, page 1
Allsopp	Burton	1853	Mild Ale	Mild Ale	5s 6d	Imperial pint	"The lancet 1853, vol. 2", 1853, page 258
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	XX Ale	Mild Ale	3s	quart	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	XX Ale	Mild Ale	1s 9d	pint	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	XXXX Ale	Mild Ale	4s 3d	quart	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	XXXX Ale	Mild Ale	2s 4d	pint	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Unknown	Unknown	1858	Fine Mild XX Ale	Mild Ale	5s 6d	quart	Alnwick Mercury - Monday 01 March 1858, page 1
Wm. Younger	Edinburgh	1852	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	3s	pint	Medical times and gazette, Volume 5, 1852, page 155
John Lovibond	Greenwich	1852	Bitter Ale	Pale Ale	2s 6d	pint	"W. Archdeacon's Greenwich & Woolwich directory for 1852" page 2
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	4s 3d	quart	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	2s 4d	pint	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Ind Coope	Romford	1857	AKK Ale	Pale Ale	5s	quart	Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 06 June 1857, page 5.
Ind Coope	Romford	1857	AKK Ale	Pale Ale	2s 9d	pint	Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Saturday 06 June 1857, page 5.
Unknown	Unknown	1858	Fine Pale Ale	Pale Ale	5s 6d	quart	Alnwick Mercury - Monday 01 March 1858, page 1
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	Porter	Porter	3s	quart	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	Porter	Porter	1s 9d	pint	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Unknown	London	1858	Best London Porter	Porter	4s 6d	quart	Alnwick Mercury - Monday 01 March 1858, page 1
Wm. Younger	Edinburgh	1852	Stout	Stout	2s	pint	Medical times and gazette, Volume 5, 1852, page 155
Wm. Younger	Edinburgh	1852	Stout	Stout	3s	pint	Medical times and gazette, Volume 5, 1852, page 155
John Lovibond	Greenwich	1852	Double Stout	Stout	2s 6d	pint	"W. Archdeacon's Greenwich & Woolwich directory for 1852" page 2
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	Treble Stout	Stout	4s 3d	quart	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Barnstaple brewery	Barnstaple	1853	Treble Stout	Stout	2s 4d	pint	North Devon Journal - Thursday 14 April 1853, page 1.
Guinness	Dublin	1854	Extra Stout	Stout	3s 6d		Durham Directory & Almanack, 1854
Calvert & Co.	London	1855	Double Stout	Stout	5s		"Food and its adulterations" by Arthur Hill Hassall, 1855, page 52.
Guinness	Dublin	1857	Extra Stout	Stout	4s		Durham Directory & Almanack, 1857
Guinness	Dublin	1858	Dublin Stout	Stout	6s 6d	quart	Alnwick Mercury - Monday 01 March 1858, page 1
Unknown	London	1858	Best London Stout	Stout	5s 6d	quart	Alnwick Mercury - Monday 01 March 1858, page 1
Allsopp	Burton	1853	Strong (Old Burton) Ale	Strong Ale	6s 6d	Imperial pint	"The lancet 1853, vol. 2", 1853, page 258
Unknown	Burton	1855	Burton Ale	Strong Ale	6s		"Food and its adulterations" by Arthur Hill Hassall, 1855, page 52.
Unknown	Burton	1855	Burton Ale Extra Quality	Strong Ale	7s		"Food and its adulterations" by Arthur Hill Hassall, 1855, page 52.
Unknown	Unknown	1858	Table Ale	Table Ale	3s 6d	quart	Alnwick Mercury - Monday 01 March 1858, page 1

AK in WW I

A perfect chance to combine a couple of my favourite obsessions: AK and WW I. It's a happy day. I've been prompted by an advertisement for Rogers's Ales from 1916 - a very odd (and late) date for a price list of this type.

It was a while before I realised that these price lists, printed in newspapers, weren't trying to attract the attention of the trade but of private families. In the 19th century it was common for larger households to buy in beer casks for use at home. Cask beer was cheaper than bottled and safer than buying draught beer in jugs in a pub. You never knew what the landlord might have been doing to his beer.

Such adverts become rarer after 1900, implying that the practice of buying casks for the home was going out of fashion. Most likely as a result of improvements to bottled beer. The new "sparkling" bottled beers (chilled and carbonated rather than bottle conditioned) were an attractive alternative to draught beer that might well turn "hard" (sour) before the cask was emptied.

I'm racking my brains to see if I've any evidence of casks at home after WW I. Not that I can recall, except for special occasions like Christmas. It wouldn't surprise me if the war just about killed off the practice. Where did private customers come in the pecking order of deliveries? My guess is well below the brewery's own pubs. So when beer was in short supply, private customers would be likely to go thirsty.

One of the reasons I was so pleased to discover this advert is the way it places AK and AKK in the hierarchy of strengths. Rogers brewed four Pale Ales: LBA, AK, AKK and PA. In price (so presumably in strength, too) they match up with four Mild Ales: X, XX, XXX and HB. I'm a bit surprised that they offered a Pale Ale weaker than AK. Usually AK matches up with X Ale in price.

There's not the slightest doubt as to which style Rogers considered AK and AKK were. Both are clearly designated as Bitter. It's a bit inconsistent the way PA is called Pale Ale but, as I've pointed out before, Bitter and Pale Ale were used interchangeably in the past.

I must see if I can find a list of Rogers products from after the war ended. I doubt very much that they continued to brew all those Bitters and Milds. The war helped brewers tidy up their product range a treat.

Remember me saying of another Rogers's price list that it was surprising it didn't include a Porter? As this one does, I think it's safe to assume Rogers were brewing a Porter right through the 19th century. It just didn't show up in all their advertisements.

You can see the AK trademark of Rogers at the bottom of the advert. Does anyone have any idea of its origins?

A Stronger Quality of Bitter Ale

AK - Bitter or Mild? This is advert from Rogers of Bristol seems very sure that it was the latter:

"THE NEW SEASON'S BREWINGS OF 

ROGERS'S

AK and AKK

ARE NOW BEING DELIVERED IN FINE CONDITION.

ROGERS'S AK BITTER ALE,
1s 2d PER GALLON,
AT THE JACOB STREET BREWERY, BRISTOL.

WJ. ROGERS begs to introduce to the notice of his Customers a stronger quality of BITTER ALE, called "AKK," at 1s 4d per Gallon, to meet the requirements of those who may prefer a more invigorating Ale than the "AK," which is a light, wholesome, palatable, tonic Beverage, alike enjoyable by the Family, the Delicate Constitution, or the Invalid, many eminent Medical Men having given it their high approval. It is peculiarly free from the "heady" quality so much complained of in Ales generally, and leaves the Consumer's palate as clean as the finest Wine.
THE JACOB STREET BREWERY. BRISTOL.
Western Daily Press - Saturday 18 January 1868, page 1.

See? AKK was a more invigorating version of AK. I take it that by "invigorating" they really mean "intoxicating". Though they also say that it isn't "heady", a word which I would also have taken to mean "strong". Who complains about Ale being too strong? Certainly not me. At least not usually.

This is the business end of the advertisement:

That's an interesting selection of beers. Mild, Bitter and Stout. Odd that there's no Porter in there. The 1860's is early for a brewery to have dropped Porter. Especially one like Rogers who got into the Porter trade early. 

Though it's the most expensive beer in the list, I doubt that the IPA was the strongest. There's a good chance that it was weaker than the XXX Ale. In the 19th century all types of Pale Ale were sold at a premium price and were more expensive than beers of a similar strength in other styles.

There you have it. AKK: a stronger qualityof Bitter Ale.

Ind Coope AKK

This has all been inspired by a label that I found. You can it there to the right. Ind Coope AKK Ale.

It's beer names like this that have left me doubting Martyn Cornell's explanation of AK standing for Ankel Koyt. If it did, then what does the extra K stand for in AKK? To me names like this confirm my explanation of AK. That the AK and the K both stand for something.

Though I'll be honest that the usual meaning of K - Keeping - on the face of it makes little sense for the type of Light Bitter that was called AK. It being one of the classic types of 19th-century Running Beers. Let me think a bit more about that one.

I've a few examples of AKK from old brewery price lists. Always alongside an AK. Interesting that. There are plenty of examples of AK without AKK, but not the other way around. I think that makes clear which came first: AK. AKK is usually one step up in price and strength from AK.

Sometimes, like at Fuller's, the strength slot one up from AK is filled by XK. Which works with my explanation of AK. A being an indication of strength, just like X. In the late 19th-century, X implies a gravity of about 1055º, A 1050º. K specifying that it's a Pale Ale rather than a Mild Ale.

Tables. I don't like to leave you without one or two. Some examples from price lists would seem appropriate.

First Ind Coope themselves:

Brewery	Place	year	beer	price per barrel (shillings)	price per gallon (pence)
Ind Coope & Co	Romford	1865	AKK	44	14.6667
Ind Coope & Co	Romford	1865	AK	46	15.3333
Source:
Exeter and Plymouth Gazette - Friday 03 November 1865, page 8

This one shows where AK and AKK fitted into a range of Pale Ales:

Brewery	Place	year	beer	price per barrel (shillings)	price per gallon (pence)
Rogers' Ales	Bristol	1900	AK Bitter Ale	36	12
Rogers' Ales	Bristol	1900	AKK Bitter Ale	42	14
Rogers' Ales	Bristol	1900	PA Pale Ale	48	16
Rogers' Ales	Bristol	1900	IPA India Pale Ale	54	18
Source:
Western Daily Press - Saturday 15 December 1900, page 3

And so does this one, except I've included the brewery's whole set of beers:

Brewery	Place	year	beer	price per barrel (shillings)	price per gallon (pence)
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	X Mild Ale	30	10d
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	XX Mild Ale	36	1s
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	XXXX Mild Ale	48	1s 4d
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	XXX Old Ale	48	1s 4d
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	IPA India Pale Ale	54	1s 6d
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	AK Light Dinner Ale	36	1s
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	AKK Bitter Ale	42	1s 2d
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	AB Pale Ale	48	1s 4d
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	A1 Strong Ale	54	1s 6d
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1909	XXX Extra Stout	48	1s 4d

You may have spotted something odd. And illogical. Ind Coope's AKK was weaker than its AK. Don't ask me why. It makes absolutely no sense. The more letters, the stronger the beer is the usual rule.

Fuller's Pale Ales 1887 - 1910

Pale Ales. I've been meaning to write more about them. Mostly because I'm trying to fill up a book. Today we're looking at the ones from Fullers.

Alphabet soup. That's what Fuller's Pale Ales remind me of. But with mostly only A's, K's and X's.

Fuller's Pale Ales 1887 - 1910
Date	Year	Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	Pitch temp	pale malt	black malt	no. 2 sugar	no. 3 sugar	caramel	other sugar	flaked maize	primings
21st Apr	1887	AK	Pale Ale	1049.6	1014.1	4.69	71.51%	7.61	1.66	1.5	1.75	58º	79.81%					20.19%
8th Aug	1887	AK	Pale Ale	1053.5	1014.7	5.13	72.54%	11.58	2.66	1.5	1.75	57º	85.29%					14.71%
13th Apr	1887	IPA	IPA	1059.6	1018.0	5.50	69.77%	12.38	3.28	1.5	1.75	57º	80.06%					19.94%
27th Apr	1887	IPA	IPA	1060.9	1016.6	5.86	72.73%	12.38	3.45	1.5	1.75	56.5º	80.06%					19.94%
8th Aug	1887	XK	Pale Ale	1057.1	1016.1	5.42	71.84%	11.58	2.84	1.5	1.75	56.5º	85.29%					14.71%
4th May	1887	XKK	Pale Ale	1055.1	1015.2	5.28	72.36%	12.36	3.12	1.5	1.75	56º	79.35%					20.65%
20th Mar	1888	AK	Pale Ale	1050.4	1015.2	4.65	69.78%	10.47	2.26	1.5	1.75	58º	79.81%					20.19%
10th Mar	1888	AKK	Pale Ale	1049.9	1014.7	4.65	70.56%	11.40	2.53	1.5	1.75	57º	79.14%					20.86%
7th Jan	1888	XKK	Pale Ale	1059.6	1018.0	5.50	69.77%	12.35	2.92	1.5	1.75	56º	79.25%					20.75%
3rd Aug	1897	AK	Pale Ale	1049.9	1012.5	4.95	75.00%	9.47	2.85	1.5	1.75	58º	77.96%					22.04%
5th May	1897	AKK	Pale Ale	1050.4	1012.5	5.02	75.27%	13.43	2.80	1.5	1.75	57º	82.13%					17.87%
24th Jul	1897	IPA	IPA	1056.0	1016.6	5.20	70.30%	13.39	3.34	1.5	1.75	57º	81.91%					18.09%
5th May	1897	IPA	IPA	1057.6	1015.2	5.61	73.56%	13.43	3.20	1.5	1.75	56º	82.13%					17.87%
3rd Aug	1897	KA	Pale Ale	1036.6				9.47	2.09	1.5	1.75	59º	77.96%					22.04%
24th Jul	1897	XK	Pale Ale	1054.8	1015.5	5.20	71.72%	13.39	3.27	1.5	1.75	57º	81.91%					18.09%
5th May	1897	XK	Pale Ale	1055.4	1013.9	5.50	75.00%	13.43	3.07	1.5	1.75	56.5º	82.13%					17.87%
31st May	1898	AK	Pale Ale	1049.9	1014.4	4.69	71.11%	9.43	2.03	1.5	1.75	58.5º	78.72%	0.89%				20.39%
26th May	1898	AK	Pale Ale	1049.6	1011.6	5.02	76.54%	9.48	2.06	1.5	1.75	59º	78.15%					21.85%
28th Mar	1898	AK	Pale Ale	1047.6	1012.7	4.62	73.26%	8.56	1.85	1.5	1.75	56.5º	79.52%					20.48%
14th May	1898	IPA	IPA	1056.5	1016.9	5.24	70.10%	13.39	3.27	1.5	1.75	58.5º	81.91%					18.09%
23rd Apr	1898	IPA	IPA	1057.6	1016.1	5.50	72.12%	13.39	3.40	1.5	1.75	57.5º	81.91%					18.09%
8th Feb	1898	IPA	IPA	1057.6	1016.1	5.50	72.12%	12.43	3.07	1.5	1.75	58.5º	81.91%					18.09%
11th Apr	1898	IPA Stock	IPA	1057.9	1017.7	5.31	69.38%	13.39	3.48	1.5	1.75	57.5º	81.91%					18.09%
21st May	1898	KA	Pale Ale	1044.0	1009.7	4.54	77.99%	6.65	1.30	1.5	1.75	59º	79.25%			16.09%		4.66%
4th May	1898	KA	Pale Ale	1042.9	1008.9	4.51	79.35%	6.53	1.24	1.5	1.75	59º	78.21%			15.88%		4.60%		1.30%
14th May	1898	XK	Pale Ale	1054.8	1023.8	4.10	56.57%	13.39	3.17	1.5	1.75	57.5º	81.91%					18.09%
23rd Apr	1898	XK	Pale Ale	1054.8	1016.6	5.06	69.70%	13.39	3.24	1.5	1.75	58º	81.91%					18.09%
8th Feb	1898	XK	Pale Ale	1054.6	1017.7	4.87	67.51%	12.43	2.90	1.5	1.75	59º	81.91%					18.09%
20th Oct	1902	AK	Pale Ale	1046.3	1010.5	4.73	77.25%	8.43	1.68	2	2	58.5º	75.76%				0.15%	20.67%	2.55%	0.86%
29th Aug	1902	IPA	IPA	1054.0	1011.4	5.64	78.97%	10.44	2.36	2	2.00	59º	82.53%				0.15%	16.70%	0.00%	0.61%
26th Nov	1902	IPA	IPA	1054.0	1010.2	5.79	81.03%	10.28	2.41	2	2	59.5º	81.90%				0.15%	16.26%	0.00%	1.69%
28th Nov	1902	XK for Xmas	Pale Ale	1054.0	1010.0	5.83	81.54%	10.16	2.41	2	2	58.5º	80.59%				0.30%	16.78%	0.00%	2.33%
14th Mar	1910	AK	Pale Ale	1045.0	1008.9	4.78	80.31%	6.90	1.43	1.75	2	60º	75.51%		5.59%		0.18%	7.46%	5.59%	5.66%
18th Mar	1910	AK	Pale Ale	1044.9	1008.3	4.84	81.48%	7.29	1.43	1.75	2	60º	79.15%		5.15%		0.20%	7.72%	5.79%	1.99%
11th Mar	1910	PA	Pale Ale	1054.2	1012.2	5.55	77.49%	8.92	2.15	1.75	2	59.5º	78.05%		8.55%		0.15%	5.70%	3.21%	4.33%
7th Apr	1910	PA	Pale Ale	1054.0	1011.1	5.68	79.49%	8.92	2.15	1.75	2	59.5º	78.05%		8.55%		0.15%	5.70%	3.21%	4.33%
Source: Fuller's brewing records.

Let's look at 1887 first. Fuller's were brewing 5 Pale Ales:

AKK    1049.9    2.53 lbs hops per barrel
AK    1050.4    2.80
XK    1057.1    2.84
XKK    1059.6    2.92
IPA    1060.9    3.45

Except that the IPA was a bit more heavily hopped than the others, there's no real difference between them. There are only 11 gravity points between the strongest and the weakest. You know what it reminds me of? A modern British brewery's range of beers, with several Bitters of only slightly differeing gravities. Only they would be about 15 points weaker.

Ten years later, and there have been a few changes. XKK is gone and there;'s a new, low-gravity beer, KA:

KA    1036.6    2.09 lbs hops per barrel
AK    1049.9    2.85
AKK    1050.4    2.80
XK    1054.8    3.27
IPA    1057.6    3.20

The XK and IPA have lost a couple of gravity points, but otherwise there's been little change.

Into the new century and the range has been slimmed down. Only three Pale Ales remain:

AK    1046.3    1.68 lbs hops per barrel
IPA    1054    2.36
XK    1054     2.41

Both the AK and IPA have dropped in gravity and the hopping rates for all the beers have decreased.

By 1910, only two Pale Ales remain:

AK    1045    1.43 lbs hops per barrel
PA    1054    2.15

The gravities are much the same as in 1902, but the hopping rates have fallen again. Oh, and see how IPA has suddenly been rebadged PA. Though it looks like the same beer to me.

The grists are, well, pretty dull. Just pale malt and various sugars until the appearance of flaked maize after 1900. The sugar content was pretty stable at around 20% of the grist. That's about average for beers of the period. Pale Ales often had the highest sugar content, presumably to keep them relatively dry.

Notice how crystal malt, so typical of modern British Bitters, is totally absent. Before WW I, crystal malt was rarely used in anything other than Mild Ales.

When I've had time to transcribe some more of Fuller's logs, I'll continue through WW I and beyond.