Newcastle Breweries bottled beers in 1931

Not the snappiest title, I know. More Snowden budget stuff, I’m afraid. This time the effect it had on the bottled beer range of Newcastle Breweries.

This is how they announced the change. First, with an “article”:

“NEWCASTLE BREWERIES.
After due consideration the directors of Newcastle Breweries Ltd., say they intend to pursue their established policy of giving the public the best possible value and they have accordingly adjusted their prices to this end. Newcastle pale ale is now replaced by a light pale ale retailing at 7s. a dozen (pint bottles) and an entirely new line will marketed called amber ale, retailing at 8s. a dozen (pint bottles). Minimum increases have been made as Newcastle brown ale, mild ale and home brew, particulars of which will be found in our advertisement columns.”
Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail - Thursday 01 October 1931, page 3.

You know what it sounds like happened? That they had Pale Ale selling for 7d a pint bottle. After the tax increase, they replaced it with a weaker beer at the same price. It wouldn’t surprise me if the new Amber Ale were the old Pale Ale rebadged.

A few pages later, there’s the related advert:

“Announcement
NEWCASTLE Bottled ALES
The Newcastle Breweries, Ltd., announce the introduction of two new Bottled Ales, which they have named

Newcastle AMBER ALE and Newcastle LIGHT PALE ALE.

These new Ales will be available on Monday, October 5th, while after Saturday, October 3rd, no further supplies of Newcastle PALE ALE will be distributed. The three other bottled Ales brewed by The Newcastle Breweries, Ltd., namely Newcastle Champion BROWN ALE, Newcastle MILD ALE, and Newcastle HOME BREW will still be supplied as before.

The prices of these five “Newcastle” Ales have all been adjusted to give that same good value for money, and that same high standard of quality and purity, which has characterised “Newcastle" Ales in the past, and which has earned for them the well-merited title of 
BRITAIN’S BEST BEERS!

Newcastle Champion
BROWN ALE.
Pint Bottles - 10/- doz.
Half Pints - - 5/6 doz.
Splits - - 3/6 doz.

Newcastle
AMBER ALE 
Pint Bottles - 8/- doz. 
Half Pints - - 4/6 doz.

Newcastle MILD ALE.
Pint Bottles - 8/- doz. 
Half Pints - - 4/6 doz.

Newcastle
LIGHT PALE ALE.
Pint Bottles - 7/- doz.
Half Pints - - 4/- doz.

Newcastle
HOME BREW 
Strong Ale
Reputed Pints- - 12/- doz.
Half Pints - - 8/6 doz.
Splits - - 6/- doz.

For Trade & Retail supplies-
Relton Bottling Co.,
Lowthian Rd., West Hartlepool.”
Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail - Thursday 01 October 1931, page 7.

It would be nice to know more about those beers, wouldn’t it? It just so happens that I have analyses of almost the full set from exactly the right period.

Newcastle Breweries bottled beers 1925 - 1932
Year	Beer	Style	Price	size	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1925	Pale Ale	Pale Ale	6.5d	pint	1038.5	1006.4	4.18	83.38%
1928	Brown Ale	Brown Ale	9d	pint	1060.1	1012.5	6.21	79.20%
1929	Pale Ale	Pale Ale		pint	1040	1010.75	3.79	73.13%
1929	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	1062.75	1014.3	6.32	77.21%
1931	Pale Ale	Pale Ale		pint	1040	1009.5	3.96	76.25%
1931	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	1059.5	1014	5.93	76.47%
1931	Light Pale Ale	Pale Ale		pint	1035.25	1007	3.67	80.14%
1931	Mild Ale	Mild		pint	1040.5	1013.5	3.49	66.67%
1931	Amber Ale	Amber Ale		pint	1042	1010.5	4.09	75.00%
1931	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	1056.5	1013	5.66	76.99%
1931	Brown Ale	Brown Ale		pint	1056	1014	5.46	75.00%
1932	Stout	Stout	8d	pint	1036	1010.2	3.34	71.67%
1932	Mild Ale	Mild	8d	half	1036	1011.5	3.17	68.06%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
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

After digging a little further, I wasn’t quite right about Pale Ale. Up until late 1931, Newcastle Pale Ale cost 6.5d a pint, just like Newcastle Mild Ale. While Newcastle Brown Ale was 9d per pint.*

The first two 1931 analyses are from early in the year, before the budget. The others are from October.

The new Pale Ale was 5 gravity points weaker and 0.5d more per pint. Mild Ale looks like it stayed at the same strength, but went up 1.5d per pint. While Brown Ale went up just 1d per pint, but had its gravity cut by 3 gravity points.

All in all, quite a complex response to the tax increase. Most breweries just cut gravities across the board. While Newcastle Breweries had a mix of gravity cuts and price increases that were different for different beers.






* Adverts in Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail on Thursday 17 January 1929, page 7; Thursday 23 January 1930, page 9 and Thursday 03 April 1930, page 7.

A pint of sevens

More about the 1931 price increase

Portsmouth Evening News - Thursday 22 October 1931, page 1.

“OF INTEREST TO YOU!
Below are prices of Peters' & Young’s Famous Brews ON DRAUGHT.

XX (Mild Ale)	5d. per pint
BB (Bitter Ale)	6d per pint
STOUT (Oatmeal or Milk)	7d. per pint
P.A. (Superior Pale Ale)	8d per pint
BBBB (Old Ale)	9d per pint

To those of our Customers who, before the increase in prices, called for “a pint of sevens” we suggest that they do not break an excellent habit. They will find that a half-pint of “sixes” and a half-pint of "eights” will make an ideal bitter.

From all Messrs. PETERS’ & YOUNG’S HOUSES”

XX (Mild Ale)	5d. per pint
BB (Bitter Ale)	6d per pint
STOUT (Oatmeal or Milk)	7d. per pint
P.A. (Superior Pale Ale)	8d per pint
BBBB (Old Ale)	9d per pint

To those of our Customers who, before the increase in prices, called for “a pint of sevens” we suggest that they do not break an excellent habit. They will find that a half-pint of “sixes” and a half-pint of "eights” will make an ideal bitter.

From all Messrs. PETERS’ & YOUNG’S HOUSES”
Portsmouth Evening News - Thursday 22 October 1931, page 1.

Presumably before the 1931 budget, PA had cost 7d per pint. But mixing Ordinary and Best Bitter wasn’t going to give you a beer of the same strength. As you can see in the table below, 6d Bitter was a round 1036º and 8d Bitter around 1046º. Meaning a homemade 7d Bitter would be around 1041º. Or 5 degrees weaker than before the tax increase.

If you’re wondering about the strength of the other beers, XX Mild would be around 1030º, Stout 1040º and Old Ale in the low-1050º’s.

Bitter in 1932
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1932	Ind Coope	Pale Ale	6d	1035.3
1932	Shepherd Neame	Pale Ale	6d	1037.2
average 6d				1036.3
1932	Courage	PA	7d	1040	1007	4.29	82.50%
1932	Ind Coope	Pale Ale	8d	1043.9
1932	Hoare	PA	8d	1044	1010.2	4.39	76.82%
1932	Taylor Walker	Pale Ale	8d	1044	1011.2	4.26	74.55%
1932	Meux	Pale Ale	8d	1044.2
1932	Barclay Perkins	Pale Ale	8d	1046.2
1932	Whitbread	PA	8d	1046.3	1013.0	4.41	71.92%
1932	Charrington	PA	8d	1047	1010	4.81	78.72%
1932	Truman	PA	8d	1047	1006.2	5.33	86.81%
1932	Watney	Pale Ale	8d	1047	1009.5	4.88	79.79%
1932	Courage	Pale Ale	8d	1048.5
1932	Mann Crossman	PA	8d	1051	1008.8	5.51	82.75%
average 8d				1046.3	1009.8	4.80	78.76%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/01/098.
Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252

The barrel

of a gun. That's what Pils is looking down.

If my tiny unrepresentative sample is anything to go by.

When a beer style loses the young, it slowly dies.

Walking past a studenty terrace on a hot day, surprisingly little Pils was being drunk. 50% at most. And 0% of the female beer drinkers were on Pils.

That's the future. Tomorrow's drinkers prefer beers other than Pils.

Pils sales: slow decine for a few years, then a rapid one. That's my prediction. Could be wrong. I once believed Newcastle cound win the league.

Let’s brew Wednesday - 1905 Whitbread XK

It’s been another busy week. Loads more recipes written. Including this intriguing little devil.

One of the biggest remaining mysteries in beer history is when Mild became dark. And why. It seems to have been around 1890 to 1900 that the process started. It’s hard to pin down exactly, because that’s also when sugar was starting to be used in a big way. But brewing records aren’t often that specific about the type of sugar.

Often it will just say sugar or invert. The exact type of sugar will have a big impact on the colour of the finished beer. No. 3 invert is pretty dark and a reasonable amount will considerably darken a beer. While other types of sugar will add no colour at all.

Sugar use may be one of the reasons of the reasons for Mild getting darker. Dark sugars and caramel give the brewer complete control over the colour of his finished beer. It’s much easier to brew a beer with a more subtle shade, that is, not really pale or really dark.

With both brown malt and No.3 in the grist, this is darker for sure that Whitbread’s Milds in the 1870’s. Though somewhere between those dates, when they were vaguer about the type of sugar, the process could already have started.

Brown malt is pretty rare in Mild recipes. Barclay Perkins did occasionally use it in wartime. Why did Whitbread use it? Probably because it was something they were already using. Their Porter and Stout always contained brown malt.

Looks like an interesting recipe to me. I’d love to know how it tasted.

1905 Whitbread XK
pale malt	11.25 lb	88.24%
brown malt	0.375 lb	2.94%
no. 3 invert sugar	1.125 lb	8.82%
Cluster 90 mins	0.75 oz
Fuggles 90 mins	0.75 oz
Fuggles 30 mins	1.50 oz
OG	1059.8
FG	1014
ABV	6.06
Apparent attenuation	76.59%
IBU	40
SRM	13
Mash at	150º F
Sparge at	175º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	61.5º F

Home delivery in wartime

You wouldn’t want to run out of beer at home. Especially not during wartime.

Luckily, Davenports were there to see you right:

“BEER AT HOME
IF YOU ARE FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN REGULAR SUPPLIES OF ALES AND STOUTS AT REASONABLE PRICES, YOU WILL BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THAT BY JOINING OUR REGISTERED CUSTOMERS SCHEME YOU WILL ENSURE REGULAR FUTURE DELIVERY.

A glance at our price list given below shows clearly that our well-known policy of QUALITY and VALUE is being continued during the war period.

	Magnums Per Doz.	Large Per Doz.	Small Per Doz
“C.B” BEER	6/-		4/-
BROWN ALE	6/6		4/4
MILD ALE	7/-		4/6
BEST BITTER	7/6
EXTRA STOUT	8/-	6/8	4/10
STRONG ALE			5/6
PALE ALE			4/10
GUINNESS (Harp Label)	9/-	7/2	5/2
BULMER'S CIDER	6/6	4/8	4/-
EVANS’ CIDER	6/-	4/6	3/10
CHAMPAGNE CIDER			7/6
BASS			5/6
WORTHINGTON			5/6

DAVENPORTS
All information as to our splendid REGISTERED CUSTOMER SCHEME may be obtained on application to Mr. F. WILLIAMS, the Manager of the Lichfield Depot, at THE OLD BREWERY, SANDFORD STREET, LICHFIELD.”
Lichfield Mercury - Friday 01 December 1939, page 8.

You may be wondering why I’m bothering with this. It’s very simple: the second and third beers in the table. The story is usually that Brown Ale was just bottled Dark Mild. But that wasn’t necessarily the case before WW II. Whitbread’s Double Brown, for example, was stronger than the strongest Dark Milds and much more heavily hopped.

In this case, it’s the other way around, with the Mild being stronger than the Brown Ale. Which has got me wondering about the strength of their bottled Mild. Because an analysis from a few years earlier show Davenport Brown Ale with a very respectable gravity of 1045º.

Here’s their Brown Ale and some other beers:

Davenport's bottled beers in 1931
Beer	Style	Price	size	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
Bitter Beer	Pale Ale	6d	half pint	1036.7	1007.3	3.82	80.11%
Best Bitter	Pale Ale	8d	pint	1053.9	1017.9	4.66	66.79%
Brown Ale	Brown Ale	6.5d	pint	1044.8	1014.2	3.96	68.30%
Pale Ale	Pale Ale	5.5d	half pint	1055.8	1013.2	5.54	76.34%
Extra Stout	Stout	7d	reputed pint	1057.9	1012.3	5.94	78.76%
Strong Ale	Strong Ale	6.5d	half pint	1064.1	1012.4	6.76	80.66%
Source:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.

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Barclay Perkins Bookstore

Call for cheaper beer

I think that’s something we could all agree on. Who wouldn’t want cheaper beer?

But this article isn’t what it first appears to be. It’s not si much a call for cheaper beer as weaker beer. I’ll explain why after.

“CALL FOR A CHEAPER BEER
At a special meeting yesterday the board of the Licensed Victuallers’ Central Protection Society of London was agreed to recommend to the brewers the brewing of standard 6d. mild ale instead of a 7d. beer, which it was felt would generally beyond the reach of the working man.

In those areas where a lower-price beer was in demand it was recommended that Beer should brewed for sale at 5d. per pint.”
Portsmouth Evening News - Wednesday 16 September 1931, page 3.

You have to understand the context. This is just after the disastrous Snowden emergency budget of 1931. It put the price of beer up by about 1d a pint,. The strongest type of Mild Ale, which sold for 6d a pint, went up to 7d. Or would have, if brewers hadn’t cut the strength so they could still charge the old price.

Do I have any evidence of this? Of course I do. Lots of it.

This is how Milds looked in 1930:

Mild Ale in 1930
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1930	Leney & Co	L.A.	4d	1025	1007.4	2.28	70.40%
1930	Buddon Bigg	Ale	4d	1026.5
1930	Mackeson	L.A.	4d	1027	1005.4	2.80	80.00%
1930	Portsmouth & Brighton Breweries	L.A.	4d	1027	1001.9	3.27	92.96%
1930	Whitbread	LA	4d	1027.2	1010.0	2.28	63.27%
1930	Style & Winch	Ale	4d	1028.2
1930	Shepherd Neame	Ale	4d	1028.5
1929	Barclay Perkins	A	4d	1028.7	1007.5	2.80	73.83%
1930	Mason	Ale	4d	1030.4
1930	Tamplin	L.A.	4d	1031	1007.4	3.06	76.13%
1930	Isleworth Brewery	RA	4d	1032	1011.2	2.69	65.00%
1930	Kemp Town	L.A.	4d	1034	1006.7	3.55	80.29%
1930	Fremlin	Ale	4d	1035.7
average 4d				1029.3	1007.2	2.84	75.24%
1930	Hammerton	Ale	5d	1033.7
1930	Wells Watford	Ale	5d	1033.7
1930	Courage	X	5d	1035	1009.5	3.30	72.86%
1930	Wenlock	Ale	5d	1036.1
1930	Cannon	Ale	5d	1039.7
average 5d				1035.6	1009.5	3.30	72.86%
1930	Truman	X	6d	1042	1008.9	4.30	78.81%
1930	Whitbread	X	6d	1042.4	1010.0	4.28	76.40%
1929	Barclay Perkins	X	6d	1042.6	1012.5	3.98	70.65%
1930	Mann Crossman	X	6d	1044	1007.2	4.80	83.64%
1930	Taylor Walker	X	6d	1044	1013.3	3.98	69.77%
1930	Watney	X	6d	1044	1011	4.28	75.00%
1930	Hoare	X	6d	1046	1014.4	4.09	68.70%
average 6d				1043.6	1011.0	4.25	74.71%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numberLMA/4453/D/01/096.
Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252
Barclay Perkins brewing records

And this is what they were like in 1932:

Mild Ale in 1930
Year	Brewer	Beer	Price	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1932	Wells Watford	Ale	4.5d	1028.7
1932	Truman	Ale	4d	1029.07
1932	Whitbread	LA	5d	1026.0	1006.5	2.58	75.00%
1932	Watney	Ale	5d	1028.8
1932	Fullers	Ale	5d	1030.1
1932	Ind Coope	Ale	5d	1030.7
1932	Young & Co	Ale	5d	1032.8
average 5d				1029.6	1006.5	2.58	75.00%
1932	Hammerton	Ale	6.5d	1032	1006.4	3.32	80.00%
1932	Whitbread	X	6d	1032.6	1009.0	3.12	72.39%
1932	Cannon Brewery	X	6d	1034	1012.2	2.82	64.12%
1932	Taylor Walker	X	6d	1034	1013.4	2.66	60.59%
1932	Watney	X	6d	1034	1010.2	3.08	70.00%
1932	Charrington	X	6d	1035	1011	3.11	68.57%
1932	Courage	X	6d	1035	1012.2	2.95	65.14%
1932	Mann Crossman	X	6d	1035	1009.6	3.29	72.57%
1932	Meux	X	6d	1035.5
1932	Barclay Perkins	X	6d	1036	1009.3	3.46	74.17%
1932	Truman	X	6d	1036	1008.8	3.53	75.56%
1932	Hoare	X	6d	1038	1008.9	3.78	76.58%
1932	Wenlock	X	6d	1038	1012.2	3.34	67.89%
1932	Mann Crossman	X	6d	1041	1010.4	3.97	74.63%
average 6d				1035.4	1010.3	3.26	70.94%
1932	Whitbread	XX	7d	1039.0	1012.5	3.51	67.95%
1932	Taylor Walker	XXX	9d	1048	1015.4	4.22	67.92%
Sources:
Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001.
Whitbread brewing record held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document numberLMA/4453/D/01/098.
Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252

You can see that in 1932 the average gravity of 5d Milds was virtually identical to the average gravity of 4d Milds in 1930. And a 1932 6d Mild was the same as a 1930 5d Mild.

Note how few examples there are of 7d Mild – just one. Though top marks to Taylor Walker for having a Mild almost of pre-EWW I strength.