The Cromwell Brewery

I still find it odd having a brewery with the name of Cromwell in Newark. Because his men spent most of the Civil War firing into the town. Newark was a Royalist stronghold and spent most of the war under siege.

But its inappropriate name isn't the only exceptional thing about the Cromwell Brewery. Through the newspaper archive I've managed to dig up quite a lot about the brewery, or rather the people who owned it. Surprising for a brewery that wasn't in operation for much more than 20 years.

According to Brenda M. Pask in "Newark: The Bounty of Beer" (1999, page 15) the brewery was founded in 1869 by James Hooton. It was on Baldertongate and attached to the Oliver Cromwell pub. By the early 1880's, the brewery had passed into the hands of the Smith family and was operated as Smith & Son (Pask page 16).

In 1883 the Cromwell Brewery Company, a partnership of William Moss and Joseph William Smith Sen., was dissolved after the death of the latter.(London Standard - Saturday 03 November 1883, page 6, Sheffield Independent - Saturday 03 November 1883, page 7.) I'm not quite sure what happened next, but by 1887 Moss was no longer associated with the brewery and it was operating as Howe and Alexander (Grantham Journal - Saturday 17 December 1887, page 4.). These are the people that interest me.

The first mention of them I found is this marriage notice:

"July 4, at Christchurch, Thomas William Alexander, to Almeida Howe;"
Stamford Mercury - Friday 14 July 1882, page 1.

It looks very much like Alexander had married a relative of his future partner, most likely his daughter. A few years later, in 1886, Alexander became a partner in the brewery, bringing with him £5,000 capital. (Nottingham Evening Post - Friday 25 July 1890, page 4.)

He seems to have been involved in the brewing trade before that, because a T. W. Alexander is mentioned in a report of Caparn, Hankey, and Co. annual fishing competition. (Grantham Journal - Saturday 18 August 1883, page 8.) Caparn, Hankey, and Co. would become Hole & Co. in 1885.

The business was more than just a brewpub, as there was also an off-licence:

"TO be LET, SHOP, with Off Beer License, situated at Fulbeck, doing a good trade in all branches. Apply to Howe & Alexander, Cromwell Brewery, Newark-on-Trent."
Grantham Journal - Saturday 17 December 1887, page 4.

As well as at least one more pub, the Royal Oak in Stodman Street. Which is where Alexander lived with his wife Almeida and her father. It wasn't the happiest of households.

This is the article that really got me interested in the Alexanders:

"At a special sitting of the Newark magistrates yesterday morning, Thomas William Alexander, Of the firm of Howe and Alexander, of the Oliver Cromwell Brewery, Newark, and the Royal Oak Hotel, Stodman street, was charged with having caused grievous bodily harm to his wife, Almina Alexander, with intent kill and murder her, on the night of Sunday, the 25th March, or early on the morning of Monday, the 26th.—- Mr. Wallis (deputy clerk to the magistrates) said the prisoner had been apprehended on a warrant, which was then read. — Mr. Norledge applied for an adjournment, and named Monday next as a suitable day for the preliminary examination. — The Mayor said remand would be granted till Monday, at 12 o'clock. — Defendant was then removed custody, and subsequently taken to Lincoln."
Sheffield Evening Telegraph - Thursday 29 March 1888, page 2.

Notice that they got the wife's name wrong.  This really piqued my interest. I've not come across a brewer being charged with attempted murder before. I wanted to know what exactly had happened and what became of Alexander and his wife.

At first I had no luck. But with a bit of fiddling of the search terms, I managed to find a pretty full account of what went on in the Royal Oak on the 25th and 26th March, 1889. You'll find out next time.

Drinkalongathon 2013 - a blur and a blank

via my kitchen.

Coffee and a computer it should be.

The duck was really nice, if you're wondering.

"No beer in the sauce." Dolores insisted. How thoughtful of her. My supplies of St. Bernardus Abt are dangerously low. Much better to use the juice of mandarins, as she suggested.

And save the Abt for drinking.

Drinkalongathon 2013 - Abt and Midsomer Murders from the NAS

15:37

I'm really getting bored of this. Why the fuck did I start this crap again?

Because I can't remember back 12 months.

I have to be quick. Dolores has just finished duck fiddling and really wants to get back to the programme.

Right. The emptiness of my glass reflects the vacuity of my observations. Will that do?

Dolores, can you come and check this isn't really stupid?

Dolores?



Dolores?










Dolores?


Fuck it.

Drinkalongathon 2013 - Prior and goat cheese thingies

14:35

Don't want to shoot my bolt prematurely. That's why I've reined back to Prior.

The slight dodginess of the Prior (always on the cusp of infection) augments the goatiness of the cheese in a precocious but not pretentious way. Top pairing.

As you can see, I didn't have a great deal of Prior left when Dolores finally fucking served our starter*.

I swigged a South African Sauvignon Blanc through most of the meal. Not so sure that its acidy thinginess worked quite do well with the fatty cheesiness of the cheese thingy.






* Accusation is of a purely writing technical nature. The starter was served at the appointed time and was delicious. Can you take the knife away from my throat now, Dolores?

Drinkalongathon 2013 - St. Bernardus Abt and more carols

12:35

I thought I'd see how well Abt paired with carols. But I've flipped over to a German channel. Good for the mystical incomprehensibility. And I don't know all the tunes.

The saintly full booziness of the Abt reinforces the saintliness of the singing - a sort of saint boost, if you will. The Abt's sweetness counterpoints the shrill screeching of the choir girls.

"Dolores, look - they've got girls singing. Who will the gay priests fiddle with?"

The German catholic service is remarkably similar to the Anglican one.

Drinkalongathon 2013 - El dorado rum and carols

12:10

As no bastard got me any whisky, I've had to nick some of Andrew's rum. I did pay for it, mind. And fetch it from Ton Overmars. The alcohol spirits colplement perfectly the spirituality of the God songs. But it would have worked eveen better with a nice Islay. A Lagavullin, for example.

I'm going to have to drop much heavier hints next year. Maybe take Andrew to Ton Overmars and tell him which single malts I particularly like. And which are the most Christmasy.

As it is, it'll be Friday before I can get my hands on some good scotch. And I have to work that day.

Drinkalongathon 2013 - sherry and, er, nothing

11:20

Trying not to eat as much this year. So my fino sherry is accompanied only by Rowan Atkinson on the telly. The dry booziness of the sherry counterpoints the rubber-faced mimicry of the comic delightfully.

Yes, I can make this work. No more ridiculous than matching food with beer.

The laughter of the audience softens the sharp acidic edge of the sherry.

Still not sure how I can make it through the day without any single malt.

Drinkalongathon 2013 - M & S Extra Strong Tea and crumpet topped with red Leicester

10:45

Not sure I can be arsed with this this year. Let's see how it goes.

The dry teaeyness of the tea contrasts beautifully with the breadiness of the crumpet (or warme ontbijtbroodjes - warm breakfast breads - as they're called in Dutch) and the coloured-up cheesiness of the red Leicester. Just realised that it's a 100% Marks and Spencer  breakfast. I wonder how that happened?

No-one though to be me some Islay. Looks like being a whisky-free Christmas. I feel like going upstairs abnd having a good long cry on the bed.

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1972 Whitbread Gold Label

Today is a very special day. Not because it's Christmas, but because I'm finally publishing a recipe for a beer that's fascinated and intoxicated me for years: Whitbread Gold Label.

Though that isn't the name it started out with. It was originally brewed by Tennant in Sheffield, who were later taken over by Whitbread. When introduced in the 1950's, it was something of a sensation. Why? Because of its colour. At a time when Barley Wines were a dark shade of brown, Gold Label was, er, golden. Or at least a pale amber. About the colour of Bitter.

The Mermaid, the pub on the caravan site in Mablethorpe where I spent most summer weekends as a child was a Tennant's pub. Come to think of it, probably the first pub I went in. They used to allow children in the lounge, something not exactly legal at the time. I can remember they had horizontal cylinder diaphragm electric pumps. Something that was pretty common in the Midlands in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Was it cask or bright beer they dispensed? No idea, I'm afraid.

The Mermaid must have sold Gold Label. Funnily enough I can remember drinking another Barley Wine in Mablethorpe: Bass No. 1. In a Bass pub whose name escapes me. It's now closed, so it doesn't really matter.

"Strong as a double scotch less than half the price." was a slogan I can remember seeing on posters as a teenager. They wouldn't get away with that now. It certainly got my attention as a 14 year old. Sounded like the perfect drink.

Sadly, the ABV has been dropped and Gold Label is only available in cans.  Do you know what it reminds me of? A strong, early 19th-century Mild. Something like an XXX Ale or XXXX Ale.

You can't believe how excited I was when I first spotted it in the Chiswell Street brewing records. They must have been churning out a lot of it in the early 1970's because I believe that Whitbread made it in more than one brewery. They brewed it reasonably frequently at Chiswell Street and it decent-sized batches of around 350 barrels.

Let's have a look at the beer itself. By the early 1970's Whitbread had gone all proprietary in the their sugars. In Gold Label it was SLS, a sugar not used in any of their other beers. What was it? No idea, really. It could stand for "Special Liquid Syrup". Not that that really helps much in working out what it was like. Kristen has gone for a combination of No. 1 and No. 2 invert, which looks like a pretty good guess to me.

The hopping is interesting. All the examples I have contain Styrian hops and all but one Hallertau. Styrian hops turn in many of their beers, but only one other beer used Hallertau: Brewmaster. The thing that looks quite like a Lager. Taking into account the hop extract, I make the total weight a little more than Kristen, about 5.5 ozs in all.

I think it's actually pilsner malt that Whitbread used. A bit tricky to tell for sure as they mostly used funny abbreviations, in this case FPM. It's a malt that was only in two of their beers, Gold Label and Brewmaster. I've guessed that FPM is pilsner because on one of the logs for Brewmaster it's specified as pilsner.





That's me done, over to Kristen . . . . .

Kristen’s Version:

Notes: This beer really did change my life. Heading to my cousins wedding in ??? I took the boat from Calais to Dover. Sat in Dover harbor getting turned into a milkshake for 3 hours because it was to rough to dock. Feeling queasy I made it to the train and was out of sorts, which is unusual traveling for me. Then the old drunken git gave me a gob of something magical. I don’t mean magical in the sense that it was amazingly ‘good’. I mean that it was something I had never had before…something so different it made me question everything I ‘knew’ about beer. Plus, what looks cooler than luggin around a jar of Gold Label. “Hey ladies, yeah, Gold Label, that’s right, you know I’m classy.” It wasn’t until later I was told it was plonk for the drunkards…I still like it.

Malt: A single pale malt of your choice. I’d choose Optic or something meaty for this baby for sure. A decent amount of maize is used that would be missed if you left it out. The sugar is another blend of some sort so I used a combination of #1 and #2 invert to get the SRM listed in the log by using the percent sugar and their colors.

Hops: Lots of German and Austrian hops. Pretty sweet. Goldings work really well for bittering in that you’ve got to use a good amount of them and will get the greenery that’s required from low alpha hops IMO.

Yeast: Whitbread yeast. Two choices. Wyeast 1098 (more tart and dry) or Wyeast 1099/Safale S04 (more fruity and malty). Which ever you’ve done before, do the other.

Sundries: This beer is a Christmas beer if I’ve ever seen one. One you can get proper pissed with…Familial obligations be damned…you’re not running for Jesus anyway…

Cask: Standard procedure:
1) let the beer ferment until finished and then give it another day or so. For me right around 5-7 days.
2) Rack the beer to your vessel of choice (firkin, polypin, cornie, whatever).
3) Add primings at ~3.5g/L
4) Add prepared isinglass at 1ml/L
5) ONLY add dry hops at 0.25g/l – 1g/L.
6) Bung it up and roll it around to mix. Condition at 55F or so for 4-5 days and its ready to go. Spile/vent. Tap. Settle. Serve at 55F.

Curious assault case at Newark

Nothing specifically about beer this time, though both a pub and a brewery get a mention. Not only that, it's the Cromwell Brewery, about which we'll be learning much more later.

Knowing Newark, this is exactly the sort of thing that might happen today. When of my brother's friends was once beaten up in the toilets of a pub by someone who wanted his shoes so he could get into a night club.

Another time I was sitting outside a pub, telling a friend from out of town how Newark was full of lunatics and criminals. I'd barely finished when a car hurtled around the corner and stopped with a squeal of brakes. The two occupants jumped out, leaving the doors wide open and legged it. Seconds later up rushed a police car, which had obviously been chasing them. A policeman asked some other drinkers which way the legging it chavs had gone. They all pointed in the wrong direction.

"CURIOUS ASSAULT CASE AT NEWARK.
At the Newark Borough Police-court yesterday, before the Mayor, Mr. Thomas Oldham, Ald. Gascoine, Mr. Crossley, Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. W. H. Cubley, and Dr. Job, Richard Sharp was charged with assaulting William Gardner on the 27th September, Newark.— Mr. Norman defended.

—Complainant said he was a labourer residing Clay-lane. On Wednesday night he was going home Barnby-gate with young woman. At the end of Guildhall-street he stopped and two men passed him. This would be about a quarter-past eleven at night. The men stood still and looked his face and then walked on. The defendant was one of them. Witness said, "You ought to have another look and you will know us next time." When spoke they came back and the young one  said "Oh," and whilst he was watching him the defendant put his hand into his coat pocket and pulled something out and struck him on the head with it, and his head bled very much and he had to hold it down. The two men walked away and he followed them as far as the New Inn, and asked them to lend him a pocket handkerchief. He called out "Police" and "Murder." He thought he should bleed to death. When he got to the New Inn Mr. Herring and some others came up help him. When he asked the men for a handkerchief they laughed and walked on. He had to be assisted to the hospital. He was sober at the time. The hat produced was the one he was wearing, and there was hole right through it. The coat he had on was blood all over about the collar. —By Mr. Norman : The hat had was an old one. He did not say "You will know us again you drunken ________." He never struck at defendant at all, nor did he fall on the kerbstone and cut his head. Nothing took place opposite the Cromwell Brewery. He never got hold of the defendant's collar.

—Elizabeth Wells, residing in the Plough-yard, Guildhall-street, said that on Wednesday night she saw the complainant in Barnby-gate, and she walked down the street with him as far as Guildhall-street end. She stood there a little time talking to him. Two men went past and they stared very hard in their faces and Gardner said "You'll know me next time you see me." The youngest man said "Come and let's go back again," and they came back, and the young man said "My companion can give you all you want." The eldest man drew something out of his coat pocket and struck complainant on the head with it. She did not see what was he struck with. The blow did not knock him down. The two men that came were sober. Complainant's head was bleeding. She thought the men might turn on her too, she went away. She had seen the complainant before.

— Edward Bonnett, a porter, said he was going home about quarter past eleven on Wednesday night last, when he heard someone call out. He was told that someone was murdering young Gardner. He ran down the street and when he got to the New Inn corner defendant was coming from the other side of the road. Several people were there, but he did not see Gardner. Someone collared Whittaker when defendant said, "I did it; don't collar him." He went across the road where he saw defendant come from, and picked up the heavy piece of iron produced, resembling a large gate hinge, nearly foot long. The man had an overcoat on, and was sober at the time, and so was his companion.

—Chief Constable Liddell said that about 20 minutes past 11 he was at home, when he heard "Murder" and "Help" called out in the street. He at once went out, and saw a number of people at the New Inn corner. He went up, and amongst the others was the defendant. Some of the crowd said that "the man had been knifed," but the defendant said, "No, he was not. I struck him with my fist. I have nothing about you me. You may search me." He felt in his pockets and took his name, and let him go, He went after the complainant to the hospital. He saw blood about. The iron was handed over to him, and the place where it was found pointed out. Samuel Cowell Philson, acting as temporary house-surgeon at the hospital, said on Wednesday night Gardener was brought in with a scalp wound on the left of his bead. The man had lost a great deal of blood from the wound, which was about an inch long, and down the bone, but no fracture. He dressed it. It was not a wound that could have been caused by a man's fist, nor was it done by any sharp instrument. The iron produced might have caused such a blow. He had dressed complainant's head again that morning.

— L. Whittaker said he had been summoned by the police. On the Wednesday in question he had been with defendant from five o'clock. About ten minutes to eleven they were going Barnby-gate, and when they got to Guildhall-street end they saw a man and a woman standing there. They made no remark but passed them, when Gardner said, "Go on, you drunken ________." He said "You be careful what you say," and then complainant came up to him and offered to strike him, and half pulled his coat off. Sharp said "You must be careful who you hit," and Gardner then hit defendant, on the shoulder, and defendant retaliated and knocked him down into the gutter. Complainant got up and followed them to the Cromwell Brewery, where Gardner knocked Sharp on to the ground, and defendant said he must be quiet. Sharp was knocked down again at the end of Cherryholt lane. When they got to the New Inn corner there was a crowd. Sharp had nothing in his hand when he struck the complainant.

— By Mr. Liddell: He stopped with Mr. Sharp all the night. He told his brother when he got home next morning where he had been, He did not tell his brother that Sharp had struck a man with iron at Newark.

—The Bench imposed a fine of £3 and costs, or in default two months, and said that they did not give credence to the statement of the witness for the defence."
Nottingham Evening Post - Tuesday 02 October 1883, page 4.

I added paragraph breaks to the above. In one solid chunk, as it had appeared in the paper, it was just too hard to read.

Random violence. It's what Newark's famous for. A three quid fine doesn’t seem much for whacking someone on the head with an iron stick. And why was Sharp carrying that around with him, anyway?

I wonder what the word is that they left out? Drunken something. Bastards, perhaps?

The New Inn closed a couple of years ago. It's a pub I did drink in a few times. I'm pretty sure that was the site of the infamous round of crisps incident. When Tom White bought a round of crisps instead of a round of beers. 

Mr. Heppenstall takes a partner

Heppenstall was a name long-associated with brewing in Newark. According to a newspaper, at the end of the 19th-century Heppenstall's was the oldest name in brewing in the town:

"Heppenstall's Brewery, Newark. - We understand that the old-established brewery firm of Heppenstalls — the oldest in name we believe in Newark — have for family reasons formed themselves into a Limited Liability Company, under the style of Heppenstalls Limited. The new Company will acquire the business, with its freehold brewery, land, maltkilns, tied houses, etc., as from the 1st of October, instant."
Nottingham Evening Post - Saturday 11 October 1890, page 2.

In 1863, he took in a Mr. Holland as partner. Not sure how long it lasted, as I haven't found any other reference to Heppenstall and Holland.

Stamford Mercury - Friday 09 October 1863, page 1.

"ALBION BREWERY, NEWARK.
C HEPPENSTALL begs to thank his friends and patrons for the support so kindly afforded him for the last 14 years, and also Inform those friends and the public generally that he has taken into Partnership Mr. E. Wm. Holland, that henceforth the business will be carried on upon the same premises under the firm of Heppenstall and Holland. See following advertisement

HEPPENSTALL and HOLLAND beg to call the attention of the nobility, clergy, and gentry of Newark and its Environs to their first-class Fine ALES, brewed from this year's new Malt and Hops, which will be ready in few days for private and home consumption. For purity and excellence character, at the price, these Ales cannot be surpassed.

H. and H. Invite especial attention to their Pale Bitter Ale, at 1s per gallon, a fine tonic and agreeable beverage for private families.

Supplied by their respective Agents, or direct from the Brewery, in casks of 6, 9, 12, 18, 26, and 36 Gallons.
Carriage paid to any part

XX Ale. 1s. 0d. per Gallon.
XXX 1s. 3d. „
XXXX 1s. 4d. „ .

BITTER ALES.
XX Family Pale Ale 1s. 0d. „
East India 1s. 4d. „
Porter 1s. 0d. "
Stout 1s. 3d. „

Wholesale Wine and Spirit Merchants.
Agents for Burton Pale Ale.

For the convenience of their friends H. and H. have taken out a licence to enable them to supply Wines and Spirits from One Gallon down to a Bottle.
Albion Brewery, Newark."
Stamford Mercury - Friday 09 October 1863, page 1.

There are a few odd things about those beers. Why is there no X Ale?  Why aren't there even price differentials between the three Mild Ales? You'd expect them to be 1s, 1s 2d and 1s 4d per gallon. I'm starting to see a pattern in Newark beers. Everyone seemed to brew a light Pale Ale at 1s or 1s 2d per gallon. As well as a more expensive Pale Ale called IPA (or something similar). Though usually they were 1s 6d a gallon rather than the 1a 4d Heppenstall charged.

Interesting how Porter and Stout are included under the heading "Bitter Ales". It looks like they're using that term in the way "Beer" was used in the 18th century. Porter and Stout were, of course, types of Brown Beer.

The C stands for Christopher.  How do I know? Because of this death announcement:

"DEATHS
HEPPENSTALL - the 16th inst at Southwell, Christopher Heppenstall, Esq., proprietor of the Albion Brewery, Newark, aged 61 years."
Grantham Journal - Saturday 23 March 1872, page 4.

But hang on, has he come back from the dead a few years later?

"FARNSFIELD, Notts. To be LET, old-licenced PUBLIC-HOUSE. Rent £19. Inventory about £80. — Apply to Mr. C. Heppenstall, Albion Brewery, Newark.'
Stamford Mercury - Friday 13 December 1878, page 1.

No, it seems he had a son who was also called Christopher. Who can't have been all that old, seeing as his father had died aged 61 14 years earlier. He couldn't have been older than in his fifties.

"Newark Town Council.—A vacancy has been caused in the representation of the East Ward in the Town Council by the death of Mr. Christopher Heppenstall, which took place the other day at Finsbury Park, London. Mr. Heppenstall was a brewer, and well known for his benevolence to the poor in the town. He had been in failing health for some time past, so that the telegram announcing his demise, though it occasioned regret, cannot be said to have caused surprise. The funeral took place on Tuesday, the deceased gentleman being interred alongside the remains of his first wife at East Bridgeford. In polities Mr. Heppenstall was a Conservative. On Monday, a deputation waited upon Mr. J. F. Warwick, of (a member of the firm R. Warwick and Sons, brewers), and invited him to offer himself as a candidate. We understand Mr. Warwick has decided to accept the invitation, and there can be no doubt his candidature will be very popular."
Grantham Journal - Saturday 28 August 1886, page 2.

Now isn't that interesting? One Tory brewer replacing another on Newark council. The brewers were heavily involved in Newark politics as councillors, mayor and even MP.

Richard Warwick and Sons was one of the firms that merged to become Warwicks and Richardsons.

Goodbye Jim

There are people you love despite who they appear to be.

We said goodbye to Jim yesterday. Scattered his ashes in Herengracht in front of Arendsnest, as he'd wanted.

Jim was a cankanterous right-wing bastard. I should have hated him. But I didn't. Because - I don't really know why. I just liked him. He was witty, friendly and plain fun.

The kids loved him, too. And they're fussier than me.


Goodbye Jim. You fascist bastard lovely bloke. I'll miss you.

Warwick & Richardson beers 1939 - 1963

Here, as promised, is a look at the beers if Newark's other major brewery in the 20th century, Warwick & Richardson.

Just as with Holes, it covers disappointingly few different beers. Just three this time. Though there is at least one draught beer, Crystal Bitter.

Let's start with that. From the name, it sounds like a keg Bitter. It's certainly not their standard draught Bitter, because that was IPA. (IPA was still being brewed when I worked at the Castle Brewery, but only in small amounts. Only one pub in Newark, the Vine, still sold it. Odd that the Vine should as that was a former Holes pub. In all the other Courage pubs in Newark AK, a former Holes beer, was the standard Bitter.) And it also appears in the middle of a large set of analyses for keg Bitter. Many of them proudly including the word "keg" in their name.

Warwick & Richardson beers 1939 - 1963
Year	Beer	Style	Price	size	package	Acidity	FG	OG	colour	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1939	Milk Stout	Stout			bottled	0.06	1021.2	1052.4	1 + 16	4.02	59.54%
1952	Milk Maid Stout	Stout	1/2d	half	bottled	0.05	1021.7	1040.7	1R + 12B	2.44	46.68%
1953	Milk Maid Stout	Stout	1/2d	half	bottled	0.04	1022.2	1040.5	1 + 13	2.35	45.19%
1959	Milk Maid Stout	Stout	15d	half	bottled		1018.6	1039.6	250	2.70	53.03%
1961	Crystal Bitter	Pale Ale	18d	pint	draught	0.06	1009.1	1038	20	3.61	76.05%
1963	Tankard Light	Pale Ale	12d	half	bottled	0.04	1006.8	1033.6	23	3.35	79.76%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity Book document LMA/4453/D/02/001 held at the London Metropolitan Archives
Whitbread Gravity Book document LMA/4453/D/02/002 held at the London Metropolitan Archives

At 1038º, it's quite possible that Crystal Bitter was a kegged version of IPA. That's about the right gravity for a brewery's standard Bitter. 1s 6d a pint - how good value was that? If we take a look at other keg Bitters of the day, that should give us some idea. Handily, I've got a good set from the Whitbread Gravity Book. Forty seven in all.

1961 Keg Bitters
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price (pence)	size	package	Acidity	FG	OG	colour	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1961	Howcrofts	Silver Keg	14	pint	draught	0.04	1006.9	1037.3	20	3.80	81.50%
1961	John Smith	Golden Keg Ale	14	pint	draught	0.04	1009	1039.1	19	3.76	76.98%
1961	West Country Breweries	Star Bright Keg	16	pint	draught	0.04	1004.6	1029.8	22	3.15	84.56%
1961	Gibbs Mew	Blue Keg	18	pint	draught	0.17	1002.8	1034.7	24	3.99	91.93%
1961	Greene King	Pressure Bitter	18	pint	draught	0.11	1006.7	1034.6	25	3.49	80.64%
1961	Groves & Whitnall	Red Rose Keg Bitter	18	pint	draught	0.10	1003.1	1037.6	18	4.31	91.76%
1961	Rhymney	Silver Drum	18	pint	draught	0.04	1007.1	1035.1	17	3.50	79.77%
1961	Threllfalls	Keg Bitter	18	pint	draught	0.04	1004.9	1038.5	17	4.20	87.27%
1961	Dryborough	Keg	19	pint	draught	0.08	1006.8	1037.6	10	3.85	81.91%
1961	Walkers	Goblet Pale Ale	19	pint	draught	0.11	1006.4	1037.9	17	3.94	83.11%
1961	Birkenhead Brewery	Keg Gold	20	pint	draught	0.11	1006.5	1043.1	23	4.57	84.92%
1961	Evan Evans Bevan	Crown Bitter	20	pint	draught	0.05	1004	1036.7	20	4.09	89.10%
1961	Everards, Leicester	Golden Bitter	20	pint	draught	0.05	1003.7	1037.6	14	4.24	90.16%
1961	Newcastle Breweries	Exhibition Cannister	20	pint	draught	0.05	1005.3	1044.2	18	4.86	88.01%
1961	Rhymney	Hobby Horse	20	pint	draught	0.04	1007.3	1036.4	13	3.64	79.95%
1961	St. Austell	Extra	20	pint	draught	0.07	1005.6	1039.9	25	4.29	85.96%
1961	Vaux	Keg Beer	20	pint	draught	0.08	1002.2	1034.8	14	4.07	93.68%
1961	Brickwoods	Sunshine Keg Bitter	21	pint	draught	0.07	1008.4	1035	28	3.33	76.00%
1961	Devenish	High Life	21	pint	draught	0.05	1007.1	1038.9	24	3.98	81.75%
1961	Ind Coope	Red Hand	21	pint	draught	0.13	1011	1036.7	18	3.33	70.03%
1961	Matthew & Co.	Buffalo Ale	21	pint	draught	0.06	1013.7	1044.6	27	3.86	69.28%
1961	Tennant Bros.	Keg Bitter	21	pint	draught	0.05	1005	1036.8	15	3.97	86.41%
1961	Truman	Keg Bitter	21	pint	draught	0.06	1006.2	1039	16	4.27	84.10%
1961	Wadworth	Golden Keg	21	pint	draught	0.11	1005.6	1035.1	23	3.69	84.05%
1961	Courage, Barclay	Keg Bitter	22	pint	draught	0.06	1003.3	1041.2	19	4.95	91.99%
1961	Dares	Drum Treble Gold	22	pint	draught	0.04	1007.7	1037	10	3.66	79.19%
1961	Friary	Drum Treble Gold	22	pint	draught	0.05	1006	1041.5	26	4.44	85.54%
1961	Gibbs Mew	Red Keg	22	pint	draught	0.11	1003.7	1040.4	21	4.59	90.84%
1961	Home Brewery	5 Star	22	pint	draught	0.05	1007.7	1047.5	18	4.97	83.79%
1961	West Country Breweries	Double Gloucester Keg	22	pint	draught	0.06	1004.6	1037.9	25	4.16	87.86%
1961	Ansell	King Pin Bitter	23	pint	draught	0.05	1004.4	1044.8	17	5.05	90.18%
1961	Mitchell & Butler	Anker	23	pint	draught	0.04	1010.9	1043.4	16	4.06	74.88%
1961	Starkey, Knight & Ford	Star Keg	23	pint	draught	0.07	1008	1042.3	27	4.29	81.09%
1961	Watney	Red Barrel	23	pint	draught	0.08	1006.6	1038.6	26	4.16	82.90%
1961	Arkells	King Keg	24	pint	draught	0.04	1007.2	1040.5	20	4.16	82.22%
1961	Flowers	Keg	24	pint	draught	0.04	1012.5	1039.3	27	3.35	68.19%
1961	Fremlin	Keg	24	pint	draught	0.04	1005.8	1040.4	23	4.33	85.64%
1961	Gibbs Mew	Anchor Keg	24	pint	draught	0.06	1004.4	1040.6	24	4.52	89.16%
1961	Hancock	Barley Brite	24	pint	draught	0.10	1006.7	1038.5	17	3.97	82.60%
1961	Lacon	Keg Bitter	24	pint	draught	0.06	1007.1	1040.1	17	4.12	82.29%
1961	Norman & Pring	Tan Bitter	24	pint	draught	0.04	1005.2	1038.4	18	4.15	86.46%
1961	Southams	Pressure PA	24	pint	draught	0.16	1007.1	1045.8	17	4.84	84.50%
1961	Strongs	Barley Corn Bitter	24	pint	draught	0.04	1006.3	1037.6	23	3.91	83.24%
1961	Tomson & Wotton	Bitter	24	pint	draught	0.11	1004.1	1037.7	20	4.20	89.12%
1961	Whitbread	Tankard Bitter	24	pint	draught	0.05	1011	1038.6	18	3.58	71.50%
1961	Tollemache	Tolly Keg	26	pint	draught	0.05	1006.9	1038.1	26	3.90	81.89%
	Average		21.15			0.07	1006.46	1038.94	20.04	4.08	83.43%
1961	Warwick & Richardson	Crystal Bitter	18	pint	draught	0.06	1009.1	1038	20	3.61	76.05%
Source:
Whitbread Gravity Book document LMA/4453/D/02/002 held at the London Metropolitan Archives

1s 6d, or 18d, is definitely at the low end, price-wise. The average of those 47 is just over 21d. Some of the more expensive examples, like Whitbread Tankard, were the same strength but considerably more expensive at 2s, or 24d, per pint. That's a third more. The equivalent cask Bitters from these breweries were several pence cheaper per pint. Just as today, keg was shit value compared to cask. It makes you wonder why anyone has ever drunk the stuff.

You can see that that Crystal Bitter is very close to being average in terms of gravity and colour. It's just attenuated a bit less than most other keg Bitters.

Of course Whitbread Tankard is probably the reason for all the other analyses. It looks like they're checking out beers competing with it. Much the same as they obsessively analysed Milk Stouts.

Which moves us nicely along to Milk Maid Stout. As I'm sure I've already mentioned, my Mum's preferred beer. She was dead pissed off when they stopped brewing it. You can see how the ABV dropped right down after WW II, under the combined weight of a fall in both gravity and rate of attenuation. Just as well my Mum wasn't drinking for the buzz. You can see what terrible value for money it was. Under 3% ABV, yet a pint would cost you more than two shillings.

And finally we come to another beer called Tankard. I'm surprised Whitbread didn't have that name tied up. Or, that if it was already in use, they didn't pick another name for their keg Bitter. I know from labels that there was a second beer, Tankard Dark. As Tankard Light is obviously a Light Ale, I don't think it's a huge leap of faith to assume that Tankard Dark was a Brown Ale.

There are two more Newark breweries whose beers I have details of. Any guesses who they are?