Drinkalongwithron this christmas

You know what would be great at this special time? If somehow we could share a drink or two over the holidays.

"But how can we when we're all in different countries?" By using the power of the interwebs to shrink the world and interconnect us, real-time.

How does it work? Every time I'm about to pour a drink, I'll post on the blog. You should have time to pour the same for yourself and hey presto, we're sharing a drink.

Of course, to accomplish this, you'll need to buy in the same drinks as me. So, possibly just about in time, here's a list of what you'll need:

24 bottles of St. Bernardus Abt
12 bottles of St. Bernardus Prior
1 litre of Laphroaig
1 bottle of Fino sherry
1 bottle of Manzanilla sherry
2 bottles of Ruby Port
1 bottle of Tawny Port

That should just about do for the 25th. Oh, and a couple of bottles of nice wine. Good-quality Bordeaux or something like that.

IPA in the 1860's

Still kicking the Pale Ale dog. And doubtless will be for some time to come.

The text below has something dead handy. An explanation of the strength of IPA and why, in an ideal world, it would have been cheaper. It concurs with a text about Indian brewing I quoted a couple of weeks ago. That said Light Bitter Beers were the most popular products of the breweries based in India.

Ale, Pale or Bitter ; brewed chiefly fur the Indian market and for other tropical countries.—It is a light beverage, with much aroma, and, in consequence of the regulations regarding the malt duty, is commonly brewed from a wort of specific gravity 1055 or upwards; for no drawback is allowed by the Excise on the exportation of beer brewed from worts of a lower gravity than 1054. This impolitic interference with the operations of trade compels the manufacturer of bitter beer to employ wort of a much greater density than he otherwise would do; for beer made from wort of the specific gravity 1042 is not only better calculated to resist secondary fermentation and the other effects of a hot climate, but is also more pleasant and salubrious to the consumer. Under present circumstances the law expects the brewer of bitter beer to obtain four barrels of marketable beer from every quarter of malt he uses, which is just barely possible when the best malt of a good barley year is employed. With every quarter of such malt 16 lbs. of the best hops are used so that, if we assume the cost of malt at 60s. per quarter, and the best hops at 2s. per lb., we shall have, for the prime cost of each barrel of bitter beer—in malt, 15s. ; in hops, 8s.; together, 23s ; from which, on exportation, we must deduct the drawback of 5s. per barrel allowed by the Excise, which brings the prime cost down to 18s. per barrel, exclusive of the expense of manufacture, wear and tear of apparatus, capital invested in barrels, cooperage, &c, which constitute altogether a very formidable outlay. As, however, this ale is sold as high as from 50s. to 65s. per barrel, there can be no doubt that the hitter ale trade has long been, and still continues, an exceedingly profitable speculation, though somewhat hazardous, from the liability of the article to undergo decomposition ere it finds a market.

The East Indian pale ale, or bitter beer, is now brewed in large quantities for the home market at Burton-on-Trent, London, Glasgow, and Leeds, but differs slightly from that exported, as being less bitter and more spirituous. It is brewed solely from the best and palest malts and the finest and most delicate hop, and much of its success depends on the care taken in selecting the best materials for its composition. It also requires the utmost care and attention at every stage of its progress to preserve the colour, taste, and other properties of this ale in their fulness and purity.

. . . .

The English ale-bibbers were a few years since startled by a public report, apparently well authenticated, that the French chemists were largely engaged in preparing immense quantities of that most deadly poison strychnine for the purpose of drugging the pale bitter ale, in such great vogue at present in Great Britain and its colonies. The following are a few amongst many reasons which might be quoted, to show the absurdity of this report:—1, Strychnine is an exceedingly costly article; 2, It has a most unpleasant metallic bitter taste; 3, It is a notorious poison, and by its use in any brewery would ruin the reputation of the brewer; 4, It cannot be introduced into ordinary beer brewed with hops, because it is entirely precipitated by infusions of that wholesome fragrant herb. In fact, the quercitannic acid of hops is incompatible with strychnia and all its kindred alkaloids. Hence hopped beer becomes in this respect a sanitary beverage, refusing to take up a particle of strychnia and other noxious drugs of like character. Were the nitr vomica powder, from which strychnia is extracted, even stealthily thrown into the mash tun, its dangerous principle would be all infallibly thrown down with the grounds in the subsequent boiling with the hops.
"Ures' dictionary of arts, manufactures and mines, Volume 1" by Andrew Ure, 1867, page 306.

Let's summarise that. IPA brewed for the Indian market was brewed at around 1055. But that was purely for tax reasons. In an ideal world, it would have been considerably weaker, just 1042. But, as brewers wouldn't have received any tax refund on beer of that strength, they made it stronger. I'll say it once again: IPA was not a strong beer.

Pale Ale brewed for the British market was lightly different, being less bitter but more "spirituous", by which I assume he means containing more alcohol.

Pale Ale demanded the use of the very best quality ingredients to achieve the desired paleness of colour and delicate flavour. Which explains why it was stronger for its strength than every other beer.

I've just thrown in the last paragraph for fun. It's the story of how the pesky French tried to ruin the reputation of Pale Ale by claiming it was bittered with strychnine. A story so ludicrous, it's incredible that anyone ever took it seriously.

Competition results

I've been very impressed with the quality and quantity of entries this year. Making a decision has been difficult and some of you will, I'm afraid, be disappointed.

First, the inaugural Not-been-given-a-name-yet Trophy for non-English language pieces goes to this entry by Atis:

 I have plenty of claims, but unfortunately none of them in English.

Just one quick translation from a quote from a recent press release (quoted by a news site below) by one of the largest Latvian breweries (Royal Unibrew).

    http://www.financenet.lv/nozares/348110-alus_sacensibas_uzvarejis_kastanu_alus

Lacpleša Chestnut beer is a traditional ale, brewed in accordance with methods used in Europe since medieval times. Ale, similarly to Pilsener, denotes name of the beer style. Ales for the first time were brewed in the UK, London, in the 17th century. During those times, the most popular was the pale ale. Nowadays ales are widely available in England, Belgium and the North America.

Lacpleša Kastanu alus ir tradicionals eils, bruvets saskana ar metodem, kas Eiropa pastav kopš viduslaikiem. Eils, tapat ka lagera vai Pilzenes tipa alus, ir alus veida nosaukums. Pirmo reizi eila tipa alus bruvets Lielbritanija, Londona, 17.gadsimta. Taja laika popularakais ir bijis gaišais eils. Musdienas eila tipa alus ir loti izplatits Anglija, Belgija un Ziemelamerika.

The Papazian Cup caused me the biggest headache. Just so many entries. Finally I decided on multiple winners.

Craig is the first winner for this long piece of nonsense:

I, uh... woah, wow. There are so many.

http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/why-did-the-british-invent-india-pale-ale-and-how-do-the-hops-in-india-pale-ale-help-preserve-the-beer

Ron, The last sentence is going to make you cry.

"India pale ale was invented by George Hodgson, a brewer at the Bow Brewery in East London in the 1790s, who took his pale ale recipe, increased the hop content considerably, and raised the alcohol content by adding extra grain and sugar.

Hodgson also added dry hops to the casks at priming, when sugar is added to allow secondary fermentation, and conditioned the beer with more sugar than was typical for pale ales.

The high sugar priming rate probably helped keep the yeast alive during the voyage and resulted in a very bitter, alcoholic, and sparkling pale ale that could withstand the rigors of travel while having a reasonable shelf life in India.

With such large amounts of hops and alcohol, what did it taste like?

Hops are the most expensive ingredient in any beer and a modern brewery probably couldn’t brew a genuine nineteenth-century India pale ale economically.

With so many hops, a young IPA would hit the cheek cells like paint stripper. However, the long voyage and the pale ale futures market meant the beer usually spent 12 months aging. This turned the hop bittering from an aggressive taste to a fine bouquet, which some writers described as reminding them of a French white wine.

We have carried out much research on IPA. In the brews we made, especially those based on Edinburgh recipes of around 1840, the taste after a year was unlike anything currently on the market. It certainly wasn’t overpoweringly bitter.

The combination of hops and alcohol provided a very powerful antibacterial environment, but there was still much that could go wrong.

The ale was vented before the long voyage to prevent serious explosions during the crossing and this may have introduced bacteria. It was also not easy to sterilize the casks before filling them. However, it was a trade worth pursuing because of the huge volume of empty cargo ships returning to the colonies and the cost of carriage was very low.

Many brewers who exported porter, or Imperial stout, to Russia during the nineteenth century increased the beer’s life by boosting its hop and alcohol content.

These dark porters, brewed in England but popular with Russian royalty, were high in alcohol, sweet, and dense, and survived the journey from Britain to the Baltic and across Russia. They are still popular in the Baltic states, where they are still brewed. Samuel Smith’s of Yorkshire produces a fine example.

At the same time as IPAs were becoming popular, the first golden lagers of Plzen (known as pilsners) were spreading fast, making use of the new railways and liberal doses of Saaz hops.

Most IPAs tend to be bitters that are hoppier than the norm, although a handful of “historical IPAs” weighing in at 6 percent or more alcohol by volume, still less than the 10 percent plus of the originals, are brewed by such micro-breweries as Burton Bridge and Freeminer."

The second winner is Matt, for this classic:

One last entry for the Papazian Cup, it's brothers, Jason and Todd Alström, founders of BeerAdvocate, on altbier:

"long before lagers Germanic brewers brewed ales, which have been crafted in Germany for at least 3,000 years. Not many specific styles of beer can be traced thousands of years, however Altbier is one of them. An ale at heart, "alt" is German for "old" and helps to reflect how far back this style has been around."
http://beeradvocate.com/articles/260

Where to start?

The idea that altbier has existed unchanged for thousands of years. And the maddening, ahistorical insistence on fitting it into the American homebrewers' category of 'ales'. Their seeming ignorance that lagering is what makes an altbier makes me wonder if they have ever been to Düsseldorf and drunk it. If they ever saw it described as an 'obergäriges Lagerbier' their brains might just explode.

And finally the sheer quantity of Rod's entries has won him a prize. But I particularly liked these two:

"Pale Ale is an American term for Ales; other countries use different names for Ales. For example England calls them Bitters, Germany Altbier and so on. Although Pale Ales are generally medium bodied with a light golden to light copper color, India Pale Ale, Amber Ale, and Red Ale fall into the Pale Ale category."

"Stouts and Porters are generally very malty because they are made using roasted malts and barley. There are also other ingredients that are used like oatmeal, coffee, chocolate and milk. They are usually heavy bodied"

"England is one of the few countries in the world where ales are more the rule than the exception. Also beer is still traditionally matured in caskets at the pubs, instead of at he brewery. Beer in England is normally served at cellar temperatures.

Beers is eastern England generally contain more hops than other regions. Traditional styles of English beer are Bitter, Mild, Old Ale, Brown Ale, India Pale Ale, Porter and Stout."

 "When most of the United Kingdom weren’t using hops because of growing climates, Scotland imported hops extensively for their brews."

"Pale lager does not have a noticeable amount of bitterness or aroma. This type of beer includes quite a few varieties, but the best know are the Helles and the Pilsner. It can be difficult to differentiate the two, but it becomes easier when one remembers that in a Helles, the hops flavors should dominate, while in a Pilsner, the malt should take precedence."

Read more at Suite101: Types of Lager http://www.suite101.com/content/types-of-lager-a296566#ixzz18D4ydqDY

You will have understood by now that this is a target-rich environment...........

And this one:

"BROWN ALE
This is the bottled version of draught mild, thus the opposite number to pale ale (the bottled version of bitter), which is why a "brown and light" is the equivalent to a "mild and bitter" for the bottled beer drinker. Brown ale is dark brown in colour, slightly sweet to very sweet in flavour and often a touch stronger than it pale ale cousin. Despite its fame, Newcastle Brown is not a true brown ale, being much lighter in colour, less sweet and significantly stronger in alcohol"

Quite a lot of nonsense there, at beer-pages.com

The pickings were much slimmer for the Protz Shield. But this entry from Ed just had to be rewarded:

Ben McFarland for saying before the invention of Pilsner Urquell in 1842 "all beer was dark, cloudy and more often than not a little lousy".

Or should it be him saying "Before white-coated boffins with spectacles, clipboards, pipettes and brains the size of Luxembourg discovered pasteurization in 1860, all beer was made using spontaneous fermentation"?

The winners should get in touch with me using the email address at my website:


http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/


Remember to say what prize you would like. You can choose either one of my books or some of my tacky merchandise.

Start saving those pearls of nonsense for next year's contest. Because I'll almost certainly be running it again.

Wm. Younger's Ales in the 1870's

Another random-ish text, meant to amuse you while I ferret away under the covers, like a self-abusing teenager.

It's about one of my favourite breweries, William Younger of Edinburgh. Why a favourite? Probably because I've had a look at their brewing records. And because they were such a renowned brewery in the 19th century. Big exporters of beer to the rest of the UK, Europe and the whole world. They were up there with Bass and Guinness, another two of my faves, in terms of worldwide availability.

"The 'Ale Connors,' however, must have been much more easily satisfied than are the ale-drinkers of the present day, for thirty years ago ale was a sweet ropy mixture that stood little chance beside the wines which were then so popular. The constant improvements which have taken place, during that period, have not only reinstated the wine of our country in its former position, but have secured for it a greater popularity than ever. It must be confessed that, in their endeavours to get rid of sweetness and ropiness, some brewers have run into the other extreme ; and that thinness and want of body are the characteristics of a large proportion of bitter ales either draught or bottled.

A beverage to be universally popular should combine the maximum of strength with the minimum of intoxicating effect; and it must be suited to the soil, the climate, and the national temperament. Many of the bitter ales at present sold have either no body and taste, or they are thin and chamomily, and have a ropiness which produces a sickly effect upon the palate.

Ale is now so highly appreciated for its tonic properties, that it is as constantly recommended by the profession of our own country to invalids, as the vin ordinaire is recommended by the medical men of France to invalids approaching convalescence. There is no doubt that pure beer is the natural drink of this country, and is, except in abnormal conditions, peculiarly well suited to the system. People sometimes avoid beer as having a tendency to make them fat. It is far more likely that the quantity rather than the quality of what they drink would have that tendency. What they dread is far more likely to arise from imbibing quantities of tea, or even water, than from drinking sound wholesome ale. Some young ladies drink wine only, and avoid beer as producing coarseness of complexion. We would inform them that a moderate quantity of ale would give them a stamina which no wine will give, and that girls who drink ale have peculiarly good complexions. We can readily understand how such mistakes are made ; and we well remember our own surprise on learning that the most beautiful family of girls we ever saw, and whose complexions were simply perfect, took wine sparingly and fed their beauty on ale.

Whether it is from the peculiar quality of the water, or some secret in their method of brewing, or from both combined, it is certain that the purity, body, flavour, and tonic power of the ales of Messrs. Younger and Co. of Edinburgh stand unrivalled. Many readers will remember the fine Edinburgh ale which, long before this firm had any idea of establishing their stores in London, was looked upon by ale-drinkers as an exceptional indulgence. At that time, doubtless, the Edinburgh ale was brewed to suit the palate of the sturdy Scot, whose misty climate required a firmer tonic and a greater heat-giver than our own. But experiments on southern palates, and the wants of India, have taught this enterprising firm to produce a series of ales exactly fulfilling the requirements we have indicated.

In the Belvidere-road, reached in five minutes from the Strand over Hungerford-bridge, are the London stores situate, where we became acquainted with a totally new sensation in the matter of ale. We had often drank the pale ale, so admirably adapted for ' a big drink,' and the India ale, the praises of which had been chanted loudly by our Indian friends; and we found them both in perfection here. We tasted ale which was clear and bright, though little more than a week old, and with the delicious aroma of the hop pervading it; we tasted ale which had been long in bottle, straw-coloured and clear as the driest sherry, and yet sparkling and lively as the finest champagne ; and we tasted what it is impossible to forget—the finest and strongest ale brewed by the firm, one of the greatest luxuries of the Russian nobility to this day, and sold in St. Petersburg and Moscow at from four to five shillings a bottle. This latter ale is extraordinary, and in perfection it would be difficult to distinguish it from a glass of fine brown sherry, while it is vastly more invigorating."
"Belgravia;: A London magazine, Volume 18", 1872, pages 63-65.

Where to start? The beginning, perhaps. Ales, the author says, were once ropy and sweet, but that the new-fangled Bitter Ales were bitter and thin. He's clearly not a fan. Maximum strength, but minimum intoxicating effect? That's rather contradictory. Or am I misinterpreting the meaning?

Then there's some important advice for the ladies: drink beer if you want healthy skin. The image of girls feeding their beauty with Ale is a lovely one. That must be what the girls sprawled in a puddle of their own wee outside Yates's on a Saturday night are doing.

Younger's beers are described in a flowery way, but this is what I take to be the meaning. When they brewed mainly for the Scottish market, their beers were thick and strong. Once they moved into the export trade, they started brewing beers suited to other tastes, such as IPA for the Indian market and Pale Ale for the English market. The Strongest Ale is surely No. 1, which had a gravity of over 1100. Pale, clear and well conditioned were it characteristics.

One little detail often overlooked by those preaching Scottish brewers used few hops, is the large quantity of IPA exported by Younger. But why let irritating facts get in the way of a good story?

New Poll

You may have already noticed it. But in case you haven't I've started an end-of-year poll.

It's been inspired by a classic BeerAdvocate discussion on what the word "Ale" means. The mutual understanding and respect it's generated have been inspiring:

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/3310579

I'm quite neutral on the topic, as you can doubtless tell from answer options I've chosen.

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1933 Barclay Perkins KKKK

It's the last Let's Brew of the year and, amazingly, this is Wedenesday. At least I've ended the year well.

Which series are we doing? Barclay Perkins between the wars, wasn't it. Or something like that. Today it's a very special beer. KKKK. Something Barclay Perkins brewed for the winter. A strong Old Ale, that was served on draught. Their adverts imply that it was sold from a pin standing on the bar. A common practice, at one time, and a tradition that still survives in some pubs.

Do I need to explain what the K's mean? Again. Alright, the K is derived from "Keeping", or beer that was matured before sale. In the middle of the 19th century, Barclay Perkins brewed two sets of Ales:X Ales that were sold mild and K Ales that were sold matured. X, XX, XXX and XXXX. Then KK, KKK, KKKK. The equivalent beers (XX and KK, XXX and KKK) were exactly the same gravity, but the K Ales had about 50% more hops.

Want some proof of that. Oh, all right then. Here's a nice, neat table:

Barclay Perkins K and X Ales 1869 - 1870
Date	Year	Beer	Style	OG	FG	ABV	App. Attenu-ation	lbs hops/ qtr	hops lb/brl	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	boil time (hours)	Pitch temp	pale malt
13th Dec	1869	X	Mild	1060.1	1011.1	6.48	81.53%	6.73	1.94	1.5	2.5	3	61º	100%
13th Dec	1869	XX	Mild	1079.2	1013.9	8.64	82.45%	10.46	4.00	1.5	2.5	3	60º	100%
15th Dec	1869	XXX	Mild	1092.8	1015.6	10.21	83.19%	12.38	4.98	1.5	1.75	3	60º	100%
5th Feb	1870	KK	Stock Ale	1079.2	1012.5	8.83	84.22%	18.27	7.24	2	2	2.5	56º	100%
1st Feb	1870	KKK	Stock Ale	1093.1	1016.5	10.13	82.27%	18.45	7.99	1.5	1.75	2	56º	100%
5th Feb	1870	KKKK	Stock Ale	1106.1	1017.0	11.79	83.98%	18.89	9.11	2	2	2.5	56º	100%
Source: Barclay Perkins brewing records held at the London Metropolitan Archives

Over the years the ranges were whittled down and the K Ales became known as Strong rather than Stock Ales. For many years Barclay Perkins only brewed one X Ale, er X. And two K Ales, KK and KKK. KK was their Burton, one of the standard draught beers in a London pub for the first half of the 20th century. In the 1930's KKKK, the beer we'll be looking at in more detail later, was revived as a seasonal strong draught beer.

Obviously the gravity of all the X's and K's declined between 1870 and 1933. You'll note that 1930's KKKK was just slightly weaker than the KK of 1870. You'll also note that both X and K Ales had changed colour, from pale in 1870 to dark in 1933.




That's me done. Time for Kristen to do his thing . . . .

Barclay Perkins - 1933 - KKKK
General info: A  happy 'little' Christmas or New Years brew for everyone. Something big with a ton of hops to last a good aging and maybe even unveiling for next year. 4 "K's". When people argue IPA's I point them to these babies. Big and huge. Finishing pretty high in gravity with a butt load of hops to really dry out the end. Something to be put in Nip bottles...not bloody 22oz bombers. Mouth-clearingly awesome!
Beer Specifics			Recipe by percentages
Gravity (OG)	1.076		53.2% English Pale malt			0.7% Caramel
Gravity (FG)	1.023		29.9% American 6-row			0%
ABV	7.07%		5.6% Crystal 75L			0%
Apparent attenuation	69.75%		10.6% Invert No2			0%
Real attenuation	57.14%
IBU	75.2		Mash	90min@154°F		0.81qt/lb
SRM	36			90min@67.6°C		1.69L/kg
EBC	70.4
			Boil	2.5 hours
	Homebrew @ 70%				Craft @ 80%
Grist	5gal		19L		10bbl		10hl
English Pale malt	7.84	lb	3.568	kg	425.14	lb	164.26	kg
American 6-row	4.41	lb	2.007	kg	239.14	lb	92.40	kg
Crystal 75L	0.82	lb	0.374	kg	44.54	lb	17.21	kg
Invert No2	1.57	lb	0.714	kg	85.03	lb	32.85	kg
Caramel	0.10	lb	0.046	kg	5.44	lb	2.10	kg
					799.29
Hops
Goldings 4.5% 150min	2.39	oz	67.9	g	148.46	oz	3.587	kg
Goldings 4.5% 120min	1.20	oz	33.9	g	74.23	oz	1.793	kg
Goldings 4.5% 60min	1.20	oz	33.9	g	74.23	oz	1.793	kg
Goldings 4.5% dry hop	0.41	oz	11.7	g	25.64	oz	0.620	kg
Fermentation	65°F /18.3°C
Yeast	Nottingham ale yeast
	1028 London Ale Yeast  - WLP013 London Ale Yeast
Tasting Notes: Orangina, spice and sweet sugar plums. Dark cherries with a burnt caramel. Biscuits covered in tar resin and marmalade. Bitter cherry stones and green jasmine tea. A finish that is clean but massively long. Hop burps. Sweeeeet…