The point of the trip, naturally, is to educate the beer-drinking public. Not in the slightest to tart my book:
“Brewhouse and Brewhouse Work
Liquor preparation.—The various types of beer require different liquors. Pilsener beers require a very soft water, and dark beers a medium hard to hard carbonate water. In between these two there are uncountable different types of water, dependent partially upon availability and partially on the working habits of the individual breweries.
Frequently, excessively hard waters are treated. In the case of some magnesium hardness, saturated calcium water is used, Recently, ion exchangers have been used employing a weak acid cation exchanger which removes part of calcium and magnesium hardness.”
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 72, Issue 1, January-February 1966, page 18.
"Historically, different regions became famous for particular types of beer and in part these beer types were defined by the waters available for brewing (Table 3.1). Thus Pilsen, famous for very pale and delicate lagers has, like Melbourne, very soft water. Burton-on-Trent, with its extremely hard water, rich in calcium sulphate, is famous for its pale ales while Munich is well-known for its dark lagers, and Dublin (which has similar soft water) for its stouts."
"Brewing: science and practice", by Dennis E. Briggs, Chris A. Boulton, Peter A. Brookes and Roger Stevens, 2004, page 53.
| Analyses of some waters from famous brewing centres, (expressed as mg/l). | |||||||||
| Parameter | Pilsen | Burton-on-Trent | München (Munich) | Dortmund | London | Wien (Vienna) | Melbourne | ||
| Total dry solids | 51 | - | 1226 | 536 | 273 | 984 | 320 | 984 | 25 |
| Calcium (Ca2+) | 7.1 | 352 | 268 | 109 | 80 | 237 | 90 | 163 | 1.3 |
| Magnesium (Mg2+) | 3.4 | 24 | 62 | 21 | 19 | 26 | 4 | 68 | 0.8 |
| Bicarbonate (HCO3-) | 14 | 320 | - | 171 | - | 174 | - | 243 | - |
| Carbonate (CO32-) | - | - | 141 | - | 164 | - | 123 | - | 3.6 |
| Sulphate (SO42-) | 4.8 | 820 | 638 | 7.9 | 5 | 318 | 58 | 216 | 0.9 |
| Nitrate (NO3-) | tr. | 18 | 31 | 53 | 3 | 46 | 3 | tr. | 0.2 |
| Chloride (Cl-) | 5 | 16 | 36 | 36 | 1 | 53 | 18 | 39 | 6.5 |
| Sodium (Na+) | - | - | 30 | - | 1 | - | 24 | - | 4.5 |
| tr. ˆ Traces. | |||||||||
| - ˆ Not given. | |||||||||
| Source: | |||||||||
| "Brewing: science and practice", by Dennis E. Briggs, Chris A. Boulton, Peter A. Brookes and Roger Stevens, 2004, page 56. | |||||||||
“Water which has only limited amounts of non-carbonate hardness can be extensively softened. The carbonic acid freed must be removed by rinsing and subsequent addition of calcium. By varying the intensity of the rinsing, and introducing greater or lesser quantities of calcium-rich water, it is possible to achieve the desired hardness. By addition of slaked lime, pure calcium hardness is introduced into the water. For lightly hopped beers one desires a minimum of residual carbonate hardness of 3-5° otherwise it is feared that the beers may taste rather empty and characterless. For the building of new plants the use of weak acid exchangers is preferred, despite the increase in capital outlay and running costs. The exchange units are smaller and lighter and servicing is simpler, in spite of the need for special measures to de-activate the acidic regeneration waste water.”
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 72, Issue 1, January-February 1966, page 18.
“For waters with heavy non-carbonate hardness the so-called strong acid exchange unit is usually chosen. In this case all cations are exchanged, resulting in a water with free mineral acids. Neutralization is with lime water, and as a result the prepared liquor contains only the calcium salts of mineral acids. On the other hand, if nitrates are present in greater quantities than 40 mg. per litre in the brewing liquor then objections from the health authorities can be expected. In this case it is usual for the non-carbonate hardness to be removed by means of anion exchangers, or with water of low chloride content, by means of a chloride exchanger, which will transform the salts of the other mineral acids into chlorides. In practice, it is found necessary to improve the de-salted waters by means of an active carbon filter, in order to give greater plant security. Beers brewed from largely soft liquors are finer but also less full bodied. These characteristics can be compensated by a slight increase in hop dosage and also by the use of malts kilned off at high temperatures. Treatment with up to 15 g. per hl. of gypsum or calcium chloride is frequently used. This is equivalent to 5° of German hardness. Greater quantities are not used, as the effect on beer flavour may be detrimental.
Journal of the Institute of Brewing, Volume 72, Issue 1, January-February 1966, page 18.
"Nitrate levels, which vary widely, are a cause of concern as water sources are increasingly contaminated by nitrate from leached agricultural fertilizers. The fear is that during the preparation of the beer or in the consumer the nitrate may be reduced to nitrite (also limited, Table 3.2) and this, in turn, may give rise to carcinogens."
"Brewing: science and practice", by Dennis E. Briggs, Chris A. Boulton, Peter A. Brookes and Roger Stevens, 2004, page 54.
“Preservation during Storage
The high alcoholic content and heavy hopping have a preservative effect so that these beers keep well during the long storage period. For this reason they were made with a high alcoholic content and highly hopped. Substitutes for some of the malt are generally employed in England; these are sugar, rice and corn products. The draft ales and stouts are but lightly bunged by using porous spiles in storage casks and do not foam much when drawn into the glass. Little regard is had for effervescence or foam stability. They should however be as clear as sparkling wines in this respect.
German lager beers are kept in storage at cellar temperatures of 34 to 35 degrees F. which prevents their spoiling. The beer itself when reaching the stock vat or tank has a temperature of about 40 degrees. The vats are exclusively of wood construction. It requires 4 to 6 weeks for the beer to reach within one degree of the temperature of the cellar. During this period the beers are bunged.
The English stock ales and stouts undergo a brisk secondary fermentation induced by a peculiar yeast-like organism saccharomyces Pastorianus. It takes several months before this fermentation is completed. This wild yeast gives to stock ale its peculiar flavor, and it has the peculiarity of fermenting malto-dextrins —a power not possessed by either the bottom or top pure brewers' yeast. The organism Pastorianus develops the fine flavor for which ales and stouts are known and seems to accompany all top yeast in England. Therefore pure culture yeast has found no favor as secondary fermentation could not set in if it were used.
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, page 155.
“Stock and Bottle English Beers
After secondary fermentation is concluded the stock beers both ale and stout are stored for 4 to 6 months in casks after which they may be bottled. Then in the bottle a third fermentation sets in, which, according to Chapman was thought for a long time to be due to the same wild yeast that carries on secondary fermentation but it has been shown (first by Claussen) that certain organisms belonging to the group of Torula which he named Brettanomyces are in reality the active agents. These are closely allied to the true Saccharomyces in which they differ chiefly in their inability to form ascospores. Chapman says "It is highly probable that the characteristic flavor of certain bottle beers (English unpasteurized ales) is to some extent the result of their activity."
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, page 156.
“BEER CRISIS IN PRUSSIA.
All the North German associations of hotelkeepers, licensed victuallers, owners of concert and dancing rooms, and so on, have addressed to the Food Dictator, Herr von Batocki, an urgent appeal against further restrictions, which are now imminent, of the production of beer. It is understood that the authorised supply of barley to the breweries, which has already been reduced one-half, is now to reduced to one-fourth of the peace figures.
The petitioners make the interesting statement that the Prussian Army takes 11 per cent of the peace-time consumption, so that there would remain for the Prussian public only 14 per cent of the peace-time consumption. It is complained that in Bavaria beer is privileged as "an article of food," and that such differentiation will cause great bitterness in North Germany. It is declared that the petitioners have suffered more than any other class owing partly to the various restrictions on amusements, but still more to the fact that "meat, eggs, butter, fats, coffee, milk, tea and now spirits can hardly be obtained.
The "Berliner Tageblatt" observes that there are 16,000 restaurants Berlin alone, and that a great part them are already hardly able to exist. It is expected that the supply of Munich beer for North Germany will cease and Pilsen beer is very scarce.”
Manchester Evening News - Friday 17 November 1916, page 4.
| Drop in UK beer output | ||
| period | standard barrels | bulk barrels |
| 1914 to 1916 | 15.99% | 14.51% |
| 1914 to 1917 | 26.16% | 19.69% |
| 1914 to 1918 | 67.20% | 53.18% |
| 1914 to 1919 | 76.37% | 44.52% |
| Source: | ||
| The Brewers' Almanack 1928 pages 100 and 110. | ||
| European beers in 1929 | |||||||||
| Year | Brewer | Town | country | Beer | OG | FG | ABV | App. Atten-uation | OG Plato |
| 1929 | Pschorr | Munich | Germany | Dunkles | 1054.26 | 1019.2 | 4.53 | 64.61% | 13.43 |
| 1929 | Hofbrau | Munich | Germany | Dunkles | 1057.58 | 1020.2 | 4.75 | 64.92% | 14.21 |
| 1929 | Weihenstephan | Freising | Germany | Dunkles | 1057.16 | 1017.2 | 5.16 | 69.91% | 14.11 |
| 1929 | Spaten | Munich | Germany | Dunkles | 1053.83 | 1021.4 | 4.19 | 60.25% | 13.33 |
| 1929 | Tucher | Nuernberg | Germany | Dunkles | 1053.45 | 1017.8 | 4.59 | 66.70% | 13.24 |
| 1929 | Kulmbacher Sandlerbraeu | Kulmbach | Germany | Dunkles | 1062.61 | 1015.8 | 6.05 | 74.76% | 15.38 |
| 1929 | Dortmunder Union | Dortmund | Germany | Export | 1055.15 | 1012 | 5.55 | 78.24% | 13.64 |
| 1929 | Schultheiss brauerei | Berlin | Germany | Maerzenbler | 1053.75 | 1012.3 | 5.09 | 77.12% | 13.31 |
| 1929 | Erste Pilsener Actienbrauerei | Pilsen | Czech Republic | Pilsener | 1046.99 | 1011.6 | 4.56 | 75.32% | 11.71 |
| 1929 | Burgerliches Brauhaus | Pilsen | Czech Republic | Pilsener Urquell | 1048.17 | 1013.4 | 4.51 | 72.18% | 11.99 |
| 1929 | Dreher | Kleinschwechat | Austria | Wiener Maerzenbier | 1058.95 | 1016.9 | 5.44 | 71.33% | 14.53 |
| 1929 | Unknown | Berlin | Germany | Berliner Weissbier | 1036.68 | 1007.1 | 3.84 | 80.64% | 9.23 |
| 1929 | Barclay Perkins | London | UK | Porter | 1087.61 | 1022.9 | 8.40 | 73.86% | 21.06 |
| 1929 | Bass | Burton | UK | Pale Ale | 1060.80 | 1018.8 | 6.28 | 69.08% | 14.96 |
| Source: | |||||||||
| Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, page 166. | |||||||||
“The continental lager beers are termed bottom fermentation beers because the yeast settles to the bottom of the fermenting vat while the English beers are termed top fermentation beers because the yeast works to the top where it is removed by skimming. This skimming is generally done with the aid of what is called a parachute, a funnel that can be rotated, raised or lowered with a pipe connection extending through bottom of open vat through which the yeast passes into the yeast vat. Another method is by cleansing, that is, the yeast is allowed to work out of the bung hole at the top of the cask. In the case of unions holding usually about four American barrels they are provided with a curved tube, a so-called swan neck. Through these the yeast works from the bung hole into a common trough running along the upper side of the casks.”
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, pages 155 - 156.
“German and English Beer Types Compared
German beers are all of the so-called lager beer type undergoing cold storage in artificially cooled cellars whereas the English beers, like ale, porter, stout, are produced without any refrigeration of cellars whatever. They are either put out directly after fermentation as are the mild "1 day ales and porters" of London or are stored for a considerable period in casks as are the stock ales and stouts which are heavily brewed for high sugar content in the wort and are consequently highly alcoholic and heavily hopped. Two pounds of hops are brewed in per barrel for stock ale; besides, these stock ales are further dry-hopped in the storage tanks. The stouts are heavily hopped in brewing but are not dry-hopped.”
"Beer from the Expert's Viewpoint" by Arnold Spencer Wahl and Robert Wahl, 1937, pages 154 - 155.
| Barclay Perkins Ales 1928 - 1931 | ||||||||||
| Year | Beer | Style | OG | FG | ABV | App. Atten-uation | lbs hops/ qtr | hops lb/brl | dry hops (oz / barrel) | colour |
| 1928 | Ale 4d | Mild | 1028.8 | 1006.5 | 2.95 | 77.43% | 7.43 | 0.90 | 34 | |
| 1928 | X | Mild | 1042.9 | 1011.0 | 4.22 | 74.35% | 5.50 | 0.94 | 42 | |
| 1929 | DB | Brown Ale | 1040.6 | 1009.0 | 4.18 | 77.82% | 7.50 | 1.20 | ||
| 1928 | IPA bottling | IPA | 1045.8 | 1012.0 | 4.47 | 73.80% | 8.00 | 1.44 | 3.00 | 15 |
| 1928 | PA | Pale Ale | 1052.7 | 1013.0 | 5.25 | 75.32% | 6.49 | 1.36 | 3.00 | 20 |
| 1931 | PA (trade) | Pale Ale | 1052.6 | 1014.5 | 5.04 | 72.43% | 7.50 | 1.57 | 3.00 | 23 |
| 1929 | PA export | Pale Ale | 1058.9 | 1017.0 | 5.55 | 71.15% | 8.89 | 2.00 | 4.00 | 21 |
| 1931 | XLK | Pale Ale | 1044.6 | 1008.5 | 4.78 | 80.95% | 8.00 | 1.47 | 3.00 | 22 |
| 1931 | KK | Strong Ale | 1055.7 | 1014.0 | 5.52 | 74.86% | 9.00 | 1.98 | 3.00 | 88 |
| 1928 | KK bottling | Strong Ale | 1069.4 | 1021.5 | 6.34 | 69.04% | 11.00 | 2.99 | 8.00 | 96 |
| 1928 | KKKK | Strong Ale | 1079.0 | 1024.0 | 7.27 | 69.61% | 11.00 | 3.44 | 4.00 | 120 |
| Source: | ||||||||||
| Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/614. | ||||||||||
| Barclay Perkins Porters 1928 - 1929 | ||||||||||
| Year | Beer | Style | OG | FG | ABV | App. Atten-uation | lbs hops/ qtr | hops lb/brl | dry hops (oz / barrel) | colour |
| 1929 | TT | Porter | 1033.0 | 1012.0 | 2.77 | 63.58% | 6.00 | 0.81 | 240 | |
| 1929 | IBS | Stout | 1060.7 | 1022.5 | 5.05 | 62.93% | 8.00 | 1.95 | 290 | |
| 1928 | OMS | Stout | 1050.9 | 1017.0 | 4.48 | 66.57% | 6.50 | 1.36 | 220 | |
| 1928 | RNS | Stout | 1054.5 | 1017.5 | 4.90 | 67.91% | 8.00 | 1.80 | 320 | |
| 1929 | SBS | Stout | 1054.7 | 1019.0 | 4.72 | 65.24% | 7.50 | 1.68 | 260 | |
| 1928 | IBS Ex | Stout | 1102.8 | 1042.0 | 8.05 | 59.16% | 14.19 | 6.75 | 10.66 | 680 |
| 1928 | BBS Ex | Stout | 1080.0 | 1027.5 | 6.94 | 65.62% | 15.00 | 5.15 | 8.00 | 320 |
| 1928 | BS Exp | Stout | 1071.6 | 1022.0 | 6.56 | 69.27% | 14.00 | 4.29 | 8.00 | 240 |
| Source: | ||||||||||
| Barclay Perkins brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number ACC/2305/01/614. | ||||||||||
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