Lining British casks

I occasionally have arguments on the interweb with people who claim British casks were regularly lined with pitch of some other sunstance during the 19th century. I've never seen any real evidence to confirm it. And planrty of circumstantial evidence that pointss the other way.

This is another peice of such cicumstantial evidence. It's been plucked from the prospectus of a company specialising in lining wooden casks. The impliactaion of the text is clear: that most brewers weren't using lined casks. Otherwise why would you need to persuade them what a good idea l9ining was?

"THE STERAX COMPANY LIMITED.
ABBIDGED PROSPECTUS.

This Company is formed to acquire the British business of the Patent Sterilised Cask Company Limited, and the British patents and patent rights held in connection with the "Sterax" process, and also the TradeMark in the word "Sterax."

The ADVANTAGES OF THE "STERAX" PBOCESS may be summarised as follows : -

1. It ensures perfect Sterilisation, with absolute immunity from beers becoming affected by varying cask conditions, thus securing uniformity of character in beers.
2. It produces absolute Sealing of the pores of the wood and so prevents escape of Carbonic Acid Gas, thus ensuring maintenance of condition in beers.
3. It prevents acidity or fust by interposing the neutral substance "Sterax" between the wood and the contents of the cask.
4 It effects a great saving of expense by economy at: —(a) Time and Labour; (b) Fuel and water; (c) Cask repairing and storage space ; (d) Loss incurred through returned beer.

BREWERS WHO HAVE ADOPTED THE "STERAX" PROCESS.—The following brewers have taken licences from the Patent Sterilised Cask Company Limited to use the "Sterax" process, and plants have already been erected in six of the Breweries. Each firm has agreed to pay an annual royalty in addition to the cost of the plant; the royalties will belong to this Company :—

Messrs. Samuel Allsopp and Sons Ltd., Burton-on-Trent.
Messrs. S. and T. N. Blake and Co. Ltd., Gosport.
Messrs. Fox and Sons, Farnborough. Messrs.
Thomas Salt and Co, Ltd., Burton-on-Trent. Me»srs.
Thomas Usher and Son Ltd.. Edinburgh. Messrs.
Thomas Wethered and Sons Ltd., Marlow. Messrs.
Wm. Whitaker and Co. Ltd., Old Brewery, Bradford.
Messrs. Worthington and Co. Ltd., Burton-on-Trent.

The Anglo-Bavarian Brewery. Ltd., Shepton Mallet; the Lamb Brewery Ltd., Frome: Messrs. A. Gordon and Co., London; Messrs. Crowley and Co., Alton; Messrs. Barlett and Co., Ltd Warminsier; Messrs. W. Cooper and Co., Ltd., Southampton; and Messrs. John Furze and Co., London, have also adopted the Process, having acquired the right to use it from the inventor, who retains the protits therefrom.

The "Sterax" process has been in constant use for about two years at the Anglo-Bavarian Brewery Limited, and for shorter periods in many of the other Breweries mentioned ; its advantages have thus been thoroughly tested and demonstrated in practical working.

In addition, upwards of 100 firms of brewers have had casks treated lor the purposes of practical trial, and negotiations are in prepress with many of them for licenses.

THE STERAX COMPANY LIMITED.

PROFITS.- The royalties payable to this Company by the nine firms of brewers above mentioned will amount to over £2,500 a year and profits are being earned from treating the casks used by smaller brewers, and from treating new casks before they leave the coopers' yards. Owing to undertakings given to the  various brewers the separate amounts of the royalties payable by each cannot be disclosed, as each royalty is based upon confidential information as to the trade done.

According to the latest excise returns the number of brewers in the United Kingdom in 1899 was 6,888, and the beer produced in the year ending 31st December, 1899, was 37,404,383 barrels.

While it is not claimed to be probable that all brewers will adopt the process, yet it should be remembered that it ensures a saving in money to brewers who do adopt it estimated at three times the amount of the royalty charged, and if all brewers adopted the "Sterax" process, royalties calculated on the same basis as those fixed in the licenses already granted would amount to over £75,000 per annum, while if only 50 of the largest brewers actually adopt it, the annual royalties calculated on the same basis would amount to not less than £29,488 per annum, a sum sufficient to pay 20 per cent on the issued capital of this Company, and leave the ample margin of £15,966 for management expenses. reserve, and further dividend.

The "Sterax" process is also believed to be applicable the casks used in the vinegar and cider trades, and practical tests are now proceeding by members of these trades. Inquiries have also been received firms engaged in wine, milk, butter, fish, tallow, oil, fruit and other trades. The extension of the process in these directions would greatly extend the scope of the company's operations and profits.
Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser - Tuesday 20 March 1900, page 1.
http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000206/19000320/068/0001

The list of brewers who had licences for the process is an odd mixture of the large and famous and the obscure. Fascinating that it includes three large Burton brewers: Allsopp, Salt and Worthington. I wonder if there's any connection in Allsopp's use of it and the Lager they had just started brewing. An air-tight cask is much more important when you're filling it with Lager.

This has all the hallmarks of a wildly over-optimistic launch, with the plump profits dependent on mass acceptance of the process, at least among large breweries. Something that I'm pretty sure never happened.

Decoction! reminder

I was pleased with the showing of "Decoction!" in my discount poll. Joint fourth with 6 votes. Just outside the discount places.

No other book ever published is quite like it. I can say that with confidence. Because it nails together three not-all-that-related themes. It's really three mini-Mini Books: Lager!*, Extinct!**  and Lagerland!*** Three books! For the price of  just four!

It hasn't impressed everyone. One homebrewer called it boring. And complained of the horrible colours of the tables. That's been fixed, the table colours. He had a point. But boring? I'll let you decide.

Some critics have compared "Decoction!" to War and Peace**** in terms of style and tone. Ii wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment, but the words masterful, seductive and gripping are in the dictionary.

Buy "Decoction!" now!. Even though I haven't kancoked down the price.



ebook and Kindle versions are also available.








* 19th-century bottom fermentiong beers and decoction mashing
** extinct German top-fermenting styles
*** travels in Lagerland
**** not Tolstoy's War and Peace. My far superior "War! and Peace!".

Thrale Prize

It's that awardy time of year. Everyone's giving out their best this and best that. The I realised that there's something there isn't a prize for: beer history writing. So I've decided to start one.

The Thrale Prize will be awarded for the best piece of historical writing in the calendar year 2012. It will be decided by a committee of renowned beer historians. Well, one beer historian. Me.

Entry is free to everyone. Pieces can have appeared anywhere - blog, web page, print - or even not at all. Unpublished work is also eligible.

What do you have to do to enter? Just send me a URl, scan, copy, text document, whatever of the piece. The closing date is 31st December. You can either nominate your own work or the work of others.

What do you win? That's the best part. The winner can choose any of my wonderful books. And have the piece reproduced on this blog, if it's unpublished and that's what you'd like. I'll probably do some sort of certificate, too. Nothing fancy like an egraved tankard. I can't afford that shit.

Thomas Usher's beers in the 1930's (part three)

As promised, here are those Usher grists from the 1930's. What can I say? Intriguing sugar combinations. At least in the beers other than Pale Ale

Let's start with the Pale Ales, as they're so dull. The grists for all of them are identical, as they were all parti-gyled together. The small difference in the table are just discrepancies in individual batches. To me it looks very like an 1890's Pale Ale grist: just pale malt, invert sugar and flaked maize. Very dull, really. I'm not sure what to say except "Look at the absence of crystal malt again". Crystal malt in Pale Ales is much more recent than generally believed.

Now we've only the sugar babes left. I've seen some sugary beers in my time, but nothing quite like these ones. The Mild, Brown Ale and Stout all contain 5 types of sugar. Barbados and penang are presumably types of cane sugar. CDM is some sort of dark proprietary sugar, as is Caramax. Not sure about DF. Some other type of proprietary sugar.

I'm not sure I've come across a Stout with no type of roasted malt before. You have to wonder how Stout-like it was, especially as it was parti-gyled with the Mild. There was also a Mild parti-gyled with the Brown Ale. I can't imagine both milds were identical in flavour.

Scottish breweries in the 1930's, if Usher and Maclay are typical, must have had very simple malt stores, containing just a couple of different malts.

Thomas Usher's grists in the 1930's
Date	Year	Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	pale malt	crystal malt	flaked maize	invert sugar	barbados/penang	CDM	Caramax	?? Sugar	cane sugar	DF sugar
20th Nov	1931	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	1055	1016.5	5.09	77.65%	3.53%		4.71%	4.71%	2.35%	2.35%	4.71%
13th Oct	1931	IPA	IPA	1032	1011	2.78	76.92%		12.82%	10.26%
2nd Oct	1931	MA	Mild	1040	1015.5	3.24	64.29%	7.14%			4.76%	4.76%	2.38%		14.29%	2.38%
6th Oct	1931	PA	Pale Ale	1034	1012	2.91	76.92%		12.82%	10.26%
6th Oct	1931	PA 60/-	Pale Ale	1040	1013	3.57	76.92%		12.82%	10.26%
5th Oct	1931	PA 70/-	Pale Ale	1047	1013.5	4.43	80.70%		12.28%	7.02%
12th Nov	1931	PA 80/-	Pale Ale	1055	1012.5	5.62	81.36%		11.86%	6.78%
2nd Oct	1931	Stout 80/-	Stout	1052	1023	3.84	64.29%	7.14%			4.76%	4.76%	2.38%		14.29%	2.38%
Source:
Thomas Usher brewing record document TU/6/6 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive

Numbers will never be cheaper

That's a promise. What's the most festive thing you can imagine? Not rubbish like tinsel, Santa, presents or trees. No, there's something I find far more festive . . . . . numbers!

You too can own numbers. Lots of them. In very convenient book form. And just numbers. None of those annoying words or sentence things. Just numbers.

And what could be even better than numbers? No, not more numbers, that would be too much of a good thing. Cheap numbers! That's what everyone wants.

Which is why I've slashed the price of the physical version of "Numbers!" by a massive 20%!

Buy "Numbers!" now! It's cheap!

And because I'm in a generous mood, I'm reducing the ebook version by even more! Yes, the electronic version is now discounted by a massive 50%!

Buy the "Numbers!" ebook now! It's ridiculously cheap!

Hawking carters (part two)

We're back with those hawking carters.

It's got me thinking about something. When I was a kid, my Dad used to order beer from Davenports. ("Beer at home means Davenports, that's the beer, lots of cheer." I can still remember the song from the TV advert.) Where did they stand legally? If I remember rightly the beer was delivered during the day. I am pretty sure that, unlike Falkirk's carters, the Davenports driver s didn't go around knocking on doors trying to flog beer.

They're back discussing the licence options. An excise licence only allowed the sale of over a certain quantity of beer, because it was intended for wholesalers, not retailers.

"Mr Learmonth (continuing) said it was being carried out so far as it was possible for his clients to do so. As to whether an excise licence would meet the case, he had to submit that it would still further encourage shebeening. Under an excise license a party could take 4.5 dozen of beer, when at present he only ordered a dozen bottles. He hoped his friend would hold it to be sufficient for the present that he had ventilated the subject. It was out of all reason that his clients, who had held a licence for a great number of years, should be brought up here and made to answer a charge of this kind when no complaint was made against them. The charges for hawking which Mr Gordon had referred to were charges which affected another district altogether. In the circumstances it would fair to continue the licences at present."
Falkirk Herald - Wednesday 12 April 1899, pages 4 - 5.

I can understand the annoyance at being punished for the misdeeds of others.

"Mr James Aitken, brewer, said that his firm had held a licence for a great deal more than a century, although his memory, did not go back quite so far as that- (laughter) - and they had never had any complaint made to them, either  officially or unofficially, of their, men hawking liquor in any shape or form. That being so there was surely no reason for not renewing an old certificate so long held by his firm. They had always traded in a fair and straightforward way, and he hoped that would long be their aim. He thought that if bottlers in the neighbourhood would prevent their men from selling to anyone except licence-holders at wholesale prices, the objection would be got rid of. His own firm did not supply private parties except at the gross price of the goods.

Mr Learmonth said that an association of aerated water manufacturers had been formed and the matter would have their best consideration. There was this difficulty to contend with in the matter of withdrawal from the commission on the sale of beer, that if they gave them no commission they would leave the licensed grocer with whom they had been in the habit of dealing and go next door to the private individual and perhaps sell him the same beer at almost double the price he would have to account for to his employer. That being so, he did not think the withdrawing of the commission on the sale of beer would be a great success.

Mr Aitken said that his firm had given it a trial for nearly two years, and had to abandon it. The men got a considerable increase in wages to give up the commission, but the change was not satisfactory."
Falkirk Herald - Wednesday 12 April 1899, pages 4 - 5.

Mr. Aitken, as you probably recall, was the owner of the eponymous brewery in Falkirk. Getting carters to forego their commission on beer sales clearly wasn't as simple as it sounded. As the carters were free to move to other employers who did pay commission.

Shebeening is another one of those things, like women drinking, that the authorities were obsessed with in the 19th century. Basically it was an illicit pub, where a private individual bought a large amount of drink wholesale and then retailed it in their house. There seems to have been a fair bit of anti-Irish prejudice in the concern about shebeening which, you will note, was described by a word derived from Irish.

"The Clerk said that it was within their Honours' power either to withdraw the licences, to continue the public-house licences, or to substitute for them grocers' licences. The latter method would not affect the question of hawking to any great extent, as the bottlers would send out their lorries the same as at present. They would not, however, have the right to sell liquor to be consumed on the premises as at present. As to the supplying of shebeens, it could hardly be made the subject of complaint against a bottler if he sold beer to a reasonable quantity to people who gave the order in the regular way. He would suggest that employers should try and see that their men better carried out the instructions that they got, as it was quite an open secret that the orders in the bottlers' books were not the orders carried out by the men. They gave an order for a spirit dealer for six dozen of beer or so, and went and sold that beer to private individuals at a larger price."
Falkirk Herald - Wednesday 12 April 1899, pages 4 - 5.

It seems that the bottlers weren't the only ones whose carters were pushing drink. The grocers were, too, but with whisky.

"Bailie Hamilton said that while he sympathised with a great deal that the Provost had said as to the bottlers overstepping the law by supplying drink to people who were not entitled to it, he thought that the proper course to follow was to adopt the suggestion of Mr Gordon and grant a grocer's certificate. He moved accordingly. He knew of grocers in the town who had two or three vans on the road, not hawking beer but whisky. He knew of a case where there were hundreds of gallons of whisky sold by grocers the country, and for them to step in now and to take such drastic proceedings against bottlers was to allow the grocers to continue their hawking was not just and reasonable. Supposing the bottlers got an excise licence, they would be entitled to sell four dozen of beer to one party and that was a strong reason for setting up a shebeen. Under the present licence a carter could not so sell four dozen bottles of beer. The people must first give him their order, and he had to go back to the bottler and get them before delivery. They could depend upon it that the carters would take ways and means of getting their liquor disposed of. He, however, hoped, that after what had been said by Mr Gordon, that the bottlers would endeavour to sell to wholesale people, and if they did sell to retail dealers, let them charge the regular retail prices."
Falkirk Herald - Wednesday 12 April 1899, pages 4 - 5.

What was the net result in Falkirk? The bottlers were given grocers' licences, which didn't seem to change anything much, as they could still send out carts and had never really sold beer for consumption on the premises anyway.

Get Scotland while you can

Did I mention my approaching problem with "Scotland!"? It's almost reached the maximum number of pages for a Lulu paperback. At the next major revision, I'm going to need to split it into two volumes.

Bearing that in mind, this could be your last chance to get the book in a convenient, single volume. Unless I can think o another solution. I had contemplated removing material but that seems just wrong.

As it currently stands, "Scotland" has 700-odd pages* packed with Scottish fun. If endless tables and old texts  is your idea of fun. It is mine, but I know some people prefer television, kissing or skateboarding. To each his own.

Buy "Scotland!" now! Before you have to buy it twice.







* I realise calling something with over 700 pages a "mini book" is a bit silly.

Cupar Brewery

I seem to have got back into my Scotland groove. Not sure why, it just seems to have happened.

It's the turn of a smaller, provincial brewery. The sort of brewery that just about died out in Scotland towards the end of the 19th century. It's Mitchell Brothers of the Cupar Brewery. They spent a fair bit of money modernising the premises in the 1860's, which is the subject of the article below.

My immediate thought was: "I bet they weren't around much longer." It turns out I was wrong. They continued for at least another 50 years, at least according to "A Century of British Brewers Plus". They shut sometime around 1909. Looking at various maps, it seems all the brewery buildings have been demolished.

"CUPAR BREWERY.
"CUPAR Brewery" is an old name which now falls to he fixed to premises in every respect more worthy of it than the old brewing establishment. In saying this, we have no intention of despising that establishment, for it no doubt did good service in its day; but in our day there has been a march of improvement in brewing as well as in everything else. The Messrs Mitchell wisely resolving not to be left behind in this march, some two or three months ago set about the extension and improvement of their brewing premises, and the result is that these may now be considered as entirely new and greatly enlarged. In fact, everything is new except the walls, which have also been heightened considerably, and the Cupar Brewery has attained such dimensions as must fairly win for it a place among the leading public works of Cupar and neighbourhood. Its importance will thus excuse our speaking of it a little in detail.

To strangers and those not immediately interested in looking narrowly at the premises, the only noticeable alteration is to the erection of a brick chimney stalk which has risen up, adding to the appearance of Cupar as a town where manufactures are carried on to a small extent. But we are privileged to step in and see the works. The first objects which attract our attention are the steam engine and boiler, which have been put in by Mr Mackie of Alloa. The boiler is large and of tubular construction, by which steam can be got up in much less time than if it were of the ordinary kind of stationary boiler, with a common flue. It is placed in a neatly arched brick structure specially erected for its reception, and is fitted up with steam and water guages on the newest and most approved principles and has a multiplicity of pipes, small and large, running away from it in every direction, which would baffle an engineer not acquainted with the requirements of a brewery to discover their uses. The pipes not connected with the working of the engine and boiler, are carried to various parts of the premisises to serve certain purposes in the operations carried on. Close on one side of the boiler is a roomy coal-house, conveniently situated for "firing;" while on the other side is the engine-house, a neat, well-planned place, in which a substantial and well-finished engine is smoothly at work. The engine, which is of the horizontal kind, is nominally of eight horse power, but may he worked up to ten or eleven with safety. In one corner is a force pump, worked by a lever from the fly-wheel shaft, which is capable of raising a plentifull supply of water to the highest parts of the premises.

We now leave the engine-room and proceed to the brewing premises proper. Ushered in at a large door, our olfactory organs at once apprise us that we are approaching the scene of active operations. We are conducted up a stair and still up along a series of winding and complicated flights of steps, rendered necessary by the internal arrangements of the building, till we reach the third storey. Cranks and eccentrics, and pulleys and belts, in motion, meet us at every other step : and at length we get a peep over the edge of the malt hopper in the top of the third storey. The details of the work are all arranged to save as much manual labour as possible, and at the door of this apartment we find a tackle, worked by the machinery, for bringing up the bags of malt to the malt-mill. The malt, when ground, is raised by the machinery, and passes into a tube or small cylinder, through which it is forced forward by a large screw, to be in readiness for the mash-tun. But we cannot go into details as to the operations, we must be content to take a cursory glance at the various apparatus.

In the third storey, along with the malt mill, are the wort copper, a vessel of some 1500 gallons capacity, and alongside of it an iron vessel of nearly the same size, used for heating water. The next thing that attracts notice is the hop-drainer, which is situated in an adjoining apartment, and separates the hops which have been added in the wort copper as the worts pass on to the coolers, which are still further on in the building, and cover a space of some 30 by 20 feet. Here, too, the aid of machinery is sought to expedite the cooling process. Two large fans hung on vertical shafts, and driven at a high speed horizontally over the liquor produce an artificial wind which soon brings about the desired effect. Immediately beneath the coolers are the fermenting tuns (technically called gyle tuns) into which the liquor next passes. These are four in number, each with a capacity of 1500 gallons, and from these the ales finally pass to undergo the necessary fermentation and clarification in cask, before being sent into the market. This takes place on the ground floor which we have now reached, and there is here one application of the steam from the engine boiler that is worthy of notice. It is turned on through an India-rubber tube with a metallic nozzle for the purpose of cleansing the casks, which saves a great deal of scrubbing and rolling about of the casks, which used to be performed by manual labour. The temperature, too, of the brewing premises may be raised at will by means of hot air, which is carried round all the apartments in cast-iron pipes.

These extensive improvements, which will cost somewhere between £2000 and £3000, are not yet wholly completed. The artisans are still busy finishing up, and it will be a few days before the brewery is in full working order. When that is the case, we believe the Messrs Mitchell, from the power of machinery at their command, will be able to do more work than any brewery in Fife. The establishment is to be under the superintendence of Mr John Mitchell, jun., who has had experience in first-rate places of the kind, and will conduct it on the same principles as the Edinburgh brewers, sending into the market ales of all sorts - India pale ale, export ales, English mild ales, Scotch ales, porter, and table beer, &c.

But a business establishment of this kind is incomplete without ample stores and cellarage ; and we believe it is the design of the Messrs Mitchell to supply this want as soon as the work can possibly be overtaken. They intend to add to the length of the present buildings, and to erect new and commodious cellars and stores on the site of the old houses which run parallel to the front of the brewing premises, and have been only partially used for brewing purposes. By these new buildings, the double advantage of ample accommodation and of something like uniformity with the extensive malt barns and granaries at the opposite end of the property will be gained. Upon the whole, the Messrs Mitchell give a laudable example of enterprise in these undertakings, which, we trust, will prove not only remunerative to themselves, but of benefit to the town and trade of Cupar."
Fife Herald - Thursday 16 April 1863, page 2.

It's time for brewhouse maths again. Those four gyle tuns held 15000 gallons each, or about 42 barrels. From the description, it sounds as if some of the fermentation was in trade casks. Which is important, as it means the fermenting wort would be in the gyle tuns for a shorter length of time. Usually I'd say about a week in the fermenter, but in this case two days might be closer to the mark. Which would give a weekly maximum capacity of around 500 barrels (3 x 42 x 4), or 25,000 barrels a year. I suspect the actual amount brewed was much less.

I'd have preferred it if the author hadn't spent quite so much of the article describing the engine and boiler. More details of the brewing equipment would have been useful. Though he does mention the types of beer they made. The mention of English Mild Ales intrigues me. It sounds as if a distinction is being made between Scottish-style Ales, or Scotch Ales, and their English equivalents.. It's no surprise to see IPA get a mention, but I would have expected to see Stout rather than Porter. Perhaps Porter is being used as a generic term for both Porter and Stout. Porter had just about disappeared by this point in Scotland. What's meant by Export Ale? Is that a Strong Ale or an Export Pale Ale?

Thomas Usher's beers in the 1930's (part two)

I'm really glad I pulled my finger out and had a proper look at those Usher brewing records from the 1930's. They've answered a lot of questions. And there was an extra special bonus: I found a Scottish Brown Ale recipe.

I can now say, without fear of contraception, that I know what that Amber Ale was. It's not difficult to work out. Usher only brewed two beers with a gravity of 1040º: Mild Ale and PA 60/-. There's a good reason why it can't be the Mild. That's way too dark, with all sorts of dark sugar in it. You expect that, since it was parti-gyled with the Stout. My suspicion is confirmed: Amber Ale is PA 60/- with less caramel.

I'm really excited about the Brown Ale. They have a habit of not turning up in brewing books because of the way many breweries produced them. Basically by fiddling with another beer, usually Mild. Usher's is different, and all the more fascinating for that. It's full of sugary goodness, as we'll discover next time when I go through the grists in the agonising detail that must surely one day drive you to dive off the top of a multi-storey car park. It was parti-gyled with another iteration of Mild Ale.

The four Pale Ales and the IPA are, unsurprisingly, basically the same beer. They were parti-gyled in all sorts of combination. IPA was a newcomer to the product range in the early 1930's. I can see why they might introduce a lower-gravity beer - hard times and all that. But why call it IPA? I think I know the answer: because that's what the punters expected an IPA to be like, a light Pale Ale.

Going through the pages of the brewing log has given me a good idea of how much of each beer Usher brewed. The vast majority was PA 60/-, followed by IPA and PA. I've added up how much of each beer was brewed in four pages of the brewing book, covering 1st October to 20th November. Here's a nice little table of the results:

Beer	Barrels	%age of total
Brown Ale	35	0.63%
IPA	1067.5	19.32%
MA	92.5	1.67%
PA	573	10.37%
PA 60/-	3442.5	62.32%
PA 70/-	240.25	4.35%
PA 80/-	38.5	0.70%
Stout 80/-	34.75	0.63%
Total	5524	100.00%

Usher didn't use dark malts at all as far as I can tell. The darkest was crystal, which went in the Brown Ale, Mild Ale and Stout. All the real colour in these three came from dark sugars.

Next time we'll be looking at the grists of these beers.

Thomas Usher's beers in the 1930's
Date	Year	Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	Pitch temp	max. fermen-tation temp	length of fermen-tation (days)
20th Nov	1931	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	1055	1016.5	5.09	70.00%	4.26	1.89	1.75	1			60º	º
13th Oct	1931	IPA	IPA	1032	1011	2.78	65.63%	5.98	0.78	1.75	2	2.5		60º	67º	7
2nd Oct	1931	MA	Mild	1040	1015.5	3.24	61.25%	3.75	0.62	2	1			60º	67º	7
6th Oct	1931	PA	Pale Ale	1034	1012	2.91	64.71%	5.98	0.83	1.75	2	2.5		60º	67º	7
6th Oct	1931	PA 60/-	Pale Ale	1040	1013	3.57	67.50%	5.98	0.97	1.75	2	2.5		60º	67º	7
5th Oct	1931	PA 70/-	Pale Ale	1047	1013.5	4.43	71.28%	5.98	1.43	1.75	2	2.25	2.5	60º	67º	6
12th Nov	1931	PA 80/-	Pale Ale	1055	1012.5	5.62	77.27%	6.02	1.35	1.75	2	2.25	2.5	60º	67º
2nd Oct	1931	Stout 80/-	Stout	1052	1023	3.84	55.77%	3.75	0.80	2	1			60º	67º	7
Source:
Thomas Usher brewing record document TU/6/6 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive

Thomas Usher's beers in the 1930's

The decades are flying past. It only seems a few days ago that we were still in the 1920's.

They were a funny decade, the 1930's. Especially for beer. The disastrous tax rise of 1931, its repeal in 1933. The repeal was such a big deal, Whitbread even named their Burton after it: 33. I seem to remember something else not so good happening in 1933.

Traditions are wonderful things. I seem to have established a new one: going through the styles in alphabetical order. It works for me, so why change it?

I've never been able to get my head around what Amber Ale is. OK, I get the 18th century definition: a lightly-hopped malt liquor from 100% amber malt. Unlike Brown Ale, the term Amber Ale does crop up in the 19th century. Sometimes as a type of Mild Ale. presumably one with a bit more colour than the normal pale 19th-century type.

That's mostly in the early decades of the 19th century. In the later decades it pops up more often as a type of bottled beer. A Dinner-Ale type thing. More a low-gravity Pale Ale, presumably with a bit more colour than Pale Ales of the day.

What sort of beer was Usher's Amber Ale? Judging from that 1930 analysis, a good bit paler than most Scottish Pale Ales. Most Pale Ales of the 1930's were between 20 and 28. The more I look at, the more the 1930 one looks like PA 60/-, just not coloured up as much.

Just one Brown Ale this time. One with a pretty decent gravity of 1050. Which puts in the upper half, gravity-wise, for the 1930's. Not more I can think to say. Except the colour, which is pale brown.

Look at those lovely watery IPA's. It this case quite literally, it seems. I was going to say watering down PA could explain how they got a beer with a lower OG than any in the 1928 brewing book. Then I took a closer look at the photos I have of that book. Which go all the way to 1934. I've just never gone through them properly. There's a little job for this evening.

Now the Pale Ales. All the ones hovering around 1040º are PA 60/-. Export Ale is PA 80/-. Hey, isn't that what it's supposed to be? Isn't that odd. The few colours given are very dark for Pale Ale. 40 is about Newcastle Brown colour. Doubtless, true to Scottish tradition, they were coloured up at racking time to a variety of shades.

Old Scotch Ale are the same thing, just named differently. The sort of Scotch Ale Belgians would recognise: dark and strong. My type of beer, now I think about it. I should get someone to brew one up.

That Stout is a bit of a funny beast. Neither the stronger export type nor the weaker sweet type. Perhaps a compromise?

I realise there will need to be a part two to this. Where I look at Usher's beers as they are in the brewing records.

Thomas Usher's beers in the 1930's
Year	Beer	Style	package	FG	OG	colour	ABV	App. Attenuation
1930	Amber Ale	Amber Ale	bottled	1010	1040	16	3.89	75.00%
1938	Amber Ale	Amber Ale	draught	1009	1044.5		4.62	79.78%
1931	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	bottled	1013	1050	54	4.81	74.00%
1931	IPA	IPA	bottled	1010	1032		2.85	68.75%
1932	India Ale (watered from PA)	IPA	bottled	1008	1030.5		2.92	73.77%
1930	PA 60/-	Pale Ale	bottled	1013.5	1040.5		3.49	66.67%
1930	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	draught	1010	1040	42	3.89	75.00%
1931	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1008.8	1039.6		4.00	77.78%
1931	PA 60/-	Pale Ale	bottled	1013.3	1040		3.46	66.88%
1931	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1010	1033	39	2.98	69.70%
1931	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1007.5	1030.5		2.98	75.41%
1931	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1010	1033	40	2.98	69.70%
1931	Export Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1011.5	1053.7		5.50	78.58%
1932	PA 60/-	Pale Ale	bottled	1012.5	1039.5		3.49	68.35%
1933	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1010.5	1038		3.56	72.37%
1934	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	draught	1013	1043		3.89	69.77%
1937	60/- Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1008.3	1038.3		3.90	78.43%
1937	60/- Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1008.3	1037.3		3.77	77.85%
1938	60/- Pale Ale	Pale Ale	bottled	1009.8	1041		4.06	76.22%
1933	Old Scotch Ale	Scotch Ale	bottled	1022	1096		9.72	77.08%
1931	Stout	Stout	bottled	1019.7	1050.7		4.00	61.14%
1932	Strong Ale	Strong Ale	bottled	1023	1091		8.90	74.73%
Sources:
Thomas Usher Gravity Book document TU/6/11 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive
Younger, Wm. & Co Gravity Book document WY/6/1/1/19 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001

Yet another brewery fire

Which brewery didn't undergo a terrible conflagration at some point? Not many, it seems. If I ever move to the 19th century I must remember not to live next to a brewery, however tempting that might be.

It must have been scary living in Edinburgh with all those breweries that kept catching fire. It can't have been helped by breweries having the fire-riskiest process, malting, on the premises. Most of the brewery fires I've read about started in maltings.

"BREWERY FIRE IN EDINBURGH.
DAMAGE, £12,000.
Another addition to a somewhat heavy list of brewery fires in Edinburgh within the past few years was made in the early hours of yesterday morning, when a considerable portion of the Park Brewery in St Leonard's, belonging to Messrs Thomas Usher & Sons, Limited, was destroyed. The brewery buildings resembled in shape the letter H, the maltings forming two sides of the letter and the kilns and stores being the intersecting portion. Intimation of the outbreak was received at the chief fire station in High Street at four minutes to four o'clock, the first alarm having been communicated by the watchman on the building to the nearest policeman, and transmitted from Causewayside Police Office. Realising the gravity of the situation, Firemaster Pordege turned out the steamers at Causewayside and Torphichen Street Stations, and also one of the steamers at headquarters, besides the hose tender. The fire had apparently broken out on the floor of the eastern block of maltings near the kiln, and when the firemen arrived they found the interior so completely filled with smoke that it was hopeless to effect an entrance. The fire, however, was tackled from the brewery yard, while a detachment of men played on the building from the North British Railway line in St Leonard's Coal Depot. The fire, however, had got so firm a hold that it spread from top to bottom with a lightning-like rapidity. The proximity of the kilns to the flooring had reduced the wood to almost the consistency of tinder, so that floor after floor was speedily licked up by the voracious flames. The fire now began to assume proportions so alarming that the Firemaster deemed it advisable to send for the remaining steamer at High Street, so that the whole available appliances of the fire brigade were called into requisition. The buildings were somewhat difficult to approach, as they stood about 600 feet from the main thoroughfare of St Leonard Street, so that considerable, lengths of hose had to be used. Fortunately, it so happened that seven months ago a new hydrant was laid by the brigade on a 15-inch pipe in St Leonard Street, opposite Parkside Paper Works, so that from the start

A COPIOUS SUPPLY OF WATER
was obtained. This fortunate circumstance happily proved the means of keeping the fire within fair limits, but the absence of a good water supply suggests possibilities too terrible to contemplate, as the brewery on the west side is bounded at no great distance by large tenements of working-class houses, while St Leonard's Church and the Parkside Paper Works are also within measurable distance. The heat from the burning building was most intense, and effectively served to keep in check the crowds of people who had been wakened from their slumbers and who turned out in all states of deshabille. The residents of the houses in Henry Place and Parkside Terrace were naturally greatly alarmed for some time, and there was great excitement in the neighbourhood. About six o'clock the roof of the northernmost portion of the eastern block fell in with a crash, sending up huge volumes of smoke, which hung over the city like a pall. The firemen had meanwhile been putting forth herculean efforts to prevent the spread of the fire towards the north and south, and for a long time they were successful in resisting the attack. Something in the nature of

A HEAT WAVE,
however, passed over the block at the south end, travelling right beyond the range of the firemen's hose pipes. The southern portion of the building speedily became enveloped in flames, and in a short time the roof collapsed. Meanwhile a section of the men had been playing on the north end of the building, where there lay a danger of the fire spreading to the brewhouse and the offices. At this time a strong wind was blowing from the north, and this had the effect of arresting the progress of the fire in that direction. Attention was next directed to the south end, where the fire raged in close proximity to the whisky bonded stores. The well-directed efforts of the firemen soon put this building out of danger. Meanwhile, however, the wind had veered round, and was blowing in the direction of the western block of maltings. The fire spread into the intersecting stores, and also found a lodgment in one of the kilns, and both these portions were speedily consumed. It was well on in the forenoon before the fire was effectually checked. Great credit is due to the fireman for their pluck and energy. Owing to the dense volumes of smoke the men had to be relieved at short intervals. Fireman Purvis, of the Causewayside Station, got his face severely scorched while playing a hose at one of the windows. The back draught drew the flame through the window and burned his head and face. At first it was thought that the damage caused by the fire would amount to about £20,000, but a later and more careful estimate made by Mr Andrew Usher, jun., put the damage at £12,000, all of which is covered by insurance. The stores and maltings held all this season's stock, which has, of course, been totally destroyed."
Evening Telegraph - Monday 30 May 1898, page 2.

The fact that the entire Edinburgh fire brigade attended the fire gives an indication of its seriousness. It must have been terrifying for those unlucky enough to live adjacent to the brewery. You can see on the map how close Henry Place was to the brewery.

Considering the extent of the damage - most of the maltings, the stores which were presumably full of beer - £12,000 of damage doesn't seem that much. It sounds as if only the brewhouse and the offices survived.  Another newspaper report gave the damage as £15,000. Still quite a modest sum considering the devastation. Just as well they were insured, though.

Book-tarting mode

While I'm in book-tarting mode, I'll remind you that there's also a Kindle version of "Bitter!"

There's no discount on this one. Technical reasons. I'd explain why, but this is meant to be a brief, light-hearted post.

The Kindle version is like the printed book, just much less papery. And cheaper.

That reminds me of something. The changing balance in sales between virtual and print. Most of the year, it's well in favour of the e-generation. Come wintery holiday-type time, it swings solidly back to paper. My explanation? Presents.

So why am I tarting an electronic book? Because I'm stupid. (Did I forget a question mark there.  ?  ) No. I've another reason. Obviously. (If I hadn't, answering the first question "no" would have been pretty stupid.)

You want to know what that reason is, don't you?

I would tell you. It's such a good one, I'm sure you'd totally understand my actions. If I told you it.

I expose plenty of myself here. But there's a limit. Some things, I keep to myself. Random, stupid things. Just like me.

My reason for plugging this book is one of those things.

Before I forget, best plug it:

Buy the Kindle version of "Bitter!". For reasons I won't divulge.

For a limited time only

I may have forgotten to mention this. Yule Logs, at least this edition, will only be available for the month of December.

Not for any real reason other than it's meant to be a seasonal special. There may well be an edition next year (if I remember), but the contents will be different.

I realise that a calendar would have made most sense. But I had arsing issues and was in a rush. (Just like always, really.)

Buy Yule Logs! While you can!