Let's Brew - 1894 Cannon KKK

Strongest of Cannon’s range was KKK. Not that it’s all that strong by 19th-century standards.

My guess is that this was considered an Old Ale or Stock Ale. Not 100% sure about that. Though their parent company, Tomson & Wooton, called their KKK a Stock Ale.

No surprises in the recipe. Which has just a single type of malt, described as “Scotch”. Interesting, given how far Kent, where the brewery was located, is from Scotland.

A single type of hops, too. East Kent from the 1893 harvest. Pretty fresh, given that this beer was brewed in January. The hopping rate is a little lower than in XXX. Which isn’t what I would have expected. Though the dry-hopping is heavier.

As I believe this was a Stock Ale, it’s logical that it would have been aged. Probably for at least twelve months. 

1894 Cannon KKK
pale malt	14.50 lb	100.00%
Goldings 90 min	2.00 oz
Goldings 30 min	2.00 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.50 oz
OG	1062
FG	1015.5
ABV	6.15
Apparent attenuation	75.00%
IBU	46
SRM	5
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	163º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	59º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

 

Let's Brew - 1893 Cannon KK

Playing Best Bitter to AK’s Ordinary Bitter was KK. Which is quite confusing. As, in London, KK meant a Stock or Burton Ale.

It has a pretty decent gravity. Not quite a full-strength Pale Ale though. It’s a few degrees light for that. But also highly-attenuated, leaving it 6.5% ABV.

It’s another very simple recipe. With only a single type of malt. Hard to spin many words out of that. Dum-dee-dum. Let’s move on.

A whole two types of hops, both Worcester. From the 1892 and 1893 harvests.

My guess is that it was a semi-stock beer. Aged for maybe three months. 

1893 Cannon KK
pale malt	13.50 lb	100.00%
Goldings 90 min	2.25 oz
Goldings 30 min	2.25 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.25 oz
OG	1058
FG	1009
ABV	6.48
Apparent attenuation	84.48%
IBU	58
SRM	5
Mash at	151º F
Sparge at	164º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

 

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1893 Cannon Table

Most of Cannon’s beers were brewed single-gyle. Though, occasionally, X was parti-gyled with Table.

The batches were pretty small. Around a dozen barrels, compared to 50 barrels for other beers. And it wasn’t brewed as often, either. Clearly the market for it was quite small. I’m guessing mostly – or totally – consumed at home. I don’t think pubs would usually sell a beer this weak in the 19th century.

It has the same achingly simple recipe as X. Just one type of base malt. Along with two types of hops, Californian and East Kent, both from the 1891 season.

Given its low gravity, this would have been drunk within a few days of racking.

1893 Cannon Table
pale malt	5.75 lb	100.00%
Cluster 90 min	0.625 oz
Goldings 30 min	0.625 oz
OG	1025
FG	1007
ABV	2.38
Apparent attenuation	72.00%
IBU	23
SRM	3
Mash at	153º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	62º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

 

Let's Brew - 1893 Cannon AK 10d

I have so many AK recipes now. It’s so wonderful. 

This is a pretty typical example: light, in both senses of the word. A pretty high degree of attenuation must have left it pretty dry. As well as a relatively high, for the OG, alcohol content.

I am struggling to see how this differs from X in any significant way. Slightly lower OG, slightly higher hopping rate. Hardly enough for them to be in different styles.

Excitement on the recipe front. There are two whole malts. One unnamed, the other called “Queen St.”. That being the address of the brewery, I assume that they malted it themselves.

Two types of hops, both Worcester, one from 1892 and one from 1893.

No ageing. 

1893 Cannon AK 10d
pale malt	10.50 lb	100.00%
Goldings 90 min	1.33 oz
Goldings 30 min	1.33 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.25 oz
OG	1045
FG	1007
ABV	5.03
Apparent attenuation	84.44%
IBU	34
SRM	4
Mash at	153º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

 

Let's Brew - 1894 Cannon KKK

Strongest of Cannon’s range was KKK. Not that it’s all that strong by 19th-century standards.

My guess is that this was considered an Old Ale or Stock Ale. Not 100% sure about that. Though their parent company, Tomson & Wooton, called their KKK a Stock Ale.

No surprises in the recipe. Which has just a single type of malt, described as “Scotch”. Interesting, given how far Kent, where the brewery was located, is from Scotland.

A single type of hops, too. East Kent from the 1893 harvest. Pretty fresh, given that this beer was brewed in January. The hopping rate is a little lower than in XXX. Which isn’t what I would have expected. Though the dry-hopping is heavier.

As I believe this was a Stock Ale, it’s logical that it would have been aged. Probably for at least twelve months.
 

1894 Cannon KKK
pale malt	14.50 lb	100.00%
Goldings 90 min	2.00 oz
Goldings 30 min	2.00 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.50 oz
OG	1062
FG	1015.5
ABV	6.15
Apparent attenuation	75.00%
IBU	46
SRM	5
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	163º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	59º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

 

 

Let's Brew - 1893 Cannon X

Like some other brewers in Kent, Cannon only brewed one Mild Ale. In this case, with the logical designation X.

This beer is a great demonstration of how much the timing of Mild becoming darker varied. At the nearby W.E. & J. Rigden brewery Mild was already semi-dark in 1884. Here, Mild is still pale a decade later.

There really is nothing to the grist. Well, as near to nothing as you can get. A single type of pale malt. Leaving a pretty pale colour.

The rate of attenuation isn’t great. It must have had a fairly full body with that finishing gravity of 1016º. Which I assume was deliberate. As it was pretty much exactly the same for every batch of X.

Equal amounts of two types of hops, Californian and East Kent, both from the 1891 harvest.

To complicate matters, six barrels of KK were mixed with the 50 barrels of X at racking time. 

1893 Cannon X
pale malt	11.50 lb	100.00%
Cluster 90 min	1.25 oz
Goldings 30 min	1.25 oz
OG	1050
FG	1016
ABV	4.50
Apparent attenuation	68.00%
IBU	38
SRM	4.5
Mash at	153º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

 

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1893 Cannon XXX

The Cannon brewery of Maidstone, in case you're wondering. One of the breweries whose records I snapped on my recent trip to, er, Maidstone. 

 Unlike many other rivals in Kent, Cannon brewed multiple Milds. Though they slipped XX and jumped straight to XXX.

The difference in gravity – 11º - probably justifies that jump. While a decent level of attenuation leaves it well over 6% ABV. Mild, indeed.

Quite a boring grist as it’s all malt. Just base malt. Though there were two types. Described as “Queen St,” and “Cannon:”, presumably referring to the maltster.

Only a single type of hops: East Kent from the 1892 harvest. Reasonably fresh and relatively expensive. Of a notably higher quality than those in X.

Would have been drunk within a few weeks of racking. I think. Unless this was an Old Ale. It is quite heavily hopped.

1893 Cannon XXX
pale malt	14.25 lb	100.00%
Goldings 90 min	2.25 oz
Goldings 30 min	2.25 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.25 oz
OG	1061
FG	1014
ABV	6.22
Apparent attenuation	77.05%
IBU	52
SRM	5
Mash at	152º F
Sparge at	162º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale