Saint Mars of the Desert interview (video)

I chat with Dann and Martha about brewing in the USA and Yorkshire. And pissing on your own chips.

Sheffield! (part two)

Our next destination is over the river. And up a dirty great hill. Luckily only halfway up it. The Forest, an unlikely brewpub.

The cask Mild is very tempting, but instead I opt for the Stout. An even rare style to find in cask form. It’s nice and roasty. As a Stout should be.

Dann and I discuss a new beer project. He fancies a WW II beer, but is worried that means something watery.

I reassure him: “There were still some pretty strong beers in the early war years. Then there’s the session Russian Stout.”

“That sounds interesting.”

Dann gets talking to the brewer at the bar. And they both come over to our table. The brewer seems a nice bloke.

I’m relieved that we won’t need to climb any further up the hill. As we’re headed back down it to the Gardeners Rest. It’s another pub with an impressive pork pie offering. In which we, naturally, indulge.

We sit in the garden at the rear, perched above the River Don. A much more pleasant prospect than it would have been a couple of decades ago. “It used to be orange.” One of Dann’s friends remarks.

A bit more climbing is involved getting to the next pub, the Crow. A slightly cavernous and rather spartan space. I’m starting to tire. What do I mean, starting? My knackerdness began a good few pubs back. I blame the hills.

“The posts about your travel with the kids are hilarious.” Dann says. “But I’m sure 95% of it isn’t true.”

“It’s the other way around. 95% is true.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Just the odd ‘improvement’ here and there.”

We exit the Crow about 25 minutes before our train is due to leave, Martha leading the way. Google Maps says it’s a 17-minute walk. We should have plenty of time. But does that take into account the gradients? Sheffield is very hilly.

It starts off downhill. Not for long, mind. Soon we’re toiling up a hill and I start lagging behind. Before we get to the final downhill run to the station, we’ve been over a few hills. I’m knacked. Being built for an Amsterdam-level of hilliness.

We’re getting the Transpennine Express. So, inevitably, it’s late. We’ve enough time to nip into a shop for provisions. A cheese and onion sarnie for me. Lager and cider for the kids.

The train finally rolls up.

A rather drunk young woman almost falls out. Followed by another. We move to step in, but another merry girl appears. We attempt entering a few times, with another tottering lass appearing each time. How many of them are there?

It’s just a short dash to Doncaster. But, as we’re in a crappy DMU, it’s not a particularly quick dash. We arrive in Doncaster, just in time to miss our connecting train. How often did that happen to me in the past?

“This is absolutely typical. I was always having to hang around in Doncaster station.”

“Are you about to tell us one of your boring stories about the oldie times?” Alexei interrupts. “Because we don’t want to hear it.”

“When I was studying . . .”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said? Read you magazine and shut up.”

OK, you miserable git. I’ll tell my readers instead.

When I was studying in Leeds, there were no direct trains from Newark. Despite trains between London to Leeds passing through Newark. To get back to Newark, I needed to get a crappy little DMU to Doncaster, where I changed to a mainline service.

All very good. But the train from Leeds was scheduled to arrive five minutes after the departure of an express to Newark. With an 80-minute wait until the next connection. Sometimes the connection was delayed and I could catch it. But not always.

The buffet in the station was crap. So, I’d wander into town, where a fairly decent Tetley’s pub awaited me. A couple of pints there, and then back to the station.

Not much of a story, I know. But it did include me drinking some Tetley’s Mild.

The train we’re getting is the last we can get. Best make sure we get on it.

I’m feeling quite sleepy by the time it screeches to a halt.

A confused young man without luggage stumbles off the train and asks:

“Is this Doncaster?”

“Yes.” Alexei replies, before we get on. He wanders off, legs stuttering. I guess that was the answer he wanted.

When we’re seated, Alexei says: “We should have told him it was Grantham.”

“That’s mean, Lexie.”

“It would have been funny, though, watching him panic.”

I was slightly concerned about what the taxi situation would be at Newark Northgate. Luckily there’s one there. But just the one. Lucky that we were first off the train.

Dave is still up. Though not for that long. The kids are still smashing their slab of cider when I trail upstairs to my bed.




The Forest
Rutland Street,
Sheffield S3 9PA.


Gardeners Rest
105 Neepsend Ln,
Neepsend,
Sheffield S3 8AT.
https://www.thegardenersrest.co.uk/


The Crow Inn
33 Scotland St,
Sheffield S3 7BS.
https://www.thecrowinn.co.uk/

Sheffield! (part one)

I wanted to get up to Sheffield. To see Dann and Martha. And Jules (of Hop Hideout). That the city has lots of great pubs is another attraction. But there’s a massive downside for me. One I’d forgotten.

It’s the same brekkie drill. Grill some bacon, cut some bread, assemble sandwich.

I like my tea strong. Dave makes it super-strong. The colour of dark chocolate. Even when loaded up with milk.

We’re taking the same train as on Friday. It’s on time, but even more packed. There’s an announcement that all the seats are reserved and that if you don’t have a reservation, you’ll have to stand.

Luckily, we have reservations. Of course, our seats are occupied. Who would leave seats empty on a train so packed?

We’re changing at Doncaster again. Not onto another fast train, as for Leeds. But a crummy DMU. It’s another pretty short ride.

Our train pulls in on platform 1. Conveniently, right next to the Sheffield Tap, where we’ve arranged to meet. We have to walk no more than a few feet.

We’re the first to arrive, so I get us some drinks. Jaipur for me. Girly Lager for the kids. Andrew will drink just about anything. Sometimes cask, sometimes cider, sometimes evil keg. He’s annoyingly cosmopolitan that way.

It’s not long until Dann arrives, followed by a couple of his friends. We agree that the next stop should be the Three Tuns.

While we’re climbing the hill into town, Alexei asks: “Can I get some food? I didn’t have breakfast.”

I spot a café-type place where he gets himself a bacon and egg sandwich. I get a chance to catch my breath while he’s inside. I’d forgotten how hilly Sheffield is. Far too hilly for my crappy lungs.

Over another couple of hills and we’re there. It’s a triangular building and we go and sit in its point. Not before getting pints, obviously.

After a while Jules (of Hop Hideout) turns up with her extremely cute daughter, Ivy. Followed by Martha and dog Grimbold.

It’s all very jolly. Other than the TV. Which is tuned to GBNews and is discussing the Lucy Letby case endlessly.

“All this baby-murdering stuff is a bit depressing. They could have selected a less miserable channel.” Someone says.

“Or a less fascist one.” Alexei adds.

With the gang all assembled we can move on. The consensus is Shakespeares. Which, fortunately, is downhill.

As we approach, I see that it has some grand Wards Fine Malt Ales windows. Cool. I can remember their beers. That’s how old I am. They had quite a nice Dark Mild. Though it was difficult to find in Sheffield itself.

As we’re huddling around the bar, Dann points out a unique feature: a dedicated pork pit fridge. With the temperature set to a perfect 13º C.

The multiroom layout has been preserved, which is cool. Though we don’t take advantage, as we sit in the garden. Which is fairly pleasant. As is the pork pie I’m munching on. The weather is atypically sunny and there’s a nice mix of sun and shade in the garden.

Ivy is remarkably quiet and well-behaved. Quite unlike mine were at her age.

Next on itinerary is the Kelham Island Tavern. I think I’ve been here before. Though I probably wouldn’t have recognised it, as the context has changed completely. The pub is now surrounded by modern flats. At least they left the pub intact. 

I can’t resist getting a pint of Acorn Barnsley Bitter. It was the first good cask bee I ever drank, in 1973 or so. This does remind me of it. Quite dark, dry and quite bitter. A lovely drink, really.

The vagaries of brewery takeovers left Newark with many pubs served by the Barnsley Brewery. This was the result of John Smith buying Warwick & Richardson, one of the Newark breweries. It was pretty well immediately closed and their beer replaced by Barnsley, another of John Smith’s purchases.

After Courage bought John Smith, Barnsley was gradually phased out and replaced by Courage-branded beers from the other Newark brewery, Holes. By 1974, the Wing Tavern was the last pub in town offering Barnsley Bitter.

We sit out the back in the garden again. It’s pretty busy considering it’s 15:30.

Our next destination is a pub I’ve definitely visited before. Albeit quite a while ago: the Fat Cat.

We sit outside again. Because of Ivy, I think. These crazy UK laws that make life difficult for parents. Particularly annoying for anyone whose kids are as well-behaved as Ivy. Or has lived on the continent.

“People keep asking us to rebrew the 1832 Mild Ale.” Martha says.

“The first brew was one of my favourite beers of all time. All those whole leaf Goldings were amazing.” I reply. “A shame they nearly broke the brewery.”




Sheffield Tap
Sheffield Station,
1b Sheaf St,
Sheffield City Centre.
https://sheffieldtap.com/


Three Tuns
39 Silver Street Head,
Sheffield City Centre,
Sheffield S1 2DD'


Shakespeares
146-148 Gibraltar St,
Sheffield S3 8UB.


Kelham Island Tavern
62 Russell St,
Sheffield S3 8RW.
http://www.kelhamtavern.co.uk/


The Fat Cat
23 Alma St,
Sheffield S3 8SA.
http://www.thefatcat.co.uk/

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1955 Tennant's No. 1

Tennant were an odd bunch. They didn’t content themselves with brewing one super-strength Barley Wine. No, they had to brew two.

This was their first, No. 1 Barley Wine. A classic dark interpretation of the style. Then, in the early 1950s, they came up with the idea of producing a pale Barley Wine. A beer which achieved fame and national distribution under the name Gold Label. For quite some years Tennant continued to brew the dark version.

There are a couple of odd features. Black and crystal are given in gallons, not quarters, for some reason. Though as they’re in the malt column, I’m pretty sure they aren’t some sort of sugar solution. Other than those, there’s only pale malt and a little flaked maize. Oh, other than a small quantity of enzymic malt which I’ve rolled into the pale malt.

For sugars there’s some No. 2 invert and malt extract. They loved malt extract in the 1950s. Still not really worked out why.

100% Kent Goldings, from the 1953 and 1954 harvests were employed as copper hops. Hallertau from 1954 made up the dry hops.

1955 Tennant's No. 1
pale malt	17.25 lb	77.53%
crystal malt 60 L	0.50 lb	2.25%
black malt	0.50 lb	2.25%
flaked maize	1.50 lb	6.74%
No. 2 invert sugar	2.50 lb	11.24%
Goldings 210 mins	4.00 oz
Goldings 40 mins	0.75 oz
Goldings 20 mins	0.75 oz
Hallertau dry hops	0.50 oz
OG	1101
FG	1027.5
ABV	9.72
Apparent attenuation	72.77%
IBU	61
SRM	25
Mash at	149º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	210 minutes
pitching temp	57º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

Permitted output again

I've been able to extract a little more information about permitted output just after WW II.

It comes from the annual report of Tennant Brothers of Sheffield. These reports are often quite whiney. Usually moaning about the high rate of taxation and government interference in their business.

In this case, they had a good reason to moan.

"The difficulties that have confronted us during the year have been immeasurably greater than any previous year, not excepting the war years. Our tenants and managers also have done their utmost to carry out wishes of the Justices, and have considered on every occasion the public interest.

There has been, in spite of climatic and economic conditions no relaxation in the demand for our products. The compulsory 15 per cent reduction in brewing materials was not completely offset by the fall of 10 per cent, in gravity brought about by Government order in August, 1946, and the combined effect was a considerable contraction in permitted output compared with the basic year. Brewings had to be further curtailed, due to the electricity cuts and coal shortage Unfortunately, the rationing of our customers had to be strictly enforced throughout the period. The effect of full employment and high wages coincident with a shortage of beer and spirits — particularly spirits — has made the position doubly difficult. Furthermore.

we have already been warned that there will be increases in the price of malt and coal and, in addition, costs of freight, carriage, rates and overheads generally, will tend to rise."
Nottingham Journal - Wednesday 15 October 1947, page 2.

The price of everything was going, the government had reduced the quantity of materials available for brewing and reduced gravities by 10%. Though at least excise duty wasn't increasing. That remained at 286s 5.5d per standard barrel from 1944 to 1948.

The immediate post-war years were difficult for everyone in the UK, not just brewers. Despite workers having money, there was often little for them to spend it on. There wasn't even enough beer to go around. Dark days indeed.

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1956 Tennant's Gold Label

It’s great to have recipes for some of the notable beers of the post-war period. Like Tennant’s Gold Label.

Gold Label is interesting for several reasons. It was the first pale Barley Wine, for a start. But one that became so popular, that for quite a while I thought colour was the main difference between Old Ale and Barley Wine. Old Ale dark, Barley Wine pale.

It was also aged in wood for around a year at this point. Which tells me that there was almost certainly some Brettanomyces character to the end product. That also probably knocked the FG down by a few points.

Finally, it’s much stronger than most beers brewed in the 1950s. There were only a handful of beers of a similar strength. Things like Barclay’s Russian Stout and Benskins Colne Spring Ale.

It’s not a particularly complicated recipe: pale malt, flaked maize and sugar. There’s quite a lot of the latter two, presumably in order to keep the colour pale. And it helps the rate of attenuation, which is pretty high for a beer of this strength.

The hopping is pretty heavy and there’s a long boil, which, in combination, leave the finished beer at over 70 calculated IBUs.

1956 Tennant's Gold Label
pale malt	14.75 lb	67.82%
enzymic malt	0.25 lb	1.15%
flaked maize	4.00 lb	18.39%
No. 1 invert sugar	2.75 lb	12.64%
Fuggles 230 mins	2.50 oz
Goldings 230 mins	0.75 oz
Goldings 60 mins	3.25 oz
Hallertau dry hops	0.67 oz
OG	1103.5
FG	1020
ABV	11.05
Apparent attenuation	80.68%
IBU	72
SRM	9
Mash at	147º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	230 minutes
pitching temp	56º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

Richdale's clubs

John Richdale was a small brewery in Sheffield which was gobbled up by Hammonds (the core of what would later become Bass Charrington) in the 1950's.

Richdale had an unusual tactic to deal with unprofitable pubs: turn them into clubs. Though this had its dangers.

"The history of Richdale's clubs arose out of an idea they had after the First World War of closing poor trading pubs, de-licensing them, and then letting them to groups of people wanting to start up a workingmen's club. It was a good solution so long as the brewery did not press any tie for the supply of beer, which could not be enforced under the law as it then stood. Whilst the original founders were in control of the club the understanding prevailed, namely, to buy all their needs from the brewery; they passed from the scene over the years. After the Second World War Richdale held on to their trade just as long as there was a shortage of beer. With the rise of a new generation of club committeemen not bound by the morality of personal undertakings, and being aware of their legal position, and with supplies becoming more plentiful, the clubs went off to their favourite breweries. Mr Morris felt this all to be bitterly unfair, especially when he had let the clubs have supplies in times of shortage. His approach to the problem was one of passionate and reproachful historical argument with committees; which got him nowhere, and which inflamed him the greater. As mentioned, Hammonds, believing him to be well in with Sheffield club trade, made him free trade sales manager for the area, which he took as a sign that he had been appointed to carry the gospel into the territory of the heathen, and if necessary, to suffer a glorious death and transfiguration. It was not what Hammonds had in mind at all; it was also not what Mr Morris really had in mind either, as he thought he was to be brewing director of a combined BOB and Richdale, as Canklow Brewery had been closed soon after the take-over. However, he put their mistake down to a fundamental misunderstanding of his abilities and prepared to face the enemy. It was into this boiling cauldron that I was dropped, in an attempt to persuade the citizens of Sheffield to drink Hammonds' beer."
"The Brewing Industry 1950 - 1990", by Anthony Avis, 1997, page 46.

BOB stands for Bentley's Old Brewery. Mr. Morris was the manager and head brewer of Richdale. Like many in the industry at the time, he seems to have been quite a character.

Owning clubs where it wasn't possible to enforce a beer tie, doesn't seem like a very clever situation. Especially as Richdale only owned a handful of pubs in addition to five clubs.

The relationship between breweries and clubs was sometimes complicated. On the one hand, they were some of the few truly free of tie outlets. On the other, they competed with a brewery's own pubs.

The rules on tying clubs must have changed because in the 1970's I'm sure that most clubs were tied.

Let's Brew - 1956 Tennant's No. 1

It wasn’t just the long list of ingredients in their grists that made Tennant unusual. They also brewed two Barley Wines over 1100º.

There were only a handful of beers of that strength in the UK at the time. Why did Tennant brew two? I’ve absolutely no idea. Though it looks as if Gold Label might have been a derivative of No. 1 Barley Wine. At one time both of them were called No. 1. My guess is that they decided to try a paler Barley Wine and it was a hit. This darker No. 1 was eventually dropped.

Unsurprisingly given the difference in colour, the grists of the two beers were quite different. The darker beer had No. 2 rather than No. 1 invert and contained two coloured malts, crystal and black.

The big difference in the hopping, is that the darker beer has three times the quantity of dry hops. Which is a sign to me that it,  too, just like Gold Label, was matured for a long period before sale. It also says on the label "Specially brewed and long matured". Sort of a hint.

1956 Tennant's No. 1
pale malt	16.75 lb	75.28%
crystal malt 60 L	0.50 lb	2.25%
black malt	0.50 lb	2.25%
enzymic malt	0.25 lb	1.12%
flaked maize	1.50 lb	6.74%
No. 2 invert sugar	2.75 lb	12.36%
Goldings 240 mins	3.00 oz
Goldings 120 mins	1.75 oz
Goldings 60 mins	1.75 oz
Hallertau dry hops	0.75 oz
OG	1101
FG	1023.5
ABV	10.25
Apparent attenuation	76.73%
IBU	78
SRM	25
Mash at	149º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	240 minutes
pitching temp	57º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1956 Tennant's Glucose Stout

Tennant is a very confusing brewery when it comes to ingredients. They seem to use some of them in the wrong beers.

Take Glucose Stout, for example. The name implies that it’s a Sweet Stout. An obvious candidate for a dose of lactose, you’d think. Hang on. I think I’m missing something here. I’ve just taken a look at the Whitbread Gravity Book entries for Glucose Stout. And every example has an OG of around 1040º and an FG of around 1019º. I reckon Tennant used the Whitbread trick of adding the lactose after primary fermentation. I need to tinker with the recipe.

Right, that’s it fixed. 1.5 lbs of lactose is what’s needed. Without the Gravity Book to guide me, I would have got this terribly wrong. It’s much sweeter

Hang on again. The label goes on about the glucose content. I don’t see any in the grist. And the Gravity Book doesn’t mention the presence of lactose, which it often did. I reckon they’ve primed with glucose at the end of secondary conditioning and then pasteurised.

For some reason the enzymic malt and malt extract are missing in this case. As is the flaked maize. Perhaps that explains it. If the enzymic malt and malt extract are there to provide enzymes, they might not be needed here where there are no adjuncts.

It was mashed quite a bit warmer than their other beers. Presumably to produce a less fermentable wort.

Unlike all their other beers, there’s a single hop addition at the start of the boil. As it’s a bit more heavily hopped than most Tennant’s beers, the (calculated) IBUs are quite high at 29.

1956 Tennant's Glucose Stout
pale malt	5.50 lb	63.18%
crystal malt 60 L	0.33 lb	3.79%
black malt	0.125 lb	1.44%
amber malt	0.50 lb	5.74%
glucose	1.00 lb	11.49%
No. 2 invert sugar	0.25 lb	2.87%
caramel 1000 SRM	1.00 lb	11.49%
Fuggles 90 mins	1.75 oz
OG	1040
FG	1019
ABV	2.78
Apparent attenuation	52.50%
IBU	29
SRM	48
Mash at	152º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

Let's Brew - 1956 Tennant's Lion Brown Ale

I imagine this beer must have been one of Tennant’s biggest sellers in bottle. Brown Ale was all the rage in the 1950’s.

Like Tennant’s other recipes, it has a bit of everything in the grist. A couple of types of malt, flaked maize, sugar and caramel. The colour mostly deriving from the latter. The brewing record handily records the beer’s colour. Handy, because it means I could work out what colour the caramel needed to be to get the correct colour.

Once again, there are two proprietary sugars, SBS and CWA, which I’ve interpreted as simply more No. 2 invert.

Bizarrely, this Brown Ale is more bitter than Tennant’s draught Bitters. Though the poor degree of attenuation must have left plenty of residual sweetness. It’s odd that while BB, Best Bitter and Queen’s Ale all contain lactose, this beer doesn’t. Despite Brown Ale being a style where lactose was sometimes present, unlike Bitter.

1956 Tennant's Lion Brown Ale
pale malt	4.00 lb	57.60%
crystal malt 60 L	0.25 lb	3.60%
enzymic malt	0.25 lb	3.60%
flaked maize	1.75 lb	25.20%
malt extract	0.07 lb	1.01%
No. 2 invert sugar	0.50 lb	7.20%
caramel 2000 SRM	0.125 lb	1.80%
Fuggles 95 mins	1.00 oz
Goldings 95 mins	0.25 oz
Fuggles 40 mins	0.25 oz
Goldings 20 mins	0.25 oz
OG	1031
FG	1010
ABV	2.78
Apparent attenuation	67.74%
IBU	26
SRM	20
Mash at	148º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	95 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1956 Tennant's BB

As we’ve already learned, BB stands for Bitter Beer. Or Tennant’s Ordinary Bitter.

It’s a good bit weaker, understandably, than their Best Bitter. There used to be a lot of draught Bitters that were around the same strength as Mild. In the West Country, this type of beer was called Boy’s Bitter. Sadly, it’s all but died out.

I find Tennant’s grists pretty odd. There are a lot of ingredients, many only in tiny amounts. I really can’t see the point is some. For example, the lactose. It could hardly have had any impact on the flavour of the finished beer.

The recipe is very similar to the Best Bitter, unsurprisingly. Though Tennant don’t seem to have ever gone in for parti-gyling. All the beers in this brewing book were produced single-gyle. To be honest, the level of hopping in this beer makes it more like a Light mild than a Bitter.

1956 Tennant's BB
pale malt	5.00 lb	70.52%
enzymic malt	0.125 lb	1.76%
crystal malt 60 L	0.25 lb	3.53%
flaked maize	0.50 lb	7.05%
No. 2 invert sugar	1.00 lb	14.10%
lactose	0.09 lb	1.27%
malt extract	0.125 lb	1.76%
Fuggles 90 mins	0.50 oz
Goldings 90 mins	0.125 oz
Fuggles 40 mins	0.33 oz
Goldings 20 mins	0.33 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.125 oz
OG	1033
FG	1006.5
ABV	3.51
Apparent attenuation	80.30%
IBU	17
SRM	7
Mash at	147º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

Let's Brew - 1956 Tennant's Lion Pale Ale

If it weren’t for the fact that Tennant brewed a weaker Pale Ale called Light Dinner Ale, I would have guessed that this was their Light Ale. The gravity is certainly in the Light Ale range.

One thing I don’t understand: why is it branded as Lion Pale Ale? It’s not as if a Lion was their trademark, as it was for some other breweries, such as Matthew Brown or Camerons. It’s got me stumped. Unless, like Rock Ale, it’s a brand acquired from another brewer.

The grist is a little different from their draught Pale Ales. Principally in not containing any lactose. The other little idiosyncrasies like enzymic malt and malt extract are present, however. And there’s some crystal malt. At least I think there is.

The records of many of the beers have a cryptic entry, below and apart from the rest of the grist. In the case of this beer, it says “90 gal. N of E crystal”. It made no sense to me. Gallons implies something liquid to me. What the hell was liquid crystal?

I only twigged today when I looked further through my photos. In particular, a Glucose Stout record. Where something described as “N of E crystal” appears in the grist. It does mean crystal malt then. And that’s volume gallons. They’re measuring it in gallons often because it isn’t a round number of bushels. At least that’s my guess.

I’ll be publishing corrected recipes for the other Tennant beers.

Nothing much else to say. Other than that there were 2 cwt. each of SBS and CWA, which I’ve added to the No. 2 invert.

1956 Tennant's Lion Pale Ale
pale malt	4.25 lb	60.41%
crystal malt 60 L	0.33 lb	4.69%
enzymic malt	0.125 lb	1.78%
flaked maize	1.00 lb	14.21%
malt extract	0.33 lb	4.69%
No. 2 invert sugar	1.00 lb	14.21%
Fuggles 90 mins	0.25 oz
Goldings 90 mins	1.50 oz
Goldings 40 mins	0.25 oz
Goldings 20 mins	0.25 oz
OG	1034
FG	1009
ABV	3.31
Apparent attenuation	73.53%
IBU	34
SRM	6
Mash at	146º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	145 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1956 Tennant's Rock Ale

Tennant’s Mild had the rather odd name of Rock Ale. There was a simple explanation, according to Frank Priestley:

"Tennant's produced four draught been and five bottled beers. The draught beers were: Bitter Beer (BB), Best Bitter Beer (BBB), Rock Ale, which was a dark, mild ale and Queen's Ale. Rock Ale probably originated at the Nottingham Brewery (see later). The Nottingham cellars had been excavated out of the solid rock on which the old town stood. Beers stored in the cellars were known as Rock Ales."
"The Brewer's Tale" by Frank Priestley, 2010, page 11.

The beer itself is a pretty typical post-war Dark Mild. Not all that dark, with the colour all deriving from sugar. The high degree of attenuation must have left it tasting quite dry.

It’s another simple grist, with just base pale malt and a dash of enzymic malt. Plus loads of sugar of various types. The No. 3 is my substitution for SBS and CWA. I’ve no idea how accurate that is.

The hops are all classic English varieties: Kent Fuggles (1954), Worcester Fuggles (1953 and 1954 CS), Worcester Goldings (1955 CS) copper hops, plus Kent Goldings (1955) dry hops.

The original mashing scheme started at 143º F, then raised to 148º F, presumably by an underlet, and held there for two hours.

1956 Tennant's Rock Ale
pale malt	5.50 lb	76.44%
enzymic malt	0.25 lb	3.47%
malt extract	0.07 lb	0.97%
No. 2 invert sugar	0.125 lb	1.74%
No. 3 invert sugar	1.00 lb	13.90%
caramel 500 SRM	0.25 lb	3.47%
Fuggles 90 mins	0.50 oz
Goldings 40 mins	0.25 oz
Fuggles 40 mins	0.25 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.125 oz
OG	1033
FG	1006
ABV	3.57
Apparent attenuation	81.82%
IBU	15
SRM	16
Mash at	148º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale

Let's Brew - 1956 Tennant's Queen's Ale

I’m going to stick my neck out here, but my guess is that Queen’s Ale was first brewed in either 1952 or 1953.

It was a strong (by the standards of the day) Bitter which had a good reputation, at least in its early days. This is what one of Tennant’s brewers thought of it:

“Queen's Ale was a premium draught beer. It was a pale, hoppy beer with a good body. Its perfect balance of malty sweetness and the bitterness of the finest hops ensured that it was the best draught beer that I have ever tasted (and that is saying something).”
"The Brewer's Tale" by Frank Priestley, 2010, page 11.

Praise indeed. By the time I started drinking Tennant brewed no cask beer. But in the early 1981 they did reintroduce cask and guess which beer it was? Queen’s Ale. And at exactly the same gravity as this version.

Getting back to this beer, the grist is much the same as Best Bitter’s. Except this contains No. 1 instead of No. 2 invert. Plus CWA, which I’ve interpreted as No. 2 invert. There’s also no malt extract.

Note the lack of any malt other than pale and a touch of enzymic. As I keep saying, the use of crystal malt in Bitter is a pretty recent thing. Even after WW II, it was the exception rather than the rule.

The hops are all English: Kent Fuggles (1954), Worcester Fuggles (1954 CS) and Kent Goldings (1955 CS); plus Kent Goldings (1955) dry hops.

1956 Tennant's Queen's Ale
pale malt	6.25 lb	67.57%
enzymic malt	0.25 lb	2.70%
flaked maize	1.25 lb	13.51%
No. 1 invert sugar	0.50 lb	5.41%
No. 2 invert sugar	0.75 lb	8.11%
lactose	0.25 lb	2.70%
Fuggles 90 mins	0.75 oz
Goldings 90 mins	0.25 oz
Goldings 40 mins	0.50 oz
Goldings 20 mins	0.50 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.125 oz
OG	1044
FG	1009
ABV	4.63
Apparent attenuation	79.55%
IBU	26
SRM	6
Mash at	148º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	95 minutes
pitching temp	60º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread ale