Coloured malts in the 1920's (part two)

Time for the remainder of Ross Mackenzie's discussion of coloured malts. I bet you've had a few sleepless nights waiting for it.

"Patent, Roasted, or Black Malt. — The first name was given because a "patent," or licence, was required for its manufacture when the malt-duty was in force. It should be plump and not too black ; the malt exhibiting a brownish fracture is the best. It is roasted in a large revolving cylinder. Owing to the necessity of buying these malts in larger quantities than are required for one operation, they are generally used in far too slack a condition for perfect success. A large part of the aroma certainly gets lost, and accordingly, the late Mr. Stopes pointed out the advisability of using patent malt fresh, giving the following detailed method of producing it on a small scale.

The apparatus consists of a perforated cylinder, turning easily on bearings, and fitted above a fireplace enclosed in sheet iron, which is extended upwards, so as to form a chimney to carry away smoke, steam, or fumes. The cylinder holds one or two bushels of corn, and should be kept revolving steadily. There should be a low coke fire at first, and afterwards, as the steam passes away, a brighter one. In thirty minutes a fine aroma steals from the malt, which should be inspected five minutes later, by which time a good chocolate tinge ought to have been acquired. In forty minutes tho operation will be completed, and the charge may be turned out to mellow. Mr. Stopes also pointed out that slack pale malt may be more advantageously used in this way than by redrying it for ordinary use.

This plan certainly involves trouble, but the advantage of using the roasted malt fresh is very great. Manual labour for turning would perhaps prove somewhat expensive, but moderate hydraulic power would perhaps do better than power got from the ordinary shafting.

The Manufacture of Black Malt.— Black malt is manufactured by placing ordinary malt directly into roasting drums and scorching it to the desired type of colour, without any previous moistening. According to practical experience it is advisable to have the black malt drums of such dimensions that about 2.5 cwts. of malt may be scorched in one operation. The drums may be heated by open fire, and for carrying off the gases of the lower one. The material is first heated in the upper drum, revolving about 9 to 10 times a minute. When the malt begins to show the first tints of scorching, the process is continued and finished in the lower drum over the direct fire until the desired depth of colour is reached. The lower drum makes 11 to 12 revolutions per minute.

In black malts roasted dry in this manner the husk is strongly overheated, which causes a profound modification of the husks. These black malts thus often acquire a burnt or empyreumatic odour and taste. To avoid these faults it is considered expedient to prepare black malt not from dry but from moistened malt. Instead of moistening malt it is just as good to use half finished kiln malt. In fact, black malts prepared from malts with a higher moisture content show a more uniform browning of the mealy body. The taste also remains milder, the husks being modified to a less degree and hence less quantity of bitter substances formed."
"Brewing and Malting" by John Ross Mackenzie, 1927 , pages 255 - 256.

Wondering what "slack" means in this context? Damp. That's the problem with roasted malts: they're hygroscopic. Leave them lying around too long and they'll soak up moisture. It's not the first time I've seen a recommendation for buying in a small stock and using it quickly. But recommending slack pale malt be recycled in this way is new for me. I suppose it makes sense.

Empyreumatic. There's that word again. I seem to remember last time it came up that we agreed it means burnt. Odd that it's considered a fault. I thought black malt was meant to taste burnt. Crispy golden black. just like bacon.

Malt Liquors Sold in the UK - Porter and Stout

It's a sad day. We've come to the end of the British Medical Journal's series of articles on the beers on sale in Britain.

The final article covers Porter and Stout. That in itself tells us something. The series appears to be in reverse order of fashion, starting with the very new and trendy Lager beers, followed by Pale Ale, the Mild and Old Ale, with Porter bringing up the rear. The first paragraph sums up why: Porter was on the way out.

Porter hadn't had a bad run by any means. It had been the preferred tipple of the labouring classes for more than a century. Especially compared to something like Bitter, which barely managed 25 years on top.

"REPORT ON THE MALT LIQUORS SOLD IN THE UNITED KINGDOM:

WITH ANALYSES AND COMMENTS.

V.—Porter And Stout.

The kinds of malt liquor represented by the following analyses have hitherto been the chief beverage of the working class in London, but they are now being in great measure superseded by ale. Both in porter and stout, the deep brown colour is due to the use of a certain proportion of roasted malt in the brewing; but in other respects there is no special difference between them and other kinds of malt liquor.

The amount of alcohol in these examples of porter varies from 3.22 to 5 per cent, by weight, or from .82 to 1.27 fluid-ounces per pint; and the amount of extract, from 3.92 to 6.91 per cent, by weight, corresponding to .79 and 1.20 ounces per pint.

In the stout, the amount of alcohol varies from 5.09 to 6.81 per cent. by weight, or 1.30 to 1.74 fluid-ounces per pint; and the amount of extract is from 6.17 to 11.37 per cent., corresponding to 1.25 and 2.35 ounces per pint.

The quantity of malt used in brewing porter and stout, as indicated by the computed original gravities of these samples, varies from 1.68 to 2.22 bushels per barrel in the case of porter, while in stout it varies from 2.38 to 3.40 bushels per barrel.

Perhaps the most striking feature of these results is that brought out by comparing them with the price at which the beer is sold in particular instances. Thus, in the case of porter, several of the samples sold at 2d. per pint appear to be decidedly inferior to some of those sold at 1.5d. per pint.

Again, the stout Nos. 22 and 27, though sold at 4d. per pint in both instances, is far from being equal to the samples Nos. 21 and 28, which were sold at 3.5d. and 3d. per pint respectively.

If, in addition to such a disproportion between the quality of beer and the price charged for it by retailers, it be further taken into account that, in the sale of beer by the glass, there is a further large addition to the price per pint, in consequence of the glasses being frequently very much smaller than they should be, it will be evident that the public suffer considerably from the absence of a due relation between the value of beer and the price paid for it. Probably this is of more importance than any actual adulteration of malt liquor; and it is certain that in many cases the price charged for beer at places of public resort is such as to be almost prohibitory of its consumption. For example, Allsopp's best pale ale costs less than 3d. per pint when purchased by the barrel, while the price charged for it at the Crystal Palace and several other places of the kind is actually 6d. per pint."

									contents per pint
Kind of Ale	Obtained from	price per imperial pint	Specific gravity	% of alcohol	% of extract	acetic acid	original gravity of wort	malt per barrel	alcohol fl. ozs	extract ozs.	acid grs.
PORTER
1. Reid's	Taphouse, Liquorpond Street	2d	1014.08	3.69	5.13	0.2	1048.76	1.8	0.94	1.04	17.74
2. Ditto	20 Orange Street	2d	1014.44	3.59	5.2	0.2	1048.22	1.78	0.91	1.05	17.75
3. Ditto	The Redan, 34 Farringdon Street	2d	1018.01	3.22	5.93	0.21	1048.3	1.78	0.82	1.2	18.7
4. Combe, Delafield and Co.	Yorkshire Tavern, 29 Gray's Inn Road	2d	1014.63	4.2	5.31	0.16	1053.51	1.98	1.7	1.07	14.2
5. Ditto	The Old Bell, New Tothill Street, Westminster	1.5d	1020.25	3.82	6.91	0.2	1057.16	2.11	0.99	1.41	17.85
6. Field and Co.	The Ship Tavern, Gray's Inn Road	2d	1010.27	3.93	4.04	0.16	1045.46	1.68	0.98	0.82	14.14
7. Elliott, Watney and Co.	Bricklayers' Arms, Eagle Street	1.5d	1015.91	4.73	5.75	0.2	1054.09	2	1.18	1.17	17.78
8. Ditto	Monster, Pimlico	1.5d	1010.08	4.16	3.92	0.21	1048.02	1.77	1.06	0.79	18.55
9. Truman, Hanbury and Co.	The Peacock, Gray's Inn Road	1.5d	1013.16	4.02	5.12	0.24	1051.53	1.9	1.03	1.01	21.27
10. Ditto	Sugar Loaf, Fetter Lane	2d	1013.56	3.95	4.68	0.18	1049.33	1.82	1.04	0.94	15.96
11 Meux and Co.	The Horse Shoe, Tottenham Court Road	2d	1011.4	5	4.63	0.19	1057.96	2.14	1.27	0.93	16.81
12. Courage and Co.	White Horse, Fetter Lane	2d	1011.82	4.57	4.96	0.21	1055.16	2.04	1.19	1	18.59
13. Whitbread's	Dicussion Hall, Shoe Lane	1.5d	1014.04	4.28	5.15	0.18	1054.11	2	1.09	1.03	15.97
14. Ditto	Blackwall Railway Tavern, Fenchurch Street	2d	1016.21	3.61	5.85	0.24	1051.31	1.9	0.92	1.19	21.34
15. Barclay's	Red Hart, Fetter Lane	2d	1017.08	4.49	5.84	0.19	1058.5	2.16	1.15	1.18	16.89
16. Lightfoot's	Gentrleman and Porter, New St.	2d	1015.15	4.72	5.78	0.19	1060.12	2.22	1.2	1.17	16.88
17. Hoare's	Red Lion Tavern, Fenchurch Street	1.5d	1012.99	4.18	5.04	0.18	1052.42	1.94	1.06	1.03	15.95
18. The Lion Brewery's	The Hatchet. Little Trinity Lane	2d	1016.3	3.75	5.87	0.18	1052.26	1.93	0.96	1.19	16
STOUT
19. Hoare's	Red Lion Brewery, East Smithfield		1025.94	6.63	10.31	0.23	1090.85	3.36	1.64	2.12	20.54
20. Ditto	Ditto		1014	5.57	6	0.2	1068.04	2.52	1.46	1.2	17.95
21. Ditto	Red Lion Tavern, Fenchurch Street	3.5d	1014.5	6.25	7.21	0.22	1078.37	2.9	1.6	1.46	19.53
22. City of London Brewery	The King's Head, Stew Lane	4d	1015.43	5.68	6.43	0.26	1071.12	2.63	1.45	1.3	23.1
23. Whitbread's	Chiswell Street Brewery		1030	6.05	10.34	0.3	1089.7	3.32	1.57	2.13	27.04
24. Thorne's	Nine Elms Brewery		1027.15	5.38	9.17	0.28	1080.15	2.97	1.39	1.9	25.17
25. Meux's	Horseshoe Brewery		1035.6	5.09	11.37	0.24	1086.76	3.21	1.32	2.35	21.75
26. Barclay and Perkins	Railway Store, Fenchurch Street	4d	1029.31	5.24	9.66	0.28	1081.21	3	1.36	1.99	25.22
27. Lightfoot's	Red Lion, Princes Street, Westminster	4d	1025.87	4.84	8.88	0.2	1074.03	2.74	1.25	1.82	17.95
28. Truman's	Porkman Tavern, Fish Street Hill	3d	1020.14	5.78	7.63	0.21	1076.57	2.83	1.43	1.55	18.74
29 Guinness's No.1	Guinness and Co.		1015.51	6.81	6.17	0.24	1078.06	2.88	1.74	1.25	21.32
30. Ditto No. 2	Ditto		1019.56	6.2	7.11	0.2	1078.01	2.88	1.59	1.45	17.84
31. Ditto No. 3	Ditto		1015.97	5.09	5.89	0.26	1064.49	2.38	1.3	1.19	23.11

"British Medical Journal 1879, vol. 1" June 25th 1870, page 658.

This is an intriguing statement about Porter and Stout: " there is no special difference between them and other kinds of malt liquor". So other than the colour from a bit of roasted malt, they were basically the same as Pale Ale, Mild or Old.

Once again it seems there was often no relation between price and quality, with many of the Porters costing 2d a pint weaker than those sold a halfpenny cheaper. I was surprised at the low OG of Reid's Porter: only around 1048º. In the brewing records, the average OG at this time was 1055º or so.

Adulteration. I wondered when that would come up. People were especially suspicious of Porter. How well founded were these suspicions? It's hard to say. But I can compare the OG's of some of the pub samples with that given in the brewing records.

Whitbread, for example. The Porter in the table has an OG of  1054. The ones I have from Whitbread's brewing records for 1869 and 1870 are: 1050º, 1050º, 1050º, 1058º, 1056º, 1056.5º. So the pub sample looks to be about right. Their Stout in the table has an OG of 1089.7º. In the brewing records SSS (I'm pretty sure this is the flavour of Stout) 1092.5º and 1098.3. Not so sure about that one.

What about Truman? In the table, their Porter has an OG of 1051.5º. In the brewing records, it's 1056.8º, 1054º, 1055.4º. Looks a bit on the low side to me, that pub sample.

Oh yes, and that last sample of Guinness looks like their Porter, not their Stout. Guinness were reluctant to ship their Porter for this very reason: they feared it being passed off as Stout. 

But, compared to 50 years earlier, there's been a definite improvement. Fredrick Accum's 1820 work "A Treatise on Adulterations of Food" contains analyses of the same beers purchased at the brewery and in a pub. There was quite a difference between the two:

Brown Stout: brewery 7.25% ABV, pub 6.5% ABV
Porter: brewery 5.25% ABV, pub 4.5% ABV

How did Accum explain the difference?

"Whence can this difference between the beer furnished by the brewer, and that retailed by the publican, arise? We shall not be at a loss to answer this question, when we find that so many retailers of porter have been prosecuted and convicted for mixing table beer with their strong beer;"

By 1870 Table Beer, and the tax system that supported its misuse, had disappeared. It seems the method of cheating the public had changed. Rather than tinkering with the beer itself, pubs just served short measures. Annoying, true, but far preferable to having god knows what mixed in with your beer.

I thought you might enjoy an overview of the different beer types. These are averages taken from the British Medical Journal tables:

Beer	OG	FG	ABV	acetic acid	apparent atten-uation
Pale Ale	1059.10	1009.85	6.54%	0.206	83.59%
Old Ale	1095.22	1021.48	9.71%	0.289	78.56%
Mild Ale	1065.51	1013.87	6.84%	0.198	78.90%
Porter	1052.57	1014.41	5.21%	0.196	72.56%
Stout	1078.26	1022.23	7.29%	0.24	71.94%

Surprisingly Pale Ale was, on average, the second weakest type with only Porter below it. at 3.5d to 4d a pint, it was far worse value than other beers. Mild Ale, half the price at around 2d a pint and a little stronger, was much better value. Once again the lesson is: Drink Mild!

The relative acidity levels are more as expected. Pale Ale, Porter and Mild Ale are all around 0.20%. In Stout they're a little higher and in Old Ale greater still. Attenuation, as you would expect, was greatest in Pale Ale. Probably a good bit more than today. With the greatly reduced gravities, it's no shock that the level of attenuation has been reduced to leave body.

Messrs. Salt and Co. (part one)

I'm gradually working my way through Barnard's descriptions of Burton breweries. It's now the turn of Salt.

History has been cruel to some of Burton's brewers. World-renowned for a few fleeting decades, then thrown down into the pit of obscurity. Salt is a member of this uunhappy band. Much like Allsopp, Salt was hit badly by the downturn in the brewing trade after 1900. Bankrupt in 1907, they limped on until being puschased by Bass in 1927. In their day, they had been almost as famous as Bass and Allsopp. Who remembers them now?

As you can see from the newspaper advert to your right, Salt's Pale Ale was shipped all the way to New Zealand in 1866. Now there's a journey.

Barnard caught Burton at its peak, when the town was stuffed full of massive breweries, their tall chimneys and cavernous brewhouses dominating the landscape. It wasn't to last much longer. The Boer War and WW I depleted their ranks. The depression that followed finished off a few more.

That's enough nostalgia. Let's get on with description of Salt's brewery.

"To trace the origin of the firm it would be necessary to go back to the year 1774, when, according to the statistics of that period, Messrs. Salt and Co.'s maltings were in full work in conjunction with the brewery of Messrs. Clay and Co. The founder of the establishment was the great-grandfather of the present Messrs. Salt; but it was not until the year 1823 that the firm came into its present notoriety. In that year the idea first occurred to the Burton brewers to produce pale ale, which would compete with Hodgson's India ale ; and this firm were among the first to bring the experiment to a practical issue, and in the course of a few years from that time, Salt's Pale and Burton ale became well known in all parts of the world.

At the close of the "Great Exhibition," the taste for pale and Burton ale had increased to a considerable extent in London as well as in the provinces, and Messrs. Salt and Co. benefited largely by its popularity."
"Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 2", Alfred Barnard, 1889, page 112.

Interesting use of the word notoriety there. I think he means "renown". A hundred plus years on, Burton is only remembered for its Pale Ales. But the town was never a one-trick pony. Its strong, rich Burton Ales were almost as famous as its Pale Ales. Now I'd heard the tale of the Great Exhibition boosting the popularity of Pale Ale. But not that it had a similar effect on Burton Ale. I wonder why the Great Exhibition had this impact on beer taste, given that no beer was exhibited.

"On our way to Messrs. Salt and Co.'s establishment, next morning, we passed no less than four large breweries, all within a quarter-of-a-mile of our hotel, whose lofty buildings, water towers and tall chimneys seemed to hem us in on every side. As we proceeded, a smell of beer and the odour of hops pervaded the air, whilst burly brewers met us at every turn. Here and there, engines glided noiselessly about, dragging trucks heavily ladened with casks, and the clean streets were full of animation and life.

Messrs. Salt and Co.'s brewery, which stands on four acres of ground, is bounded on the right by Allsopp's Old Brewery, on the left, by the Burton Brewery Company, and at the back, by the river Trent and the Hay-branch of the Midland Railway. From the High Street, where is situated the principal entrance and the general offices, there is not much seen of this large establishment, as it is obscured by tall buildings. It is only when you emerge from the long entry you find yourself in a large open space crossed and re-crossed by railway tracks, and surrounded by extensive red brick buildings, that any idea can be formed of the magnitude of the concern. The most prominent object before us was the brewhouse, a noble and lofty structure of several storeys, on a portion of the front of which has been erected a mill building of modern description."
"Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 2", Alfred Barnard, 1889, page 118.

Burton must have been an impressive sight in Barnard's day. Has there ever been anything like it in the world? London had many giant breweries in the 18th and 19th century. But they were spread around the metropolis. The effect in Burton, effectively a small market town, must have been far more dramatic. I can't think of any other place in the world where so many large breweries have stood shoulder to shoulder.

In the next instalment, we'll take a peak inside the brewhouse. What will we find?

Air raids and closing time

The Blitz. It can't have been great for the pub business. No-one nips down the local for a quick when bombs are falling. What's a landlord supposed to do if he wants to keep his business going?

Pubs had much more to fear than just a direct hit. As you'll learn if you can be arsed to read the article I've thoughtfully transcribed for you.

AIR RAIDS AND PERMITTED HOURS.

The frequency of air raid warnings during the past few weeks—during one period of twenty-four hours the sirens were sounded eight times in the London area—has had a marked adverse effect on the trade of licensed houses. Whether or not licensed premises should continue to trade after the sirens have sounded or should close their doors has been the subject of much discussion in Trade circles. At the end of last month the following announcement appeared in certain sections of the Press : "The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis has made an Order that all licensed houses must close immediately when the sirens sound, and customers must be requested To leave and to seek air raid shelters." The Brewers' Journal is in a position to state that no such Order was, in fact, made by the Commissioner of Police, nor, at the time of writing, was the making of any such Order in contemplation. We understand that the view of the Commissioner is that it must be left in the discretion of individual licensees to determine whether or not they shall close or keep their houses open.

We have taken a cross-section of opinion from  brewers, multiple licensees and individual licensees, and there is overwhelming support for the view that upon the licensee or manager of each individual licensed house must rest the responsibility whether to continue trading or to close the premises. A tour of the London area revealed the fact that, on 6th inst. about 90 per cent, of licensed premises remained open during the period of air raid warning. In some areas — Croydon, for example — we found the proportion was much lower. The type of licensed premises we found closed was the larger houses, where control of customers and staff in an emergency would obviously have been more difficult than in smaller houses. One big multiple firm of licensees expressed the opinion that, whilst they left it entirely in the discretion of their managers, their own view was that where possible the needs of the public not only for alcoholic refreshment but for food should continue to be met. In some houses we found trading confined to certain bars which occupied the most sheltered position, this system allowing for providing for the needs of the public with a minimum of staff during air raid warnings.

Brewers are looking ahead with the knowledge that trading conditions in the retail trade may become more difficult as the permitted hours during daylight decline. Even when licensed houses remain open after the sirens have sounded, large numbers of people will not venture out, but are nevertheless desirous of obtaining refreshment and meeting their friends on the "All clear" being sounded. Not infrequently, however, the period of permitted hours has ended before this eventuates. Accordingly, we throw out the suggestion that the authorities should be approached to permit of an extension of permitted hours in certain circumstances. Thus we suggest that:—

If and when a warning has been operative during any session of permitted hours, then the permitted hours for licensed premises in such an area shall be deemed to be extended by half an hour. The additional half-hour to apply whether or not an "All clear" signal has been sounded prior to the conclusion of the normal permitted hours for that session. It shall nevertheless be in the discretion of each licensee in the area as to whether or not he avails himself of such additional period of trading.

The requirements of the public, and especially of workers, vary from area to area ; accordingly, the above suggestion is set out merely as a skeleton on which to build an effective proposal likely to meet the case. Responsible members of the Trade with whom we have discussed the topic consider that, as the winter months approach, permitted hours should be extended in the daytime and curtailed at night — particularly on Sundays, when the midday trading period is short and may be eclipsed or largely rendered inoperative by air raid warnings. This suggestion demands consideration, but the case of night workers must be borne in mind. As we see it, an Order in Council, elastic in character, and leaving permitted hours in each area to be laid down by the Police Authorities, after ascertaining responsible local opinion (including that of the retail trade) would best meet the case. Of course, there would be a proviso that the trading hours laid down by the existing licensing laws should in no case be diminished.

As we write, the subject of air raid warning is receiving official attention, and it may be that a tendency will develop to give such warnings only when danger is immediate in the area ; or, alternatively, to have two forms of sirens, one for children and those not at work, and the other to embrace all and indicating particular danger in the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, the licensed Trade is especially concerned with the official statement that a serious attempt is to be made to brighten the black out by providing some form of street lighting. The licensed Trade is more affected than any other business by the black out, since licensed premises remain open for many hours at night after other retail premises are closed.

The past month has probably been fraught with more difficulties for brewers and licensees than they have ever experienced before. The interruption of the brewing and bottling processes, the delay in transport of beer and to workers coming to and from their homes owing to air raid warnings, and time lost during such warnings, have been superimposed upon the calling up of staff and workpeople—the latter affecting the retail as well as the wholesale trade. It can be stated that most licensed houses are understaffed to-day, and a word of praise is due to the splendid manner in which licensees and managers (not omitting their wives) have carried on. As was inevitable, certain breweries and numbers of licensed houses have been damaged in air raids, and many stories of courage, efficiency and endurance remain to be told.

The aggregate damage to property Throughout the country has been on a scale far less than was anticipated. Meanwhile, any damage to brewery premises, licensed houses or other properties owned by brewers should he notified to the appropriate authorities, bearing in mind that damage to the structure by disturbance of the foundations may not make its appearance until subsequently. Attention is also drawn to the fact that Section 24 of the Licensing (Consolidation) Act, 1910, Specifies that a Justices' licence may he removed elsewhere within the same licensing district if the Justices are assured that the premises" had been rendered unfit by fire, tempest or other unforeseen and unavoidable calamity." The new premises to which the business is removed must, in the opinion of the Justices, be "fit and convenient premises for the purpose." Where trading cannot be carried on in a licensed house owing to damage by enemy action, there is little doubt that, as a temporary expedient, the Justices would be likely to interpret the words "fit and convenient" liberally, and attach to them a meaning different from that usually obtaining in pre-war times.
"The Brewers' Journal 1940" pages 717 - 718 (Published September 1940.)

An order saying "all licensed houses must close immediately when the sirens sound" wouldn't have seemed that unreasonable to me. I suppose landlords might have had a slightly different view. Having your business randomly closed for no reason must have been pretty annoying. Especially if, by the time the all clear sounded, it was past closing time. As it was, the police had never issued any such order and it was up to the landlord whether he closed or not.

The date this article was published is very significant. September 1940. It's before the Blitz had really started. I can't imagine that a few months later London publicans would have just moved to a more sheltered room when the siren wailed. I'd have been down in the cellar.

I love the cheeky suggestion of brewers to let pubs stay open an extra half hour after an air raid warning. I'm pretty sure it never got any further than that: a cheeky suggestion. I can imagine, though, after a raid wanting a few whiskies to settle the nerves. Half an hour? I reckon I could easily get half a dozen doubles down in that time. That's assuming the pub had any whisky, of course.

Street lighting is a good one. We're so used to it. What would unlit streets be like and how keen would we be on going out? Especially in London, with all its cars, buses and trams. It can't have been very safe, even when the bombs weren't falling. I'd love to see figures on how pub takings differed in light summer nights from dark winter ones. And of the ratio of traffic deaths to bombing deaths.

There were many, many pubs damaged or destroyed by German bombing. There must be figures somewhere. Not sure where, but they must be somewhere. It would be interesting to see how many pubs moved to emergency premises, too. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the temperance-dominated licensing committees used was damage as a crafty way of reducing the number of pubs. The bastards.

Malt Liquors Sold in the UK - Mild Ale and Old Ale

 Part four in the British Medical Journey series on beer available in the UK in 1869 and 1870. You really can't fault the series for the overview it gives.

But there's a second insight: how Victorians classified beer. Austrian Beer, Bavarian Beer, Bitter Ale and Beer, Mild Ale And Old Ale, Porter and Stout. The latter two groupings are no mere accident or convenience. Mild and Old were seen as variations of the same basic beer. Likewise Porter and Stout.

REPORT ON THE MALT LIQUORS SOLD IN THE UNITED KINGDOM:

WITH ANALYSES AND COMMENTS.

IV.—Mild Ale And Old Ale.

The kinds of malt liquor represented by the analytical results given in the following table differ very much from what is commonly known as pale ale or bitter beer treated of in the former report,* independently of actual strength or of the peculiar flavour and bitterness given to pale ale by the large proportion of hops used in brewing it. Mild ale is generally characterised by a sweetness more or less decided, indicating the presence of sugar. In old ale, this character is less obvious — partly owing to the presence of free acid, which masks the sweet taste. The difference between pale ale and these two kinds of beer is further indicated by the amount of extract in mild and old ale being, as a rule, larger, relatively to the alcohol, than it is in pale ale. This difference is chiefly due to the way in which the fermentation of the wort has been conducted, and to its being carried further in one case than in the other.

In regard to the actual amount of alcohol in beer of this kind, it varies in mild ale from 4.41 to 7.34 per cent, by weight, or from 1.1 to 1.75 fluid-ounces of absolute alcohol per pint, the average alcoholic strength being decidedly above that of ordinary bitter beer. In old ale, the amount of alcohol is still larger, varying from 6.2 to 8.41 per cent, by weight, or from 1.5 to 2.75 fluid-ounces per pint of the beer.

The amount of extract in mild ale varies from 3.58 to 6.81 per cent, by weight, or from 0.75 to 1.5 oz. per pint of the beer; and in old ale it is from 4.56 to 13.32 per cent, by weight, or from 1 to 2.75 oz. per pint.

The amount of free acid taken as acetic acid is in mild ale from .13 to .28 per cent, by weight, or from 10.5 to 24.7 grains per pint; in old ale, it is from .16 to .56 per cent, by weight, or from 14 to 49.4 grains per pint of the beer.

The quantity of malt used per bushel in the brewing of these samples of beer, as indicated by the estimated original gravities of the wort, varies in mild ale from 1.77 to 3.2 bushels per barrel, and in old ale from 2.69 to 4.5 bushels per barrel.

From the great alcoholic strength of some samples of old ale, they partake more of the nature of wine than of beer, in the usual sense of the term. They are, in fact, quite equal in that respect to most of the cheaper wine imported from France, Germany, and Italy; while, in flavour and general character, old ale such as that brewed at Burton and in Scotland is far superior to any wines of the kind referred to, which can be sold here at a price double that of the best old ale. This kind of beer, however, is but rarely sold at public-houses.


* See British Medical Journal, No. 453, page 245.

									contents per pint
Kind of Ale	Obtained from	price per imperial pint	Specific gravity	% of alcohol	% of extract	acetic acid	original gravity of wort	malt per barrel	alcohol fl. ozs	extract ozs.	acid grs.
OLD ALE
1. Old Burton Ale. Brewed March 1869	Messrs. S. Allsopp and Sons, Burton-on-Trent		1040.38	8.25	13.32	0.32	1121.63	4.5	2.16	2.77	29.12
2. Ditto	Feathers Tavern, Hand Court, Holborn	6d	1030.11	8.32	11.14	0.25	1111.45	4.11	2.16	2.29	22.53
3. Bass's Barley Wine	The Hoborn Tavern	5d	1032.31	8.41	11.75	0.23	1114.78	4.25	2.18	2.42	20.77
4. Roy's Scotch Ale	The Mitre Tavern, Chancery Lane		1037.84	7.43	12.91	0.2	1111.45	4.12	1.81	2.6	18.16
5. Truman, Hanbury and Co.	Bedford Tavern, Bedford St.	4d	1020.81	6.76	8	0.26	1084.95	3.14	1.71	1.57	14.29
6. Bass's	Three Cups Tavern, Gray's Inn Passage	4d	1014.91	8.08	7.02	0.18	1091.47	3.38	2.04	1.43	15.88
7. Allsopp's	69, Long Lane	4d	1008.61	8.31	4.56	0.56	1086.4	3.2	2.1	0.91	49.42
8. Kennet Ale - Butler's	56, Museum Street	4d	1012.31	8.13	6.27	0.36	1090.03	3.33	2.05	1.27	31.88
9. Charrington's	160, Gray's Inn Road	4d	1017.08	7.5	7.52	0.26	1089.16	3.3	1.9	1.53	23.14
10. Ditto	92, King Street, Smithfield	4d	1013.99	6.2	6.06	0.28	1073.27	2.71	1.57	1.22	24.83
11. Elliott, Watney and Co.	The Bull's Head Tavern, 1 Hyde Street	4d	1007.93	6.75	4.81	0.28	1072.81	2.69	1.71	0.96	24.69
MILD ALE
12. Truman, Hanbury and Co., Winter Brewing	Truman, Hanbury and Co.	3d	1010.76	6.54	5.4	0.22	1073.41	2.72	1.66	1.09	19.45
13. Ditto - Summer Brewing	Ditto	2d	1010.3	5.62	5.01	0.19	1064.63	2.39	1.44	1.01	15.8
14. Usher's Strong Scotch	22, Waterloo Road	bottled	1011.66	7.34	5.88	0.18	1081.09	3	1.87	1.19	15.93
15. Crawley's Alton Ale - Mild XXXX	260, Holborn	4d	1027.34	6.16	9.59	0.14	1086.36	3.2	1.59	1.97	12.58
16. Scotch Ale - Campbell's Brewery	Blanchard's Restaurant, Beak Street	5d	1009.4	5.9	5.05	0.28	1066.86	2.47	1.5	1.02	24.73
17. Stogumber Ale	Bliss Bros., 21 Upper Seymour Street	bottled	1008.51	5.9	4.69	0.28	1065.62	2.43	1.5	0.93	24.71
18. Edinburgh Ale - Wm. Younger's	The National Stores Tavern, 79 Farringdon Street	4d	1006.63	4.41	3.58	0.19	1048.38	1.77	1.12	0.72	16.73
19. Combe, Delafield and Co.	White Hart Tavern, Chancery Lane	4d	1015.56	4.84	6.05	0.14	1061.85	2.29	1.22	1.21	12.44
20. Bass's	The Holborn	2d	1016.67	5.07	6.33	0.22	1065.69	2.43	1.29	1.28	19.57
21. Goldsmith's	Bedford Tavern, Bedford St.	2d	1013.15	5.45	5.61	0.21	1065.67	2.43	1.38	1.13	18.62
22. City of London Brewery	Three Cups Tavern, Gray's Inn Passage	2d	1016.26	4.57	6.05	0.13	1059.56	2.2	1.16	1.22	10.56
23. Charrington's	160, Gray's Inn Road	2d	1013.31	5.15	5.5	0.2	1062.57	2.39	1.31	1.11	17.73
24. Thornton's	133, Gray's Inn Road	2d	1013.17	5.22	5.48	0.21	1062.75	2.32	1.32	1.11	18.62
25. Combe, Delafield and Co.	Yorkshire Tavern, 29 Gray's Inn Road	2d	1015.69	4.91	6	0.18	1062.61	2.31	1.25	1.21	17.99
26. Elliott, Watney and Co.	The Bull's Head Tavern, 1 Hyde Street	2d	1018.7	4.66	6.81	0.19	1063.76	2.36	1.2	1.38	16.93
27. Allsopp's	69, Long Lane	2d	1014.78	4.43	5.56	0.22	1057.33	2.12	1.12	1.12	19.53

"British Medical Journal 1870, vol. 1", 1870, page 68.

That first paragraph is very revealing. Particularly in regard to the differences between Mild Ale, Pale Ale and Old Ale. Notice one thing that isn't mentioned? Probably the first point that would me mentioned today were someone to describe the difference between Bitter and Mild. Colour. Because in 1870 all three types of beer were brewed from 100% pale malt (optionally with some sugar). Pale Ale, for which the best and palest malts were reserved would have been a little paler than an X Ale, but not a great deal.

It's not colour that differentiates Mild and Bitter, nor even strength. It's sweetness and the degree of attenuation. The average apparent attenuation of the Mild Ales is 78.9%. Of the Old Ales 78.56%. And of the Pale Ales 83.59%. On average, Pale Ales had a degree of attenuation about 5% higher. Given the high degree of attenuation and robust hopping, Pale Ales must have tasted pretty damn dry.



Old Ales, on the other hand, were distiguished by their higher level of acidity. The aicd content of the samples averages 0.29%. For Mild Ale and Pale Ale the average acidity is remarkably similar, at 0.2% and 0.21% respectively. It's no surprise that Old Ale was the most acidic. But, from what I've learned of the production methods of Pale Ale - specifically the long maturation - I would have expected its acidity to be higher than Mild Ale's..


The relative strength of the different styles may also come as a surprise. It syas of Mild Ale that "the average alcoholic strength being decidedly above that of ordinary bitter beer".That's no idle claim. The average ABV of the Pale Ale samples is 6.53%. Of the Mild Ales, it's 6.83%. The Old Ales, have a massive 9.7% ABV average. Like wines, indeed.

Finally there's the way Scotch Ales are classified: either as Old Ales or Mild Ales. Not in a special category of their own. And when they are put into another group, it's together with Burton Ales as examples of particularly fine Old Ales. The ones that were better and stronger than cheap wine, but weren't often sold in pubs. Buy British, is the clear message.

How many of the pubs where samples were obtained still exist? I can identify one, though it now has a different name.