AK sugars 1925 - 1939

The story is much more complicated when it comes to sugars. Between, the four brewers featured used six different types.

Only No. 2 invert was used by more than one brewery: Greene King and Fullers. Whitbread instead opted for No. 1 invert, and in large quantities. Making up no less than 16% of the total fermentables

With three different sugars, Fullers used the most types. In addition to the No. 2 invert there was also a little glucose. Not that common an ingredient in UK brewing, but one which Fullers seemed attached to. Intense is some type of caramel used for colour correction. Despite the many types, sugar made up less than 4% of the grist. Considerably less than at Whitbread and Greene king.

I’ve no real idea what Fiona was. Possibly a type of proprietary malt extract. 

AK sugars 1925 - 1939
Year	Brewer	Beer	malt extract	no. 1 sugar	no. 2 sugar	glucose	intense	Fiona	total sugar
1925	Fullers	AK			1.67%	1.67%	0.22%		3.56%
1930	Whitbread	AK		16.33%					16.33%
1931	Fullers	AK			2.18%	1.09%	0.20%		3.47%
1935	Fullers	AK			2.42%	1.21%	0.13%		3.76%
1937	Fullers	AK			2.11%	1.06%	0.10%		3.27%
1937	Greene King	AK			9.88%			2.47%	12.35%
1937	Shepherd Neame	AK	0.66%						0.66%
1939	Fullers	AK			2.46%	1.23%	0.18%		3.88%
	Average		0.08%	2.04%	2.59%	0.78%	0.10%	0.31%	5.91%
Sources:
Fullers brewing records held at the brewery.
Greene King brewing record held at the brewery, document number AC93/1/12 .
Shepherd Neame brewing record held at the brewery.
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/01/096.

Only the hops to go now.

AK grists 1925 - 1939

And the AK series continues. This time into the interwar period. A time when AKs were becoming thinner on the ground. Or hiding away under the label of Light Ale.

It wasn't just the gravities and hopping rates which were pretty similar. There was also a fair degree of similarity in the recipes. All the examples are over 75% base malt. In the case of Whitbread, split into pale malt and PA (Pale Ale) malt. The latter being a top-quality pale malt. 

Shepherd Neame's AK, like their other Pale Ales, was 100% base malt. Well, other than a tiny quantity of malt extract.

Crystal malt only appears in The Whitbread and Greene King versions. As I keep reminding you, crystal malt only became generally used in Pale Ales after WW II.

The sole other ingredient is flaked maize, which appeared in both Fullers and Greene King AK. My guess is that it would turn up in pretty much any other brewer's AK. Shepherd Neame and Whitbread being in the small minority of brewers who employed no adjuncts in their beers.

AK grists 1925 - 1939
Year	Brewer	Beer	pale malt	PA malt	crystal malt	flaked maize
1925	Fullers	AK	82.04%			14.40%
1930	Whitbread	AK	36.73%	39.80%	7.14%
1931	Fullers	AK	81.80%			14.72%
1935	Fullers	AK	81.71%			14.53%
1937	Fullers	AK	81.67%			15.06%
1937	Greene King	AK	77.78%		2.47%	7.41%
1937	Shepherd Neame	AK	99.34%
1939	Fullers	AK	81.33%			14.79%
	Average		77.80%	4.97%	1.20%	10.11%
Sources:
Fullers brewing records held at the brewery.
Greene King brewing record held at the brewery, document number AC93/1/12 .
Shepherd Neame brewing record held at the brewery.
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/01/096.