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

Dextro-maltose

I've been going through William Younger records from the 1880s and came across a type of sugar called "DM".

Based on its use, it didn't appear to be something very dark. But the name seemed familiar. Then I twigged. CDM is Caramelised Dextro-Maltose. Logic would make DM simply Dextro-Maltose.

A quick search on the internet threw up ad advert from Duttson's, a sugar manufacturer whose name I've often seen in brewing records.

This is the ad.

These are the relevant sections of text:

"MALTO-DEXTRIN
Is a brilliant Syrup containing 84 per cent.(calculated on the dry matter) of Dextrin and Maltose, which exist as an unfermentable combination; consequently it will be found very useful for increasing the Dextrin in Beers, giving them fulness and adding to their stability.

MALTO-DEXTRIN may also be usedas a Priming, the 12 per cent. of fermentable matter which it contains is gradually split up  during Cask fermentation, creating persistent condition.

CARAMELIZED DEXTRO-MALTOSE.
C.D.M.is FREE from the acrid flavour of Caramel, therefore can be used to advantage in the production of Porter and Stout.
It is not fermentable, consequently can be added to Wort prior to fermentation.
C.D.M.is of hightinctorial power (112 lb. being capable of imparting as much colouring power as a quarter of best Black Malt). When used in  suitable proportions as a black malt adjunct produces a soft mellow Stout or Porter, unobtainable when Black Malt alone is employed.

IT IMPARTS iNCREASED PERMANENT PALATE FULLNESS, and a RICH BROWN HEAD.

C.D.M.can be profitably employed; compared with Black Malt it yields a large extract — i.e., 256 lb. (the Excise equivalent for  a quarter of Malt) gives an  extract of 74 BBEWERS’ lb.
It is sent out in casks of 1 cwt.and 2 cwt."
"Brewing and Malting Practically Considered", by Frank Thatcher, 1898, The Country Brewers' Gazette, page 161.

I'm assuming malto-dextrin and dextro-maltose are the same thing. It's use seems to have been mostly to add body. Or hard to ferment sugars which could be consumed by Brettanomyces.

It makes sense. Most of the beers where Younger used large quantities were ones where you would expect a full body: Scotch Ales and Double Stout, for example. It also explains why some of the FGs are so high.

CDM seems to have been intended to produce a beer with the colour of a Stout, but without the burnt flavour. I've mostly come across it in Porter and Stout. But also in other styles, such as Dark Mild, Brown Ale, or even Bitter.

William Younger being weird again

I've spent the last couple of days extracted information from a set of photos I took ages ago, but hadn't really looked at.

I've accumulated so many photos of brewing records that I mostly only process them when I need them for a book project. I've gone through every single one for WW I and WW II. And most post-WW II ones as well. Because those were the periods I've been writing about in the last couple of years.

I'd not got around to William Younger's 1888 brewing book, despite having written a whole book on Scottish beer. The reason I hadn't bothered was that I'd already done a brewing book from just a few years before, 1885. Others appeared more useful.

Why have I finally become arsed? Because I'm throwing together Strong Ale recipes for a new edition of my book "Strong!". Not wanting to repeat Younger's recipes that were in "Scootland! vol. 2", the simplest way was to use records that I knew I'd never used before.

I'm glad that I could be bothered. Since I found some more weirdness.

William Younger was an odd brewery. They had an immense range of beers, many very similar to each other. For example, in addition to the numbered Strong Ales, they also had a set of strong Shilling Ales.

In the brewing book I've found 29 different beers. Which is way more than most breweries produced. It's not even the full set. As it only includes a couple of Pale Ales and they had far more than that. But that's because the brewing book is from the Abbey Brewery. Their other plant, the Holyrood Brewery, was where most of the Pale Ales were brewed.

William Younger beers in 1888
Beer	Style	OG
1	Strong Ale	1105.0
2	Strong Ale	1091.0
3	Strong Ale	1081.0
100/-	Ale	1080.0
120/-	Ale	1090.0
140/-	Ale	1106.0
160/-	Ale	1118.0
3 Sp	Strong Ale	1081.0
3 Stg	Strong Ale	1101.0
3 Wk	Strong Ale	1061.0
50/-	Ale	1038.0
60/-	Ale	1053.0
80/-	Ale	1068.0
DBS	Stout	1076.0
H 60/-	Ale	1047.0
P	Pale Ale	1051.0
S Ext	Pale Ale	1071.0
S1	Stout	1078.0
S1 Sp	Stout	1076.0
S2	Stout	1068.0
S3	Stout	1055.0
Special S1 Hong Kong	Stout	1077.0
T	Table Beer	1032.0
T	Table Beer	1034.0
X	Mild	1063.0
XP	Pale Ale	1057.0
XPS	Pale Ale	1057.0
XX	Mild	1061.0
XXX	Mild	1071.0
Source:
William Younger brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document number WY/6/1/2/34.

What's the weirdness, then? I hear you ask. With No. 3. They brewed a standard a strong and a weak version. The strong one being just about as strong as No. 1. So why not just brew No.1? I really can't see the point. As for the weaker one, why not simply call it No. 4? A beer which they had brewed at one point.

William Younger numbered Strong Ales in 1888
Beer	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	dry hops (oz / barrel)
1	1106.0	1038.0	9.00	64.15%	22.73	11.73	14.08
3 Strong	1101.0	1033.0	9.00	67.33%	12.80	6.30	19.78
2	1091.0	1035.0	7.41	61.54%	9.4	4.17	10.00
3 Sp	1081.0	1022.0	7.81	72.84%	12.43	4.59	0.00
3	1080.0	1030.0	6.61	62.50%	10.50	3.91	9.38
3 Weak	1061.0	1018.0	5.69	70.49%	8.17	2.11	0.00
Source:
William Younger brewing record held at the Scottish Brewing Archive, document number WY/6/1/2/34.

Dutch IPA

IPA is getting dead mainstream in Holland. Several of the old Lager brewers make them

Heineken-owned Brand has an IPA and a Session IPA. The former is an OK beer. Not had the latter. On principle, as it costs more than the straight IPA, but us only half the strength. Where's the logic in that.

Heineken have yet another IPA in the Dutch market, in the form of Lagunitas. Do they brew it in Holland? It wouldn't surprise me.

Gulpener, quite a small Lager brewery, have a New England IPA, of all things.

Yesterday a beer in the cooler in Dirk van den Broek* caught my eye. Grolsch IPA. I couldn't remember seeing it before so I grabbed a couple of bottles.

I came down this morning and saw the two bottles were empty. I don't remember drinking those last night.

"Did you drink my Grolsch IPA, Andrew.

"Yes, Dad."

"At least tell me what you thought of it."

"I liked it."

Andrew got a taste for IPA while we were in the US. And also acquired a habit of hoovering up any booze we leave unattended.

Time to crack one open for myself. With a side sample for Dolores.

There's a bit of the grapefruit thing going on. Quite subdued. Not crap, by any means. Just inoffensive. I prefer a more in your face IPA. Like Sculpin. Grolsch IPA is also a bit weedy - just 5.5% ABV. Whilst Brand's is 7% ABV.

"What do you think, Dolores?"

"It's like the beers from Butcher's Tears. A bit like Green Cap."

"It does smell grapefruity, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but not too bad. Not my most favourite beer. But Drinkable." Dolores says, polishing off her sample. Praise indeed.



* A cheap and cheerful Dutch supermarket chain. Like Morrrisons, a bit.

Let's Brew - 1869 Barclay Perkins KK

It's been a busy week. I've written a stupid number of recipes. For sort of stupidly random reasons.

Though it was something I'd planned to do a few years back. Updating my book "Strong!" to include recipes. I'm aiming for at least 120. Realistically, more like 150. I should be done in a few days. Unless I run out of crystal meth.*

A useful process, writing a large number of themed recipes in a short space of time. It's helped me to notice some patterns in recipe formulation. Also, as I don't want to repeat recipes I've used in other books, it's spurred me to further research.

William Younger being a good example. I've published so many of their recipes. How to stop repeating recipes? Easy. Harvest the brewing records I'd left lying fallow. I'd done nothing with the 1888 records. Which I'd not bothered with because I'd done the 1885 and 1898 ones.

Big mistake. The 1888 records have already been teaching me stuff. Which I'll reveal later.

For now, enjoy this Barclay's Burton Ale.

In the middle of the 18th century, London Stock Ales were monsters of beers. High gravity and ridiculously heavily hopped.

Of course, they need all those hops to keep them healthy between primary fermentation and sale. Because they would have been aged for a long period – probably at least 12 months. Though, unlike Porter and Stout, which were aged in vats, Stock Ales were aged in trade casks, most likely hogsheads.

There’s nothing much to the recipe. Just one type of pale malt and two types of hops. East Kent and Mid-Kent from the 1867 harvest, to be specific. The hops, I mean.

The FG is just a guess. It could well have been considerably lower as there would have been a secondary Brettanomyces fermentation during the ageing process.

Barclay Perkins also brewed a Mild version, XX. It had the same OG as KK, but was hopped at around two-thirds the rate.

1869 Barclay Perkins KK
Mild malt	19.50 lb	100.00%
Goldings 90 min	4.50 oz
Goldings 60 min	4.50 oz
Goldings 30 min	4.50 oz
Goldings dry hops	1.50 oz
OG	1085.5
FG	1020
ABV	8.67
Apparent attenuation	76.61%
IBU	148
SRM	8
Mash at	155º F
Sparge at	190º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread Ale

* I really run on Yorkshire Tea and vitamin D tablets.

The changing of a Burton (part two)

Still banging on about Whitbread Burton Ale and how it transmogrified over the years.

These are the malts. Quite a bit of switching around.

I've been down the pub tonight with my mates will and Lucas. Which is why I'm not going into any complicated explanation. Bit knacked and wet. It was pissing it down here earlier.

I'll be boring you with the sugars tomorrow.

(Unless I can think of something better to do.)

Whitbread draught Burton Ale  grists 1900 - 1958
Year	Beer	OG	SA malt	pale malt	PA malt	brown malt	choc. Malt	crystal malt
1900	KK	1076.3	84.48%			1.72%
1924	KK	1055.1		34.50%	52.50%
1932	XXX	1045.2		73.38%				12.76%
1934	33	1060.8		26.51%	51.36%		1.66%
1940	XXXX	1052.8		5.88%	79.41%		2.94%
1946	XXXX	1043.3			66.49%		3.17%
1958	KKKK	1050.5			82.23%		0.90%
Sources:
Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/065, LMA/4453/D/01/089, LMA/4453/D/01/098, LMA/4453/D/01/100, LMA/4453/D/01/107, LMA/4453/D/01/113 and LMA/4453/D/01/126.

The changing of a Burton Ale

I've been frantically writing recipes this week. In an attempt to add a recipe section to one of my books in a week. A crazy schedule, which I might manage, if a kilo of crystal meth drops from a plane into my garden. That not being very likely, I'll have to make do with tea.

Writing lots of recipes in a short space of time does have its advantages. When you do a long sequence of one beer, you can't help but notice patterns.  Obviously, you need a long sequence of data. Not a problem if, like me, you're as obsessive as a wasp around jam*.

I've a full set of Whitbread Chiswell Street records. Giving me lots to numbers to wrangle. Which is what I do best. I noticed some things about Whitbread's Burton Ale.

From the number of times the strength, recipe and even name changed, it looks like Burton was a bit of a problem child for Whitbread. Between 1932 and 1940, it changed names three times. Accompanied by a big change in the beer.

As you can see from this table.

Whitbread draught Burton Ale 1900 - 1958
Year	Beer	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl
1900	KK	1076.3	1033.0	5.73	56.74%	12.00	4.07
1924	KK	1055.1	1014.0	5.44	74.60%	10.03	2.37
1932	XXX	1045.2	1015.5	3.93	65.71%	7.49	1.45
1934	33	1060.8	1019.0	5.53	68.75%	9.48	2.45
1940	XXXX	1052.8	1014.5	5.07	72.54%	8.50	1.83
1946	XXXX	1043.3	1010.0	4.41	76.91%	5.75	1.08
1958	KKKK	1050.5	1011.5	5.16	77.23%	7.75	1.68
Sources:
Whitbread brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numbers LMA/4453/D/01/065, LMA/4453/D/01/089, LMA/4453/D/01/098, LMA/4453/D/01/100, LMA/4453/D/01/107, LMA/4453/D/01/113 and LMA/4453/D/01/126.

Between 1946 and 1958, I haven't any photos of a Whitbread Burton record. It could be that they just brewed it very occasionally and I missed it when I was flicking through their records. (When in the archive, I aimed to process one Whitbread brewing book every 5 minutes.)

It's weird how they flicked back and forth between X's and K's. When, logically, they all should have been K's. According to London convention, at least. Note the inflation in X's and K's over time. Often as the beer itself got weaker.


* Or super-strength Lager. I've had them bother me a couple of times this week on the bench. Despite it being wet and windy. The little bastards.

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1837 Whitbread KXX

I've been very concentrated on the 20th century for the last couple of years. And I've realised that I've published very few London Stock Ale recipes from the 19th century. So here's one.

In the early days of brewing Ales in London Porter breweries, they didn’t use all K’s to designate their Stock Ales. Instead they used X’s, as for Mild Ales, with a single K as a prefix. Whitbread only shifted to all K’s in 1865.

Early 19th century recipes are masterpieces in simplicity. This beer, for example, only contains two ingredients other than water and yeast. Just base malt and two types of hops. English, obviously.

The level of hopping is surprisingly low for a Keeping Ale. 7.6 lbs per quarter (336 lbs) of malt is really bugger all.  I’d have expected almost double that. But there’s a reason why the hopping rate is low. This example was part5i-gyled with X Ale, a Mild.

In the brewing log, the “starting”, i.e. racking, gravity is listed at 1032.7º. I’ve guessed at a much lower number, assuming that there would have been a Brettanomyces secondary fermentation during the many months of ageing which would have knocked that down a fair bit.

1837 Whitbread KXX
mild malt	20.50 lb	100.00%
Goldings 120 mins	3.00 oz
Goldings 30 mins	3.00 oz
Goldings dry hops	1.00 oz
OG	1090
FG	1022
ABV	9.00
Apparent attenuation	75.56%
IBU	59
SRM	8
Mash at	152º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	120 minutes
pitching temp	59º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread Ale

Favourite places to drink (part four)

This time it isn't a pub. Neither is it from sometime in the past. It's here and now and a park bench.

I've been trying to keep active. And trying to find some time to read every day. I've come up with an activity that combines the two. Half way through my walk, I sit on a bench, get out Private Eye and sit and read for while. Or watch the ducks. It's very relaxing.

I often take along a can. Something that befits the location. Super-strong Lager is the only possible choice. I usually go with Gulpener Gladiator. If there's any in the shop. Half the time the shelves are bare. Its popularity may be down to its very reasonable price of 1 euro for a half litre.

If there's no Gladiator, second choice is Grolsch Het Canon. Not as nice and more expensive. Though it is a bit stronger. Third choice is Bavaria 8.6 Extreme. Even less nice than Het Canon. But at least pretty good value.

I only ever have the one can. Unless I'm there with Mikey, when I'll have a couple.

Odd that this is the spot where most of my drinking outside of home now occurs.

Boring numbers

Among my more weird hobbies is collecting old brewery price lists. And being an obsessive, I slot them into tables. I'm, over 5,000, if you're wondering.

After beerfoodtravel posted a price list from an Irish brewery, I couldn't help but harvest it. Then I thought: I can get an easy blog post out of this. As I was sure I had English price lists from the same year, 1884. And sure enough, I did.

I can't be arsed to provide an erudite commentary. Look for yourselves.

I will remark, however, that Keily's IPA was priced at the same level as English ones.

Patrick Keily & Sons of Waterford, Ireland beers in 1884
beer	price per barrel (shillings)
"Sampson" Ale (XXXX) sweet	60
Indian Pale, bitter	54
Strong XXX, mild	48
The Half-Guines Family Ale	42
Sampson Stout (XXXX) Especially recommended for Invalids	60
Export Double Stout	48
Medium (family stout)	42
Single Porter	36
Source:
Waterford Standard

Cromwell Brewery of Newark beers in 1884
beer	price per barrel (shillings)
X Ale	36
XX Ale	42
XXX Ale	48
XXXX Ale	54
India Pale Ale	54
India Pale Ale	60
Stout	42
Stout	48

Henry Smith & Sons of Stockport beers in 1884
beer	price per barrel (shillings)
Harvest Beer	36
K Mild Ale	36
SA Mild Ale	42
XX Mild Ale	48
XXX Mild Ale	54
BB Bitter Ale	48
E IPA Pale Ale	54
XP Porter	36
XXP Porter	48
DBS Double Brown Stout	54

Edwin Finn beers in 1884
beer	price per barrel (shillings)
XXX Strong Ale	56
XX India Ale	48
X India Ale	42
BA Light Bitter Ale	42
X Mild Ale	36
Brown Stout	52
Porter	36
Source:
Pike's Weald of Kent & Romney Marsh Directory, 1884-85

Overton of Croydon beers in 1884
beer	price per barrel (shillings)
Family Vigour Ale	42
IPA No.1 Ale	48
PA No. 2 Ale	42
XK Bitter Ale	36
XXX Mild Ale	54
XXK Mild Ale	42
XX Mild Ale	36
DS Double Stout	54
S Stout	42
P Porter	36
Source:
Pike's Weald of Kent & Romney Marsh Directory, 1884-85

Leney of Wateringbury beers in 1884
beer	price per barrel (shillings)
XXXX Strong Ale	72
XXX Strong Ale	63
SXXX Store Ale	54
XX Mild Ale	54
BXX Bitter Ale	54
AK Pale Ale	42
BB Bitter Ale	36
X Mild Beer	36
S Stout	54
XX Porter	36
Source:
Pike's Weald of Kent & Romney Marsh Directory, 1884-85

Favourite places to drink (part three)

In 1979 I spent a few months living in a squat in the East End of London.

We knew some people already living in the area and they pointed out a boarded up terraced house. After ripping off the boards we had ourselves a house. And it was free.

I think it was one of these houses

Admittedly, it wasn't perfect. There was a reason the house was unoccupied: the roof leaked. In several places. Just as well we moved in during the summer, when it was dry.

Best was that we had one bedroom as a rehearsal room. A drum kit and a couple of amps. How many happy hours we spent jamming away. Matt on drums, me on bass, Tym or Piers on guitar.

There were quite a few pubs in the area. One we drank in quite a bit was a Truman's pub on Devons Road, the Tenterden. It had a slightly odd, but old interior. Truman had been keg only for years, but had released a cask beer, Tap Bitter, a couple of years earlier. The Tenterden stocked it, but I wasn't mad keen.

Looking at the OG, I'm guessing that it was a cask version of their Keg Bitter. Both were around 1039º. I found mixing it with a bottle of Guinness produced something more to my taste. Guinness at the time, being bottle-conditioned, was a cracking drink. But a bit too pricey to drink straight.

There was only one Good Beer Guide listed pub in the area, The Little Driver on Bow Road. A Bass Charrington house, which sold Draught Bass. At the time still brewed in unions. I used to wander down there from time to time with Simon, who I knew from both school and university.

I realise now blending was a bit of a theme for me back then. Because I didn't drink the Bass straight. I'd mix it with a bottle of White Shield. Just to add some extra oomph.  The Bass was a perfectly acceptable drink straight.

Me and Matt worked in an arms factory close to Old Street tube. I can't imagine there's any manufacturing industry left around there now. We'd sometimes drop by the George & Vulture at lunchtime. A traditional Fullers pub. Where I first grew to love London Pride.

I didn't linger long in the East. As the summer came to a close and the rains arrived, the house became uninhabitable. And I moved back to Leeds.



The Little Driver
125 Bow Rd, Bow,
London E3 2AN.



The George & Vulture
63 Pitfield St,
Hoxton,
London N1 6BU.
http://www.georgeandvulture.com/

Who will be the first?

To buy my latest book. So far the sales number just one. The proof copy I bought.

Bit irritating after after paying Alexei 20 euros to perform his cover magic. That's the kids in a really cool bar in Kyoto. In those far-off days when intercontinental travel was normal.

It's the follow up to my other poor seller "Can we go home now?" Of which I've sold almost five copies.

Some of my finest writing, I'd say. "More of your pathetic made-up crap, Dad.", the kids told me.

Be the first to buy a copy.

There may be a prize for the first purchaser. https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/ronald-pattinson-and-alexei-pattinson/can-we-stay-longer/paperback/product-2rp4vy.html

Let's Brew - 1869 Barclay Perkins KK

In the middle of the 18th century, London Stock Ales were monsters of beers. High gravity and ridiculously heavily hopped.

Of course, they need all those hops to keep them healthy between primary fermentation and sale. Because they would have been aged for a long period – probably at least 12 months. Though, unlike Porter and Stout, which were aged in vats, Stock Ales were aged in trade casks, most likely hogsheads.

There’s nothing much to the recipe. Just one type of pale malt and two types of hops. East Kent and Mid-Kent from the 1867 harvest, to be specific. The hops, I mean.

The FG is just a guess. It could well have been considerably lower as there would have been a secondary Brettanomyces fermentation during the ageing process.

Barclay Perkins also brewed a Mild version, XX. It had the same OG as KK, but was hopped at around two-thirds the rate.

1869 Barclay Perkins KK
Mild malt	19.50 lb	100.00%
Goldings 90 min	4.50 oz
Goldings 60 min	4.50 oz
Goldings 30 min	4.50 oz
Goldings dry hops	1.50 oz
OG	1085.5
FG	1020
ABV	8.67
Apparent attenuation	76.61%
IBU	148
SRM	8
Mash at	155º F
Sparge at	190º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread Ale

Cross Green unknown

Was this a Hemingway pub?

It's in the right spot at the end of Temple View Terrace,