AK 1877 - 1913

Ten of fifteen years ago - not sure exactly when, but it was ages ago - I did a massive trawl of the internet looking for old brewery price lists. As well as going through all my brewery history books. It took weeks. But well worth it.

I transcribed them all into a spreadsheet. One with over 5,000 entries. That work compiling it was one of the reasons it took so long. Dead handy to have it now. As it enables me to quickly find dozens of examples of AK. 46, to be precise.

They come from a broad swathe of England. From Exeter in the Southwest across the South coast to Maidstone in Kent. Also the rest of London and the South, East Anglia, the Midlands and Yorkshire. Pretty much the whole of England except for the Northeast and the Northwest. (Including my hometown of Newark, obviously.) None come from either Wales or Scotland.

What did Victorians think AK was.? Going by the descriptions that accompany AK in price lists, most thought it was a Bitter. More than half the descriptions (25)  include that word. Light crops almost as many times (21 plus one Crystal). Often in conjunction with Bitter (18). Looks like back in the day drinkers, in general, thought AK was a Light Bitter.

Multiple occurrences of Family and Dinner (there's also one Luncheon) clearly illustrate that AK was considered a beer to be drunk at home with meals.

Put that all together and you have a beer that's light in three senses - colour, body and alcoholic strength - that will slip down nicely with food.

AK descriptions
descriptions	no. examples
Bitter	25
Light	21
Family	8
Pale Ale	5
Dinner	5
Mild	2
AK Bitter Ale	8
AK Light Bitter	3
AK Light Bitter Ale	10

Mild turns up just twice, once in a phrase which sounds an oxymoron to moderns ears: Mild Bitter. Mild here is clearly being used in the sens unaged, rather than to Mild Ale.

The relatively low alcoholic strength of AK is easily demonstrated by its price. One of the wonderful things about studying the period 1880 to 1914 is that beer prices were totally stable. A beer that was 36 shillings a barrel in 1880 was still 36 bob in 1914. So you can directly compare, as I do in my next table, a beer from 1877 and another from 1913.

To put prices into context, here's a full set for one brewery, coincidentally, from Newark.

Brewery	Place	year	beer	price per barrel
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	Light Mild Ale	36
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	X Mild Ale	36
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	XX Mild Ale	42
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	XXX Mild Ale	48
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	XXXX Strong Ale	54
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	XXXXX Strong Ale	60
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	Extra Strong	72
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	AK Bitter Ale	36
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	PA Bitter Ale	42
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	IPA Bitter Ale	54
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	Double Stout	48
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	Extra Stout	54

Not a bad range of beers. 

36 shillings a barrel was the cheapest beer at most breweries.You can see that they go up in increments of six shillings, which is 2d per gallon, or a farthing (a quarter of a penny) per pint. AA farthing being the smallest coin. Most didn't go as high as a 72 shilling beer. A beer that expensive would have been well North of 1100º.

Despite costing the same, AK and X Mild Ale most likely weren't the same strength. Pale Ales sold at a premium compared to Mild Ale or Porter. Usually around 2d per pint, though that was eroded over time. As I showed in an earlier post, AK had a gravity in the range 1045º-1050º. X Mild Ale was more likely 1050º-1055º.

Two-thirds  of the AKs I'm rummaging around in cost 36 shillings a barrel, 31 out of 46 examples. Eight were cheaper and seven more expensive. Six were in one price class up - 42 shillings - which implies to me a slightly stronger beer, 1050º-1055º. While the five that were one class weaker, at 30 shillings a barrel, were likely just 1040-1045º. Though there were always regional variations in the relation between gravity and price.

Here's yet another table:

Price of AK
Price	no. examples	%
30	5	11%
32	2	4%
34	1	2%
36	31	67%
38	1	2%
42	6	13%
total	46

And to end, the full table.

AK 1877 - 1913
Brewery	Place	year	beer	price per barrel	Source
A. Stannard	Portsmouth	1880	AK Light Family Bitter	36	Hampshire Telegraph - Saturday 18 December 1880, page 7
A.E. Keyes (Isherwood, Foster & Stacey Ltd.)	Maidstone	1890	AK Family Tonic Ale	36	Maidenhead Advertiser - Wednesday 17 December 1890 page 3.
Adey and White	St. Albans	1884	AK Bitter Beer	36	Gibbs' illustrated handbook to St. Albans, 1884
Arnol, Perret & Co	Wickwar, Gloucs	1895	AK Bitter Ale	36
Aylesbury Brewery	Aylesbury	1900	AK	30	Bucks Herald - Saturday 03 November 1900, page 1.
Baddow Brewery	Great Baddow	1905	AK Light Dinner Ale	36	Essex Newsman - Saturday 19 August 1905, page 1.
Byles & Co	Henley	1876	AK Light Pale Ale	36	Harrod & Co.'s Directory of Beds, Bucks ..., 1876
C. & J. Attlee	Tooting	1885	AK Bitter Ale	32
Charrington Nicholl & Co	Colchester	1885	AK Bitter Ale	36
Crowley & Co.	Alton	1905	AK Family Ale	36	Hants and Berks Gazette and Middlesex and Surrey Journal - Saturday 09 December 1905, page 1.
Daniell & Son	Colchester	1894	AK Pale Ale	36	Kelly's Directory of Essex, Herts & Middx, 1894
Dunnell	Banbury	1890	AK Light Bitter	30	Banbury Guardian - Thursday 30 January 1890, page 1.
E. Greene & Son	Bury St Edmonds	1887	AK Light Bitter Ale
Eldridge Pope	Dorchester	1890	AK Bitter Ale	36	Hampshire Chronicle - Saturday 25 January 1890, page 2.
Epping Brewery	Epping	1898	AK Light Bitter	36
F.R. Sutton	Brigg	1894	AK Light Bitter Ale	42	Lincolnshire Chronicle - Friday 03 August 1894, page 4.
Flower & Sons	Stratford-on-Avon	1890	AK Family Ale	30
Frank Higgens	Buckingham	1890	AK Specially recommended	42	Buckingham Advertiser and Free Press - Saturday 04 January 1890, page 6.
Fullers	Chiswick	1893	AK Light Bitter Ale	36	Kelly's Directory for Ealing, Acton, 1893-94
Gardner	near Sandwich	1882	AK Mild Beer	30	Hastings and St Leonards Observer - Saturday 25 November 1882, page 1
Godsell & Sons	Stroud, Gloucs	1902	AK Light Dinner Ale	36	Kelly's Directory of Somerset, 1902
Goodwin Bros.	Newark	1885	AK Bitter Ale	36
Henry Lovibond	Fulham	1889	AK Mild Bitter	38
Hodges and Ritchie	Brighton	1884	AK Bitter Ale	42	Pike's Weald of Kent & Romney Marsh Directory, 1884-85
Holes	Newark	1901	AK Luncheon Ale	36	Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald - Saturday 11 May 1901
Humby & Baillie	Stafford	1896	AK Light Dinner Ale	36	Kelly's Directory of Warwickshire 1896
Ind Coope	Romford	1890	AK Light Bitter	42	Eyre's Post Office Plymouth & District Directory, 1890
Ind Coope	Romford	1890	AK Light Bitter Beer	36	East Anglian Daily Times - Monday 31 March 1890, page 4.
Kidd & Co.	Donnington (near Newbury, Berks)	1877	AK Light Bitter Ale	36	Newbury Weekly News and General Advertiser - Thursday 27 September 1877, page 7.
Kirkstall Brewery	Leeds	1888	AK Light Bitter Ale	36	Yorkshire Gazette - Saturday 30 June 1888, page 3
Leney	Wateringbury	1884	AK Pale Ale	42	Pike's Weald of Kent & Romney Marsh Directory, 1884-85
Major Lucas	Northampton	1893	AK Light Amber Ale	36	Northampton Directory, 1893-94
Northampton Brewery	Northampton	1880	AK Family Pale Ale, a sparkling and agreeable Tonic	36	Spencers' Illustrated Leicester Almanac, 1880
Reffell's Brewery	Bexley, Kent	1888	AK Light Bitter	36
Rigden	Faversham	1913	AK Light Bitter Ale	34	William Whiteley General Price List October, 1913, Volume 2, page 1197.
Roger's	Bristol	1889	AK Bitter Ale	36
Stansfeld & Co.	Fulham	1903	AK Crystal Ale	36	Sussex Agricultural Express - Saturday 24 January 1903, page 9.
Thomas Gundry	Redhill, Surrey	1878	AK Family Ale	42	Post Office Directory of Sussex, 1878
Tomson & Wotton	Ramsgate	1899	AK Light Bitter Ale	30	Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald - Saturday 07 October 1899, page 4
Tomson & Wotton	Ramsgate	1899	AK Light Bitter Ale	36	Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald - Saturday 07 October 1899, page 4
Vincent & Co.	Bracknell	1883	AK Family Pale Ale	36	Reading Mercury - Saturday 03 November 1883, page 7.
W.E. & J. Rigden	Faversham	1902	AK Light Bitter Ale	36	Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald - Saturday 06 December 1902, page 1
Walcot Brewery	Bath	1884	AK Bitter Ale	36	Post Office Bath Directory, 1884-85
Waltham Abbey Brewery	Waltham Abbey	1882	AK Stock Bitter Ale	36	Kelly's Directory of Essex, 1882
Waltham Bros.	London	1898	AK Light Biitter Ale	36
Watney, Combe, Reid	London	1913	AK Ale, Bitter Ale (Dinner Bitter)	36	William Whiteley General Price List October, 1913, Volume 2, page 1197.
Wimbeldon Brewery	Wimbledon	1889	AK Dinner Ale	32	advertisement in Surrey Independent

 

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1885 Kirkstall AK

Another AK. And from another brewery whose beer I drank. Though by that time it was part of Whitbread and when it revived cask it did so under the brand BYB (Bentley’s Yorkshire Breweries), not Kirkstall. BYB, also taken over by Whitbread, had brewed at Woodlesford, just to the East of Leeds.

At 1050º, Kirkstall’s example of the style is at the top end of the gravity range. I’ve had to guess the FG, so it could have been either fuller or drier than the recipe shows.

The recipe is simplicity itself: just pale malt and sugar. I’ll be honest. I’ve no idea exactly what type of sugar it was. The brewing record says “Trier Maine Saccharine”. Given the quantity involved, it can’t be the artificial sweetener saccharine and must be some type of sugar. I’ve plumped for No. 1 invert.

One place where the recipe is complicated is the hopping. There are four types of hops - Farnham (1884), English (1884), English (1883) and English (1884) – plus 50 lbs of something described as “Wylde's hop substitute”. The last is very unusual. Hop substitutes were allowed after 1880, but I can’t remember seeing them in a brewing record. Only hop concentrates, and even those don’t turn up until 1944. 

1885 Kirkstall AK
pale malt	7.75 lb	77.50%
No. 1 invert sugar	2.25 lb	22.50%
Fuggles 195 mins	1.50 oz
Goldings 60 mins	1.50 oz
Goldings 30 mins	1.50 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.50 oz
OG	1050
FG	1012
ABV	5.03
Apparent attenuation	76.00%
IBU	60
SRM	7
Mash at	155º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	195 minutes
pitching temp	65º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire Ale Timothy Taylor

AK hops 1878 - 1911

This AK material will all be ending up in "Free!". I anticipate it won't be hitting the shelves anytime soon. At my current rate of progress with "Blitzkrieg!" probably around 2028. If I'm still alive then.

Older brewing records are often very vague when it comes to hops. Often just the name of the grower or merchant is listed. It you're lucky, there might be a growing region and a year as well. Ironically, foreign hops are often described more specifically. In the set below, the only variety I can be 100% certain about is Hallertau.

The biggest surprise is how few foreign hops are present. Only two, Rose and Boddington, contain any. The rest are all English hops. With Kent, when the region is specified, being the most popular English source. Which makes total sense, Kent being then, as today, the region of the UK producing by far the most hops.

From the 1850s, massive amounts of foreign hops were imported into the UK. In some years, as much of half the hops used. I suspect the reason for their absence here is that AK was a Pale Ale, a hop-accented beer. As such, better-quality hops would tend to be used than in a Mild or Porter. To English brewers that usually meant locally grown hops. Only a fe of the best continental hops, such as Saaz or Hallertau, were considered to be of the same quality as good English hops.

That every beer, except the 1878 Adnams, contains multiple hops is exactly what I'd expect to see. Especially from the last decades of the 19th century onwards. It was standard practice, I believe to smooth out changes when one particular batch of hops ran out and had to be substituted.

AK hops 1878 - 1911
Year	Brewer	Beer	hop 1	hop 2	hop 3	hop 4	hop 5
1878	Adnams	AK	ccdt
1885	Kirkstall	AK	Farnham (1884)	English (1884)	English (1883)	English (1884)	Wylde's hop substitute
1887	Fullers	AK	EK (1886)	Worcs. (1886)
1890	Adnams	AK	Worcester	Kent
1896	Eldridge Pope	AK	English	English	English
1896	Eldridge Pope	BAK	English	English	English	English
1896	Rose	AK	Sussex (1894)	Hallertau (1895)	Worcs (1895)	Hallertau (1895) dry hops
1901	Boddington	AK	English	English	English	Californian
1911	Russell	AK	English (1908)	English (1910)
1911	Eldridge Pope	BAK	MK (1908)	Kent (1908)	Worcs. (1909)	EK (1909)	MK (1910)
Sources:
Adnams brewing record held at the brewery.
Fullers brewing record held at the brewery.
Boddington brewing record held at Manchester Central Library, document number M693/405/125.
Russell brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/RUS/8
Eldridge Pope brewing record.
Rose brewing record.

 

 

AK grists 1878 - 1911

More AK fun. One for the purists, this one. Details of their grists. Gripping stuff.Feel free to switch channels now if you're in search of entertainment.

I just realised something yesterday. That I've, almost accidentally, started writing bits of the book I plan after I finally fish "Blitzkrieg!". Makes me fell like I'm not wasting my time here.

A word before we look at the make-up of an AK. You need to understand what the brewers' intentions were. They wanted a light, pale beer that was easy to drink. Knowing their will making it easier to interpret their recipe choices.

No surprise, given the aim was a pale beer, that's there's no malt, other than the base, in any of them. Crystal malt in Pale Ales didn't become a practice until well into the 20th century. Only after WW II did it become widespread.

I expected more than five out of nine (excluding the 1878 Andams, which id pre-Free Mash Tun Act) to have included an adjunct of some sort. The quantities weren't huge, either. just 4% to 8%.  

While there were sack-loads of sugar , averaging out at almost 20% of the grist. Boddington AK was the only example with a sugar content below 10%. Throwing in lots of sugar is exactly what you'd do, if you wanted to keep the body light.

AK grists 1878 - 1911
Year	Brewer	Beer	pale malt	flaked maize	flaked rice	total adjunct	invert	Sacc.	other sugar	total sugar
1878	Adnams	AK	67.74%					32.26%		32.26%
1885	Kirkstall	AK	78.46%					21.54%		21.54%
1887	Fullers	AK	79.81%					20.19%		20.19%
1890	Adnams	AK	84.00%					16.00%		16.00%
1896	Eldridge Pope	AK	78.72%	4.26%		4.26%		17.02%		17.02%
1896	Eldridge Pope	BAK	75.56%	4.44%		4.44%		20.00%		20.00%
1896	Rose	AK	81.08%		8.11%	8.11%	8.11%		2.70%	10.81%
1901	Boddington	AK	90.70%				9.30%			9.30%
1911	Russell	AK	75.65%	6.58%		6.58%	17.54%		0.23%	17.78%
1911	Eldridge Pope	BAK	79.25%	3.77%		3.77%		11.32%	5.66%	16.98%
	Average		79.10%			5.43%				18.19%
Sources:
Adnams brewing record held at the brewery.
Fullers brewing record held at the brewery.
Boddington brewing record held at Manchester Central Library, document number M693/405/125.
Russell brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/RUS/8
Eldridge Pope brewing record.
Rose brewing record.

AK 1878 - 1911

To fit in with my current series of AK recipes, I thought I'd create an overview of the examples that I have from brewing records.

Ten years back, I could only dream of getting hold of so many AKs As you're probably aware, it's long been an obsession of mine. After a decade of research, I've got a pretty good handle on the style. I'm also certain that I understand the origin of the term.

To quickly recap on that, here's my theory on the meaning of AK. The "A" is a strength indication, which is one step below X. The gradations being, in ascending order, T, A, X, XX, XXX, XXXX. The "K" stands for "Keeping" and indicates that the beer is a Pale Ale rather than a Mild Ale. Despite the fact that the whole point of AK was that it was a Light or Running Bitter. Which meant it was aged before sale.

AK is often described in price lists as a "Dinner Ale" or "suitable for family use" or something similar. Indicating that it was a light beer intended to be drunk with meals at home. When you wouldn't wasnt something to heavy or cloying.

All the examples in the have gravities in the 1040's, with the exception of Rose, which is a little over 1050º. A Reasonable degree of attenuation leaves them all between 4% and 5% ABV.

Most are hopped at around 8 lbs per quarter, which is about the same as a London Mild Ale of the same period. But a good bit below the rate of a Stock Pale Ale or IPA. Exceptions to this are the Adnams and Kirkstall examples which have over 10 lbs per barrel.

Next time we'll be looking at the recipes.

AK 1878 - 1911
Year	Brewer	Beer	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	Pitch temp
1878	Adnams	AK	1044.3				11.67	2.82	65º F
1885	Kirkstall	AK	1049.9				12.42	2.01	58º F
1887	Fullers	AK	1049.6	1014.1	4.69	71.51%	7.61	1.66	58º F
1890	Adnams	AK	1047.1				10.91	2.20	58º F
1896	Eldridge Pope	AK	1048.5	1011.6	4.87	76.00%	7.33	1.50	60º F
1896	Eldridge Pope	BAK	1048.5	1011.9	4.84	75.43%	7.03	1.44	59.5º F
1896	Rose	AK	1051.5	1014.5	4.89	71.84%	7.23	1.60	59º F
1901	Boddington	AK	1046.0	1013.0	4.37	71.74%	8.00	1.48	59.5º F
1911	Russell	AK	1041.3				7.52	1.29
1911	Eldridge Pope	BAK	1044.3	1012.7	4.18	71.25%	8.09	1.56	60.25º F
	Average		1047.1	1013.0	4.6	72.96%	8.78	1.76	59.69º F
Sources:
Adnams brewing record held at the brewery.
Fullers brewing record hels at the brewery.
Boddington brewing record held at Manchester Central Library, document number M693/405/125.
Russell brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/RUS/8
Eldridge Pope brewing record.
Rose brewing record.

 

Let's Brew - 1887 Fullers AK

The first ever AK brewing record I came across was from Fullers. How excited I was that day. Since then, I’ve come across a stack more. But your first is always the most memorable.

I was quite surprised to discover that Fullers had brewed an AK. And even more surprised how long in lasted. Surviving up until 1941, when it was killed off by the falling gravities of WW II.

There’s nothing particularly special about the recipe. It’s pretty typical of the style – under 5% ABV, pale, fresh and with a very simple recipe. Base malt and sugar. As often with 19th-century recipes, the brewing record isn’t very specific about the precise type of sugar. “Sacc.” Is as specific as it gets.

Two types of hops, both English and both from the 1886 crop. One East Kent, the other illegible.

1887 Fullers AK
pale malt	8.50 lb	80.95%
No. 2 invert sugar	2.00 lb	19.05%
Fuggles 90 mins	1.00 oz
Fuggles 60 mins	1.00 oz
Goldings 30 mins	1.00 oz
Goldings dry hops	0.50 oz
OG	1049.5
FG	1014
ABV	4.70
Apparent attenuation	71.72%
IBU	39
SRM	9
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	160º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	58º F
Yeast	WLP002 English Ale

The pubs of Formby

While doing a deep dive into Formby and its breweries, I cam across a handy list of of the town's pubs in 1911.

There were 12 full-licensed pubs and 4 beer houses. Of the fully-licensed pubs, seven were owned by breweries. Though that number doesn't include the Railway Hotel, which was really tied as its owner, Willian Dickinson, also owned the Old Brewery. Interestingly, none of the beerhouses appear to have been tied. Though two of them were owned by our old friend Charles Weld-Blundell. Oddly, neither of the two fully-licensed pubs called the Weld-Blundell Arms was owned by him.

Three pubs were tied to Liverpool brewer Thelfalls, with one each belonging to Ellis, Warde, Webster Co., Peter Walker, Thorougood and Whittle Springs Brewery. Meaning there must have been a decent variety of beer available.

All of the breweries are from fairly close by. Peter Walker, in Warrington  being the most distant.

You'll notice that there's a huge difference between the value of fully-licensed pubs and beerhouses. The rateable value of the former varied from £85 to £888. While the latter went from a mere £12 to £59 10s. Why the difference? Because the profit on selling spirits was much greater than on beer. If a beerhouse, which couldn't sell spirits, was granted a full licence its value shot up. Beerhouses were often quite small, too. Many had originally been converted from either housed or shops.

The pubs of Formby in 1911
LICENSED VICTUALLERS
	Rateable value of licensed premises	Annual Value taken by Excise for the purpose of licensed Duties
Robert Formby, Rifle Range, Altcar; owner, Earl of Sefton.	£85 0	£100 0
Annie Sawyer, Park Hotel, Birkdale; owners, Execs R. and C. Watson	£251 0	£314 0
John Coke, Blundell Arms Hotel, owner *Ellis, Warde, Webster Co., Ltd.	£297 10	£350 0
Harriet J. Balch?, Palace Hotel, Birkdale; owners, Execs. Wm Sharpe, Sale, & H. Ainscough, Buracough.	£888 0	£1100 0
Herbert Hough, Portland Hotel, Birkdale; owner *Peter Walker and Sons	£161 10	£190 0
Arthur Ernest Vaughan, Crown Hotel, Birkdale; owners, Crown Hotel, Co., Ltd	£127 10	£150 0
Alfred J. Bolton, Blundell Arms Hotel, Formby; owner *Threlfall's Brewery Co., Ltd.	£255 0	£300 0
John Rimmer, Royal Hotel Formby; owners, *Thorougood, Limited, Brewers, Waterloo.	£131 10	£155 0
Wm. R. Dickinson, Railway Hotel, Formby; owner, Licensee.	£127 10	£150 0
Chas. R. Sullivan, Grapes Hotel, Formby; owner *Threlfall's Brewery Co., Ltd.	£276 0	£325 0
John Adams, Freshfield Hotel; owners *Threlfall's Brewery Co., Ltd.	£102 0	120 0
John H. Crankshaw, Railway Hotel Ainsdale; owners Whittle Springs Brewery Co., Ltd.	£158 0	£306 0
BEERSELLERS "ON"
Sarah Ann Whitehead, 20, Upper Aughton-rd., Birkdale; owners Execs of Sarah Ann Coke	£59 10	£70 0
Joseph Allcock, Bay Horse; owner C. J. Weld-Blundell	£42 10	£50 0
William Bolton, New Bridge Inn, Formby; owner C. J. Weld-Blundell	£12 0	£15 0
Jane Linaker; Farmers' Arms, Banks; owner T. T. L. Scarisbrick	£38 0	£50 0
Source:
Formby Times - Saturday 04 February 1911, page 7.

Note that four of the licences were held by women.

60 years or so later, Threlfalls still dominated the pub scene:

"Hotels.-Of the public houses an Formby, two are associated with Bents Breweries - the Royal Hotel in Liverpool Road and the Bay Horse in Church Road. The Railway Hotel near Formby Station, is a Walker Tetley House and the only one in Formby. The Blundell Arms Hotel, Cross Green, the Grapes Hotel on the corner of Ryeground Lane and Church Road, and the Freshfreld Hotel, Massams Lane, are all Threlfalls houses. Of these only one takes residential guests — the Grapes Hotel. The Formby House Hotel, pleasantly situated in wooded surroundings on the old Southport Road, is also residential."
Formby Times - Wednesday 07 January 1970, page 28.

By that time, however, Threlfalls had been taken over by Whitbread and Bents by Bass Charrington. Neither would be brewing much longer. Although, on paper, the breweries were all quite local, all of them were part of Big Six national combines.

Ellis, Warde, Webster Co., Ltd.
Snig's Foot Brewery, 26 Church Street, Ormskirk.
Founded 1871, bought by Walker Cain in 1929 with 102 pubs, closed 1955.
"A Century of British Brewers plus plus" by Norman Barber, 2012, page 80.

Peter Walker and Sons
Dallam Lane, Warrington.
Founded 1846, merged with Robert Cain to form Walker Cain in 1921. Merged with Tetley in 1960, closed 1996.
"A Century of British Brewers plus plus" by Norman Barber, 2012, page 15.

Threlfall's Brewery Co., Ltd.
Trueman Street, Liverpool. Bought by Whitbread in 1967 with 800 pubs, closed in 1982.
"A Century of British Brewers plus plus" by Norman Barber, 2012, page 110.

Thorougood, Limited
Lion Brewery, 12 Queen Street, Waterloo. Founded in 1877, bought by Threlfalls in 1921.
"A Century of British Brewers plus plus" by Norman Barber, 2012, page 111.

Whittle Springs Brewery Co., Ltd.
Crown Brewery, Springs Mews, Whittle Springs. Founded in 1891, bought buy Nuttall & Co. in 1928 with 54 pubs.
"A Century of British Brewers plus plus" by Norman Barber, 2012, page 82.

Bent's Brewery
New Brewery Johnson Street, Liverpool. Founded 1910 bought by Bass Charrington in 1967 with 514 pubs, closed in 1975.
"A Century of British Brewers plus plus" by Norman Barber, 2012, page 109.

F. Scott Fitzgerald and Formby, Lancashire

I'm starting to feel quite sorry for Charles Weld-Blundell, despite his initial appearance as a bullying landowner.

Somewhere it was mentioned that his male line died out when his two sons died young. That seemed odd for wealthy men in the 20th century. Then I remembered that they were born in 1887 and 1889. Meaning that they were in their twenties at the time of WW I. As posh young men, they would have served as junior officers. A position which would have put them in the trenches. And officers were the favourite target of snipers. WW I wrought carnage amongst the British  upper classes.

Except that wasn't what happened. The reality was way more tragic.

Richard Weld-Blundell married Mary Mayne while home on leave in February 1915. He died less than a year later in January 1916. I was puzzled that his grave is in Liverpool. Because they didn't repatriate bodies in WW I. If he'd died in action, he'd be buried in France or some other front. In fact, he died in the UK, killed in an accident at Ramsgate. I haven't yet been able to discover what that accident was.

His brother Louis enlisted in August 1914 but, unlike his brother, who was a lieutenant, he was a simple rifleman. He served more than two years in France and more than a year in Salonika and Palestine. Having survived all four years of the war, he died of Spanish flu in February 1919, while serving in France.

It must have been heartbreaking for his parents that he'd got through all the dangers of the war and was presumably safe. Only to succumb to disease a couple of months into the peace.

Where's the connection with F. Scott Fitzgerald? In 1927, Richard's wife, Mary Blundell remarried. Her new spouse being Alfred Noyes, a well-known writer. His first wife had been American and Noyes had taught modern literature at Princeton. Where one of his students had been F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tenuous, I know, but there is a connection with Formby.

Both Richard and Louis Weld-Blundell had a one daughter. 

Almost forgot. Mary Mayne's grandfather was Sir Frederick Weld, who had been Governor of West Australia. Meaning she was almost certainly related to her husband.