Indian Pale Ale

Ever wondered what old-time American IPA was like? Go on. You must have. Your wish has been granted. Sort of.

In Bill Schwarz's papers there were a couple of other recipes. Most notably, one for something called Indian Pale Ale. There's no indication of a date or even of the brewery. My guess is that it's from around the same period as the dated items. So 1940's.

Take a look:

Nice detailed mashing instructions. But unfortunately there's one piece of information missing: the hopping.

The gravity is given: 17 Balling. Which is around 1068º. Quite a bit stronger than the Lager. Could explain why Americans think IPA is a strong beer.

Fidelio 1941 Lager

Try telling me this isn't a real brew. It's for over 300 barrels and has an actual date on it. And it's definitely from the brewery for many years called Fidelio. (I won't bore you with it's many name changes after 1940.) Because I've also got a copy of Bill Schwarz's personnel record. He was one of their brewers.

I published the other sheet first, because, well, I was saving this one. If you're good I may post the IPA recipe, too.

This is from a very interesting period: June 1941. Just a few months before the USA joined WW II. So I would guess it gives a fair indication of what post-Prohibition brewing was like.

The mash is very similar to the smaller brew. Though the ingredients are quite different. The hopping rate of this beer is pretty low at just half a pound per US barrel. Not much at all for a beer with an OG of 1050.

Let's take a look.

I wonder if any of you will try brewing this? Not quite as a 19th century Porter. But just as much a piece of brewing history.