Medway Brewery beers

Here, as promised, the first results from the Medway Brewery log.

Medway Brewery beers
Date	Year	Beer	Style	OG	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	barrels	lbs hops	qtrs malt	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	Pitch temp	pale malt	brown malt	black malt	crystal malt	no. 2 sugar	total
2nd Jun	1869	XX	Mild	1066.8	9.00	2.63	48	126	14	1.5	1.5	60º	100.00%					100.00%
7th Jun	1869	X	Mild	1049.9	7.88	1.70	74	126	16	1.5	1.5	60º	96.88%			3.13%		100.00%
11th Jun	1869	Porter	Porter	1054.3	10.42	2.66	60	224	21.5	1.5	1.5	60º	79.37%	15.00%	5.63%			100.00%
11th Jun	1869	Stout	Stout	1073.4	10.42	3.59	18	224	21.5	1.5	1.5	60º	79.37%	15.00%	5.63%			100.00%
12th Jun	1869	X	Mild	1050.7	8.00	1.78	72	128	16	1.5	1.5	60º	96.88%			3.13%		100.00%
14th Jun	1869	X	Mild	1050.7	8.00	1.85	78	144	18	1.5	1.5	61º	97.22%			2.78%		100.00%
15th Jun	1869	Porter	Porter	1051.5	10.29	2.61	69	180	17.5	1.5	1.5	60º	79.26%	13.83%	6.91%	0.00%		100.00%
17th Jun	1869	X	Mild	1050.1	8.00	1.80	71	128	16	1.5	1.5	60º	96.88%			3.13%		100.00%
18th Jun	1869	X	Mild	1051.5	8.00	1.75	73	128	16	1.5	1.5	60º	96.88%			3.13%		100.00%
29th Jul	1869	B Beer	Pale Ale	1049.6	18.94	3.83	72	276	14.57	1.5	1.5	60º	82.21%				17.79%	100.00%
28th Aug	1869	BA	Pale Ale	1065.8	16.47	4.62	52	240	14.57	1.5	1.5	60º	82.21%				17.79%	100.00%
20th Oct	1870	TA	Table Beer	1034.3	13.00	1.77	21.5	195	15	1.5	1.5	62º	100.00%					100.00%
20th Oct	1870	TB	Table Beer	1045.4	13.00	2.34	67	195	15	1.5	1.5	62º	100.00%					100.00%
28th Oct	1870	IPA	IPA	1066.5	16.00	4.71	68	320	20	1.5	1.5	º	100.00%					100.00%
Source:
Medway Brewery Brewing Journal

There's nothing particularly odd there. The gravities are about what I would have expected. Though it did strike me that only a couple of the Pale Ales included sugar. This isn't so unusual for the period. Initially, sugar seems to have been mostly used to lighten the body (and colour, too, I suppose) of Pale Ales. It's not until a couple of decades later that it started turning up in Porter and Mild Ale.

Feel free to add some analysis of your own. Me, I've got other things to be getting on with.

More random Dutch advert fun

Look, I'm a deeply lazy person. Let's be realistic. You can't expect me to pen an erudite essay every day of the year. So it's back to that reliable standby, 19th-century Dutch beer adverts. Courtesy of Historische Kranten.

Algemeen Handelsblad 02-09-1839

Note that they are using the technically more accurate term. Brown Stout, rather than just Stout. I hope you can still remember my explanation of Brown Stout and Pale Stout from a few days ago. Because I'm not going to repeat them now.

I was a little surprised that it's all bottled beer. 1839 seems quite early for that. A few decades later and bottled Porter had pretty much disappeared. It became an exclusively draught beer with only Stout being bottled.

Journal de La Haye 15-02-1834

You've probably already spotted what's odd about this ad: it's in French. As was the rest of the newspaper. Not sure why. ("Huguenots, dad".) Maybe they thought French was posher. ("Huguenots, dad".) Or more international. ("Huguenots, dad".) Definitely not Huguenots, Andrew.

Apart from the interesting spelling of Scotch, it was the mention of Burton that attracted me. I wonder which Burton they mean? If it were the Pale Ale, I'd expect, well, Pale Ale after the Burton. From that and the comparatively early date, I'd put my money on it being Burton Ale. You know, the stuff that eventually evolved into Bass No. 1.

That was fairly painless. Now on with my day.

Hoare

We're back at the number mine today. Looking at the slag heap. Yes, it's part one of an occasional series on the disappeared breweries of London. We're kicking off with the rather unfortunately-named Hoare.

As Parsons-Goodwyn-Hoare, they'd been one of the early London Porter breweries. Though they never quite hit the big time, being more Stoke City than Manchester United. Between 1780 and 1830 their output was fairly constant at 60,000 - 70,000, while the big boys such as Whitbread, Barclay Perkins and Truman soared over 100,000 barrels and, in some cases, over 200,000 barrels.

Despite falling prey to a takeover by Charrington in 1933, one reminder of Hoare lived on. Their trademark and their brand name. Charrington adopted the Toby name and used it right up until their disappearance. The name even survived the closure of Charrington's brewery on the Mile End Road and the implosion of Bass Charrington. It may still be in use. It lasted until the new millennium, in any case. I wonder what the secret of it longevity was?

Here are the numbers, all nicely polished and laid out on a crisp, starched tablecloth:

Hoare beers 1870 - 1939
Year	Beer	Style	Price	size	package	FG	OG	Acidity	ABV	attenuation
1870	Porter	Porter				1012.99	1052.4	0.18	5.13	75.22%
1921	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	draught	1023.2	1054		3.97	57.04%
1922	KK	Strong Ale	9d	pint	draught	1018.6	1056.3		4.88	66.96%
1922	PA	Pale Ale	8d	pint	draught	1013.8	1047.3		4.34	70.82%
1922	Porter	Porter	6d	pint	draught	1011	1037.3		3.41	70.51%
1922	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	draught	1020.8	1056.8		4.65	63.38%
1922	X	Mild	6d	pint	draught	1008.8	1034.3		3.31	74.34%
1923	KK	Strong Ale	9d	pint	draught	1015	1055.5		5.26	72.97%
1923	PA	Pale Ale	7d	pint	draught	1012.2	1046.7		4.48	73.88%
1923	Porter	Porter	6d	pint	draught	1009.8	1034.5		3.20	71.59%
1923	Stout	Stout	9d	pint	draught	1020.4	1055.4		4.52	63.18%
1923	X	Mild	6d	pint	draught	1011.8	1034.3		2.91	65.60%
1925	PA	Pale Ale	7d	pint	draught	1010.6	1047.1		4.75	77.49%
1925	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	draught	1013.2	1052.7		5.13	74.95%
1925	Toby Ale	Pale Ale	5.5d	half pint	bottled	1011.5	1046.1		4.49	75.05%
1926	PA	Pale Ale	7d	pint	draught		1044.5
1926	Strong Ale	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught		1052.2
1927	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	half pint	bottled		1050.6
1927	Strong Ale	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught		1054.2
1928	KK	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught	1011.5	1052.1		5.28	77.93%
1928	PA	Pale Ale	7d	pint	draught	1009.9	1045.5		4.63	78.24%
1928	Porter	Porter	5d	pint	draught	1013.4	1037.9		3.17	64.64%
1928	Stout	Stout	7d	pint	draught	1012.57	1053		5.26	76.30%
1928	Strong Ale	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught		1053.2
1928	X	Mild	6d	pint	draught	1012.2	1043.3		4.03	71.82%
1929	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled	1012.8	1046		4.31	72.17%
1929	KK	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught	1017.5	1055.3	0.07	4.90	68.35%
1929	LA	Mild	5d	pint	draught	1007.5	1034.1	0.05	3.45	78.01%
1929	PA	Pale Ale	8d	pint	bottled	1013.8	1047		4.30	70.64%
1929	Porter	Porter	5d	pint	draught	1009.2	1038.3	0.06	3.78	75.98%
1929	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	draught	1018	1056.2	0.09	4.95	67.97%
1929	X	Mild	6d	pint	draught	1011	1044.7	0.08	4.38	75.39%
1930	Golden Dinner Ale	Pale Ale	7d	pint	bottled	1010.6	1035		3.16	69.71%
1930	KK	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught	1016.5	1055		4.99	70.00%
1930	Nut Brown Ale	Brown Ale	7d	pint	bottled	1011.2	1036		3.21	68.89%
1930	PA	Pale Ale	7d	pint	draught	1007.6	1047		5.14	83.83%
1930	Porter	Porter	5d	pint	draught	1010.2	1037		3.47	72.43%
1930	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	draught	1022.6	1055		4.18	58.91%
1930	Strong Ale	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught		1053.2
1930	Toby Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled	1013.6	1042		3.67	67.62%
1930	X	Mild	6d	pint	draught	1014.4	1046		4.09	68.70%
1931	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	draught	1007.9	1037.6	0.07	3.86	78.99%
1931	KK	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught	1015.9	1052.3	0.06	4.72	69.60%
1931	Nut Brown Ale	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled	1010.4	1030		2.53	65.33%
1931	Oatmeal Stout	Stout		pint	bottled		1036
1931	PA	Pale Ale	7d	pint	draught	1010.4	1046.5	0.08	4.69	77.63%
1931	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	draught	1012.6	1054.2	0.14	5.41	76.75%
1931	Strong Ale	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught		1052.4
1931	Toby Ale	Pale Ale	9d	pint	bottled	1010.8	1040.7		3.88	73.46%
1931	Toby Brown Ale	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled	1009.8	1034.9		3.25	71.92%
1931	Toby Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	1016	1044.4		3.67	63.96%
1931	X	Mild	6d	pint	draught	1013	1045.1	0.06	4.16	71.18%
1931	XXX	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught	1010	1045	0.07	4.55	77.78%
1932	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	9d	pint	bottled	1010.8	1034	0.05	3.00	68.24%
1932	PA	Pale Ale	8d	pint	draught	1010.2	1044	0.06	4.39	76.82%
1932	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	draught		1042.4
1932	Strong Ale	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught		1047.6
1932	Toby Ale	Pale Ale	9d	pint	bottled	1013.6	1043	0.05	3.81	68.37%
1932	X	Mild	6d	pint	draught	1008.9	1038	0.07	3.78	76.58%
1933	Family Stout	Stout		pint	bottled	1014.9	1047.7	0.06	4.25	68.76%
1933	Golden Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled	1007.2	1030	0.05	2.96	76.00%
1933	Imperial Ale	Strong Ale	9d	half pint	bottled	1015.5	1077.9	0.10	8.18	80.10%
1933	Nut Brown Ale	Brown Ale	8d	pint	bottled	1009.4	1032	0.05	2.93	70.63%
1933	Oatmeal Stout	Stout	9d	pint	bottled	1015	1032	0.05	2.19	53.13%
1933	PA	Pale Ale	7d	pint	draught	1007.8	1043	0.07	4.58	81.86%
1933	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	draught	1013.8	1042.2	0.11	3.67	67.30%
1933	Strong Ale	Strong Ale	8d	pint	draught		1049.4
1933	X	Mild	5d	pint	draught		1035.2
1933	XXX	Strong Ale	7d	pint	draught	1011.7	1046	0.08	4.45	74.57%
1934	PA	Pale Ale	7d	pint	draught		1045.3
1934	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	bottled		1044.6
1934	X	Mild	5d	pint	draught	1010.5	1037	0.07	3.43	71.62%
1939	X	Mild	6d	pint	draught		1036.8
Sources: Whitbread Gravity Book Truman Gravity Book A dictionary of chemistry and the allied branches of other sciences, Volume 6 by Henry Watts, 1872, page 256

It's a pretty typical set of beers for a London brewery. Draught Mild, Porter, Stout, Bitter and Burton. Even one of those new-fangled bottled Brown Ales.

A thought's just crossed my mind. I wonder what they had on the outside of their pubs? Hoare in big letters could give someone with a poor grasp of spelling the wrong idea.