Problems at Allsopp

When Allsopp was converted into a public company im the late 19th century, the shares were eagerly snapped up by investors. Anticipating regular dividends and a steady increase in the value of the shares. This was based on the success of other brewery flotations, such as Guinness, Bass and William McEwan.

But just a few years later, the brewery issued more shares to raise more capital. This should have raised red flags. Why did they need fresh capital?

Messrs. Samuel Allsopp and Sons, Limited, have issued £550,000 4 per cent, mortgage debenture stock, being part of £1,100,000, at the price of £95 per £100 stock, the trustees being Sir Nevill Lubbock, K.C.M.G., and Mr. H. Hankey Dobree. This issue was decided upon in consequence of the rapid development of the business and the extra capital required. The money will be used to pay off certain temporary loans, chiefly in connection with the purchase of properties, making advances, acquiring plant for the lager beer brewery, etc. The stock is redeemable at the option of the company after 1906 on three months’ notice at the price of £110, and is subject to the existing. £1,100,000 4.5 per cent, and £1,100,000 3.5 per cent, debentore stocks, and in the event of voluntary liquidation is repayable at £110. A trust deed specifically secures by mortgage tho breweries and freehold, leasehold, and copyhold properties, and all other assets by a Boating charge. The issue forms part of £1,100,000, which may be increased to the extent of any diminution in the two prior debenture stocks, and of any increase in the capital subscribed and paid up. The assets on the 30th June last were £6,547,000 and on the 31st December had increased to seven millions, and the profits for 1898-9 had increased from £180,000 in 1893-4 to £305,894. The two debenture stocks absorb £88,000, and the present £1,100,000, when issued, £44,000, or together £132,000.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 36 1900, April 15th 1900, page 227.

The "purchase of properties" means buying tied houses. Allsopp were slow in joining the rush to buy pubs and ended up paying over the odds. Which is why they needed more capital. They also had that fancy Lager plant to pay for.

Another article from the same date presents a slightly more realistic appraisal of the company's prospects.

The Allsopp Position.
A circular was issued to the shareholders of Messrs. Samuel Allsopp and Sons, Limited, last month, stating that the directors deemed it desirable to make the following statement:—

With regard to the general trade of the company the directors see no. cause for dissatisfaction, as the sales for the six months ending December 31st, 1899, exceeded those of any corresponding period since the formation of the company. Since January 1st there has been a slight diminution in the sales, possibly attributable to the large number of men absent from the country, and to the cold and unfavourable spring.

The lager beer plant has proved a complete success, and the installation is being increased in order to meet the growing demand.

The recent debenture issue was entirely successful, the amount being over-applied for by the public.

The policy inaugurated some years since of acquiring licensed properties for the purpose of extending the business has not in the main proved unsatisfactory. The directors, however, regret to state that some recent purchases and investments have not proved as satisfactory as was anticipated. These purchases and their development necessarily entail a present burden upon the financial resources of the company, and it will require patience and careful handling before the expected benefits can be realised.

This matter is having the serious attention of the board.

In consequence of the resignation of the late chairman, the Hon. George Allsopp, M.P., has for the present kindly consented to undertake the duties of chairman.

Mr. W. T. Western, of Messrs. Woodhead and Co., Navy agents, has recently joined the board.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 36 1900, April 15th 1900, page 272. 

Sales were down, the blame being put on poor weather and the large number of young men absent in South Africa for the Boer War.

Not so sure about the unequivocal success of the Lager brewery. As just a few years later iy would be sitting unused in Burton. And was eventually moved to the Archibald Arrol brewery in Alloa.

The company admits that some of investments hadn't paid off. I assume this is principally overpriced and underperforming tied houses.

This was just the beginnings of the fall of Allsopp. Within in a decade they'd go bust and had to be rescued through a purchase by Ind Coope.

An interesting anniversary

This is a bit of a weird article. Which was inspired by a 70th anniversary. One I'm a bit dubious of.

A curious and interesting anniversary was celebrated at Berlin on the first day of the current month. It was nothing less than the seventieth anniversary of the introduction of Bavarian beer into the capital of Prussia, and, as the Daily Telegraph observes, this was no ordinary fete day, inasmuch as "it records an immense revolution in the bibulous habits and tastes of a very thirsty section of a notoriously absorptive race of people.” There is probably no unduly imaginative notion set afoot, when one declares that beer has played a great role in drawing the peoples of North and South Germany into close political and social union. When Herr Goschenhofer started his Bavarian beer brewery in Berlin, that is to say, in the year 1829, the political relations, existing between Prussia and Bavaria were, to use the language of diplomacy, somewhat strained, and the since realised dream of a United Germany appeared almost impossible of realisation. 
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, September 15th 1899, page 530.

1829 seems very early to me for the first Lager brewery in Berlin. I'm sure I used yo have the dates for the first bottom-fermenting breweries in North Germany. Where the hell did I put that?

It seems that there were a few more Berlin Lager brewers in the first half of the 19th century.

During the interval between 1829 and 1850 some three or four Bavarian beer breweries appear to have sprung up, and to have commanded very fair business, but the real beginning of the general taste for South German beers dates from the years 1870-71, when the united German armies beat the French, and when the little “blue devils” of Bavaria enforced upon their superior Prussian comrades the respect they were entitled to by reason of the genuine prowess and bon camaraderie they everywhere displayed throughout that terrible campaign. 
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, September 15th 1899, page 530.

Unification would obviously give a boost to Bavarian beer in the rest of Germany as lots of trade barriers were removed.

Here's a description of the types of beers brewed in Berlin.

In a work indited by the late Henry Vizetelly, and entitled "Wines of the World,” we find the beers of Berlin thus described:— "Besides its weiss Bier,” says Vizetelly, writing in 1875, "Berlin is celebrated for its Baierisch Bier, brewed according to the Bavarian method, as well as its bitter, braun, josty, and weizen Biere. The bitter beer is very thin, whereas the brown beer is thick and often sweet. The josty beer, which takes its name from its brewer, has a flavour of herbs, and the weizen Bier, brewed like the weiss, from wheat malt, dispenses altogether with hops.” 
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, September 15th 1899, page 530.

Odd that a book on wine should describe the types of beer brewed in Berlin. I'm wondering what is meant by "weizen Bier". It seems to be another type of wheat beer. I can't remember hearing of another type of Berlin wheat beer. Especially one without hops.

In all probability Bismarck set the fashion of drinking Baierisch bier; at all events, the custom of imbibing luscious draughts has so much increased that Berlin stands first in point of production of any town in the Fatherland. There are twenty large breweries, producing in the course of the year 2,805,000 hectolitres of beer. As a country Bavaria takes the lead in Germany, considered from the point of view of beer production, inasmuch as 16,000,000 hectolitres are annually brewed, the larger proportion being turned out from the splendid establishments at Munich. It will be of interest if we quote the figures representing the amount of alcoholic liquors produced in Germany in the course of a year. Beer, 61,000,000 hectolitres; wine, 32,000,000 litres; and 230,000,000 litres of brandy represent the amount required to assuage the thirst of that eminently thirsty nation. This means, as regards beer, 235.8 litres per head per annum in Bavaria ana 206 litres in Berlin. The inhabitants of Munich consume 566 litres per head annually, a record it would be hard to beat. 
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, September 15th 1899, page 530.

Those consumption per head figures are totally crazy. 566 litres is more than ten litres a week. Given that there must have been people who drank little or no beer, there also must have been plenty of drinkers knocking back three litres or more every day. Just as well Lager wasn't really intoxicating.

The figure for wine production doesn't look right. I think it's more likely 30 million hectolitres, rather than litres.

The consumption of lager in this country appears to be but a mere drop in the ocean as compared with the home-brewed article, inasmuch as the first six months of the year only indicate imports of lager at the rate of 50,000 barrels a year, yet in the face of the facts we have stated as to the ever-growing popularity of beers brewed on the Bavarian system in Berlin, we should hardly like to say that it is impossible that lager may grow in public estimation in London, and England generally, especially if the price is moderate and the liquor good. The experiment is to be tried, and its issue will be watched with no common degree of interest by every brewer, in almost equal measure, in fact, as by the enterprising Burton firm who are taking up the production of this much-vaunted “conversational ale.”
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, September 15th 1899, page 530.

Lagers may have been growing in popularity, but the quantities consuned were still tiny. And would remain so for a long while. Possobly because the price of Lager remained much higher than that of other beers.

The last section clearly refers to Allsopp and their purchase of a Lager plant. And their experiment in brewing certainly didn't work out. They only brewed Lager in Burton for around a decade, the plant then falling into disuse. And was eventually moved to Arroll in Alloa. 

English Lager (part four)

Here we are with English Lager again as I squeeze the last few drops of interest out of the article.

The author seems to have a very different view to me of where Allsopp was intending to sell their Lager. I'm convinced they were mainly looking at export markets.

The new beer will most likely be consumed at home, for an export trade can only be done with such beer in bottle after it has been pasturized, the beer in bulk not lending itself for removal to distant countries. Moreover the ice-machine has enabled fairly good beer to be brewed in the tropics and in other trying climates, and this locally manufactured beer has largely interfered with our exports. In hot countries there is a necessity for cooling drinks and especially where the air is dry as in the United States. These drinks need not be non-alcoholic, and in general are not so, consequently lager beer in good condition nicely cooled is a tempting beverage, and has come into general use where it can be brewed or imported. No doubt during the summer months such beer would command a ready sale in this country. It has not done so already because unless quickly consumed it gets out of condition, and cannot therefore be used in sparse neighbourhoods or even in small towns. A firm like Messrs. Allsopp, whose possibilities are great through having ample means at their disposal to bring the beer before the consuming public in excellent condition, will do their utmost to make the distribution perfect through their numerous agencies, and we anticipate that as soon as this beer, when properly matured, is put on the market the sale of lager beer will be increased.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, January 15th 1899, pages 5 - 6.

Presumably, Allsopp was planning on pasteuring their Lager, anyway. At least for exports. And if they did the same for the Lager they sold in the UK, then the problem of it going off quickly wouldn't be a problem. I've never heard the argument that a short shelf-life was the reason Lager didn't take off in the UK. And it doesn't ever seem to have been a problem in Europe. Lager being supplied yo even the tiniest Bavarian village without problems.

This last bit is interesting. About untaxed alcoholic drinks.

If so, it will be some gratification in these days of excessive competition to know that it is home made and not imported beer which has come into favour. From the figures we have given it is apparent that the absorption of all the lager beer trade of this country by the British brewer would not materially increase our trade, but there is a field for the consumption of such an article amongst many of those who now satisfy their thirst with herb and ginger beer, but who would gladly turn to a cool, clear, slightly alcoholic beverage like the weaker descriptions of bottom-fermentation beer if they could conveniently obtain it at a moderate price. In the North the sale of beer substitutes is enormous, and as for the protection of the revenue and the brewer, the Excise authorities have to wage war against the sale of beer containing excessive quantities of alcohol, but which has escaped duty, the lovers of a beverage richer in alcohol than legal herb beer will most likely transfer their consumption to this new product.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, January 15th 1899, pages 5 - 6.

The implication is that many supposedly alcohol-free drinks, such as ginger beer, in reality contained appreciable amounts of alcohol. Would ginger beer drinkers swap over to Lager? Not until it was sold at a reasonable price compared to competing drinks. Something which we're still waiting to happen.
 

English Lager (part three)

We're back with the story of the world's favourite type of beer in the UK. This time looking at Allsopps fancy new Lager brewery, bought at great expense from the USA.

The author clearly believed that Allsopps was a wonderful company.

It is always difficult in the initial stages of a new industry to make it sufficiently popular to command success, and this may have been the cause of the general failures of the lager beer breweries of this country, but Messrs-Allsopp and Sons will start their project under the most favourable conditions for success. Their capital is ample, they can command the best of talent to be found amongst technical brewers, they now have not only a speciality in bitter and other beers commanding a ready sale throughout the United Kingdom, but they are also interested in tied houses in which they can control the sale of their new product in good condition. We shall, therefore, at no distant date be able to see the effect of this competition between top and bottom fermentation beer, and if the attempt is successful other brewers similarly circumstanced will be entering the field in competition with Messrs. Allsopp, and thereby give a stimulus to this industry which it was never before able to command.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, January 15th 1899, pages 5 - 6.

It's quite funny, really, reading about how great Allsopps were. Just a few years before it all came tumbling down. They didn't have much capital left, as they'd spent it on overpriced tied houses. I doubt that the company ever expected to sell much of its Lager in its own tied estate. They wanted Lager for their export trade to the Far East.

The brewery was only active in Burton for a decade or so. Before falling into disuse. It was moved to Arrol's brewery in Alloa in 1921.

Here's the thing brewers seemed to hate about Lager: lagering. The Pfaudler vaccum system was intended to greatly speed up the process.

One great drawback to lager beer brewing is the length of time required to get it into condition for consumption, and many attempts have been made to hasten the process. The Pfaudler system of fermentation now in use in some American breweries is held out by the inventor as being able to produce a perfect beer, fit for consumption, in eleven days. After making every allowance for the optimism of inventors, the saving of time will be enormous if the invention is found in actual practice to do half as much as is claimed for it, and we are informed that this invention is to be tried at Burton in the production of the new beer, so that many problems are to be solved by Messrs. Allsopp's venture.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, January 15th 1899, pages 5 - 6.

Could the system really brew a perfect Lager in eleven days? I doubt it. I'm sure some sort of beer could be produced. Eleven days is about how long a primary fermentation at low Lager temperatures would take. Doesn't leave much room for lagering.

Given that the Pfaudler system didn't take over the world, I'm guessing it wasn't quite as brilliant as claimed. 

Here's more about the Lager brewery:

A Lager Brewery for Burton.
Messrs. Allsopp and Sons are about to enter upon an important enterprise in the establishment of a lager brewery in High Street. The site chosen is that which is occupied by the company’s old brewery, which was closed for several years after the formation of the company, but has lately been reopened. Here it was that Messrs. Allsopp originally commenced business, and where the family laid the foundation of their fortunes. The initial outlay on the new venture is estimated at £80,030, and it has been decided upon after careful consideration by the directors, and after the most stringent enquiries and investigation on the part of the chairman (the Hon. Percy Allsopp) and the head brewer (Mr. Hutton) among the lager breweries in Germany. The system decided on is that of the Pfaudler Vacuum Fermentation Company, and known as the “F. F.” vacuum system, whose chief works and offices are in New York. By this method, it is claimed, the main fermentation and the so-called after or small fermentation are combined, and the beer is completely fermented, aged, and made ready for the market — a matured and perfect beer in every detail. The plant which it is proposed to lay down will be capable of turning out from 50,000 to 60,000 barrels a year, and it is to include machines for making ten tons of ice per day for cooling purposes. This is the first time the system has been adopted in England, and it is expected to be in working order early in May, and the first lot of lager placed on the market in June. The directors are confident that the scheme will prove very advantageous to the shareholders.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, January 15th 1899, page 10. 

80,000 quid was a shitload of money back then. Though it was a decent size. 60,000 barrels was enough to supply all the Lager consumed in the UK.

It does sound like the Pfaudler system just skipped secondary fermentation  I'm sure there's no way that could affect the flavour.

English Lager (part one)

One of the many topics with which I'm weirdly fascinated by is the history of brewing Lager in th UK. Maybe it's because it nicely dovetails with a couple of my other obsessions. Namely Barclay Perkins and brewing in Scotland.

So I was dead pleased to find this lengthy article about English Lager, published in 1899. It seems to have been prompted by Allsopp's announcement that it was getting into the Lager game.

English Lager.
An announcement has been macle, apparently with authority, that Messrs. Allsopp and Sons intend at an early date to commence brewing lager beer at one of their Barton breweries. This announcement is a welcome one to those who take an interest in the world's consumption of beer, because it is likely to settle the question once for all whether in this country the small consumption of bottom-fermentation beer is due to its non-suitability to the wants of beer consumers, or that it has not been brought to the notice of the general public in an attractive form as to quality and price. In America, for instance, with a population of cosmopolitan origin, the production of lager beer is extending in all directions, and it has been asserted by those best acquainted with the industry that in a comparatively short time the brewing of top-fermentation beer will cease altogether, the national taste going in favour of lager beer, which, through not being highly hopped, is not heady, and possesses other properties attractive to the beer drinker of the States. No doubt climatic conditions have had some effect on this change of fashion, but up to the present time it has been a problem waiting for satisfactory solution why it is that in America this change should be generally taking place, whilst here the quantity of lager beer consumed is comparatively infinitesimal, and does not appear to be on the increase.
The Brewers' Journal vol. 35 1899, January 15th 1899, pages 5 - 6.

It's slightly odd that the author combines Allsopp's Lager brewery purchase with domestic consumption of Lager. Because their primary reason for brewing Lager wasn't to serve the UK. Bit for its export markets. Where Lager was seriously cutting into their sales of IPA.

The question of why Lager took off everywhere else in the late 19th century, but not the UK, is a good one. I'd put it down to a couple of factors. Number one being that the UK was already producing high-quality beer. And at a wide range of strength and character. That is, there wasn't a huge Lager-shaped hole in the market.

The second, that the brewing industry in the UK was already highly-developed, both technologically and financially. Breweries already had pretty modern equipment. And, by 1899, most breweries of any size were limited companies. Whereas in, for example, Northern Germany, the breweries were mostly small, old-fashioned and family-owned when the Lager wave swepy over them in the late 19th century. They didn't switch to bottom-fermentation. New limited companies were formed to build and run modern Lager breweries. With the technology cash behind them to easily outbrew and outcompete the older brewers.

Life for a new Lager brewer in the UK was much more difficult. Hence the many failures. There was far more competition from existing, quality beers. And plenty of large brewers with lots of money and also tied house.

I can think of a couple of reasons why Lager would take off more quickly in the USA: immigration and climate. Lots of Central Europeans coming in already used to Lager. It's noticeable that in regions settled earlier, such as the Northeast USA, Ale remained popular well into the 20th century. Anyone who has visited pretty much anywhere in the USA in the Summer can appreciate why you might reach for a nice cooling glass of Lager.

Thinking about it, the title for this article is wrong. It should be British Lager. As, of the handfull of brewers producing Lager at the time, one was in Scotland and one in Wales.

Quite a lot more of this to come. Including details of Allsopp's fancy new Lager brewery. And what became of it.

Ageing early IPA

My dipity is really serending this week. More untold joy from the book-writing process.

I was nosing around in an odd set of records. Picking up exciting stuff like mashing temperatures and length of primary fermentation for my Stout book (as I write this, 43,575 words, 163 pages; when you read this, quite a few more, unless I've dropped dead). I say odd set because I don't know for certain which brewery it's from. I won't go into it more here. I explained it all in yesterday's post.

Flicking through the records to see which different vat numbers were used, I noticed this:

 

It's a batch of IPA brewed 30th May 1838. It's the earliest brewing record for an IPA that I have. And there it is, going into vat no. 20. "Started" is an old brewing term for laying down to age. So after almost five days in rounds (fermenters) it was transferred to a vat for ageing.

This is fascinating. Because that's not how they made IPA in Burton. At least not according to descriptions from the 1870s. Bass aged their IPA in hogsheads outside in the yard. The same casks in which it would be shipped either to India or to bottlers. They didn't age it in vats.

All this got me thinking. How do I know that Bass had always aged IPA in trade casks? Maybe they vatted it in the 1830s. Did all Burton brewers age the same way as Bass? What did Allsopp do, for example? More proof that I really know fuck all.

William Younger I'm pretty sure aged their IPA in hogsheads in a cellar. Barnard has a nice illustration of the scene. Had they always done that? What was true in the 1890s, wasn't necessarily so 30 or 40 years earlier.

As the saying goes, there are more answers than questions. Because not every question has a simple answer.

Foreign beers analysed by Heineken

around the start of WW II, to be precise.

Remember me saying the other day that someday I might be arsed to harvest the Far East beers from Heineken's Gravity Book? Against all expectations, I actually did get off my arse and do the work.  At least the stuff from 1939 and 1940. For some reason there's then a big gap until 1946. I wonder why that might be?

I now realise that Heineken were financially involved in many of the breweries whose beers they analysed. The list from 1946 is longer than in the 1939 annual report.

Sint Servatius Bierbrouwerij N.V., Maastricht;
Polar N.V., Maastricht; (soft drinks)
Distilleerderij en Likeurstokerij P. Hoppe N.V., Amsterdam;
Van Vollenhoven’s Bierbrouwerij N.V., Amsterdam;
Brasserie Leopold S.A., Brussel;
N.V. „Cobra”, Amsterdam;
Malayan Breweries Ltd., Singapore;
Archipelago Brewery Cy. (1941) Ltd., Singapore;
N.V. Heineken’s Nederlandsch-Indische Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij, Soerabaja;
Nederlandsch Indische Glasfabrieken „Niglas” N.V., Soerabaja;
Heineken’s Curacaosche Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij N.V., Willemstad;
S.A. des Bières Bomonti & Pyramides, Cairo;
Crown Brewery S.A., Alexandrië;
Société Internationale de Brasserie (Interbra), Brussel;
Brasserie de Leopoldville Sté Cong, a r. 1., Leopoldville (Belgisch Congo);
Bouteillerie de Léopoldville Sté. Cong, a r. 1., Leopoldville (Belgisch Congo);
The Nigerian Brewery Ltd., Lagos;

minor investments:
Brasseries & Glacières de l’Indochine, Saigon;
Société des Brasseries du Maroc, Casablanca;
Société des Brasseries de l'Ouest-Africain (Soboa), Dakar;
Palestine Brewery Ltd., Rishon-le-Zion;
S.A. Brasseries de la Meuse, Parijs.
Heineken annual report 1946, page 5.

Pretty much all the beers are Pilsners with one exception: those from Singapore are all Stouts. Not sure why that was.

In addition to breweries with which Heineken was financially entangled, there are a few from others involved heavily in the export trade to the Far East: Tennent, Allsopp and Carlsberg. Plus, weirdly, a Swiss-owned brewery in Accra, Ghana, the oddly-named Overseas Brewery.

Foreign beers analysed by Heineken
Date	Year	Brewer	Town	country	Beer	Style	Colour	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
24th Jun	1939	Malayan Brewing	Singapore	Malaya	Tiger Stout	Stout	44	1088.0	1017.6	9.14	79.96%
24th Jun	1939	Archipelago Brewing	Singapore	Malaya	Lion Stout	Stout	66	1082.9	1012.0	9.25	85.54%
21st Nov	1939	Leopold	Brussels	Belgium	White Star	Export?	0.41	1056.0	1010.2	5.90	81.77%
21st Nov	1939	Leopold	Brussels	Belgium	Bock	Bok	0.37	1048.3	1008.8	5.09	81.85%
21st Nov	1939	Leopold	Brussels	Belgium	Pilsen	Pils	0.65	1028.5	1008.5	2.70	70.28%
21st Nov	1939	Leopold	Brussels	Belgium	Stout	Stout	30	1068.9	1023.3	5.95	66.16%
21st Nov	1939	Heineken	Soerabaja	Indonesia	Pils	Pils	0.42	1049.9	1009.7	5.15	80.46%
21st Nov	1939	Heineken	Soerabaja	Indonesia	Rex	Pils	0.32	1050.7	1009.6	5.29	81.10%
21st Nov	1939	Heineken	Soerabaja	Indonesia	Java	Pils	0.35	1050.4	1011.1	5.05	77.94%
27th Dec	1939	Bomonti & Pyramides	Cairo	Egypt	Stella	Pils	0.39	1051.2	1010.8	5.19	78.80%
27th Dec	1939	Bomonti & Pyramides	Cairo	Egypt	Pilsner	Pils	0.43	1048.3	1009.6	5.00	80.07%
3rd Jan	1940	Malayan Brewing	Singapore	Malaya	Tiger Stout	Stout	0.38	1049.4	1010.6	4.99	78.52%
3rd Jan	1940	Carlsberg	Copenhagen	Denmark	Pilsner	Pils	0.58	1049.7	1011.4	4.89	76.99%
3rd Jan	1940	Allsopp	Burton	UK	Pilsner	Pils	0.6	1044.1	1008.7	4.56	80.29%
3rd Jan	1940	Cascade	South Hobart	Australia	Special Lager	Lager	1.2	1049.8	1018.5	3.98	62.74%
17th Apr	1940	Allsopp	Burton	UK	Pilsner	Pils	0.62	1044.7	1008.6	4.64	80.72%
19th Apr	1940	Tennent	Glasgow	UK - Scotland	Pilsner	Pils	0.55	1049.2	1010.0	5.04	79.72%
19th Apr	1940	Overseas Brewery	Accra	Ghana	Club Lager	Lager	0.65	1050.7	1010.3	5.19	79.69%
19th Apr	1940	Carlsberg	Copenhagen	Denmark	Pilsner	Pils	0.6	1049.6	1011.8	4.93	76.26%
Source:
Rapporten van laboratoriumonderzoeken naar producten van Heinekenbrouwerijen in binnen- en buitenland en naar producten van andere brouwerijen held at the Amsterdamse Stadsarchief, document number 834 - 1794.

 

 

Burton IPA between the wars

Even yet more IPA analyses. This time from the style's spiritual styles: Edinburgh. No, Burton. Let's see how versions brewed in the town looked.

Rather surprisingly, this set averages out stronger, both in terms of OG and ABV. Though that's a little deceptive, as the older set didn't include any Burton-brewed beer. Bass Pale Ale still had a gravity of 1065º. Looking at it from that point of view, Burton IPA had lost about 10º on account of WW I.

The beers sold in Belgium look much like the domestic ones, at around 1055º. Attenuation remains mostly very high, averaging over 80%. Leaving them almost 7% ABV

1055º isn't a random choice. The top band of the last set of WW I price controls started at that gravity. Anything over 1055º could only be sold for the same maximum price. It made no economic sense to brew anything much over that gravity. It had a lasting effect on beer strengths all the way through the interwar period. Particularly amongst draught beers.

Lost interest yet? I wouldn't blame you. I'm nodding off as I write. 

Loads more information about more recent IPAs. Plenty of the lovely weedy ones. Mostly lovely weedy ones, if I'm honest.

Burton IPA between the wars
Year	Brewer	Beer	package	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1921	Allsopp	IPA	bottled	1054.4	1004.4	6.56	91.91%
1921	Bass	Pale Ale (bottled by Whitbread)	bottled	1055.2
1921	Ind Coope	India Pale Ale	bottled	1051.9	1005.4	6.09	89.60%
1921	Worthington	IPA	bottled	1054.9	1007.4	6.22	86.52%
1922	Bass	Pale Ale (Belgian sample)	bottled	1055.1	1010.9	5.76	80.22%
1922	Bass	Pale Ale	bottled	1054.7	1011	5.70	79.90%
1922	Worthington	IPA (Belgian sample bottled by J Baker, Brussels)	bottled	1055	1004.7	6.60	91.45%
1922	Worthington	Pale Ale (Brussels)	bottled	1053	1009	5.74	83.02%
1927	Bass	Pale Ale	draught	1055.5
1927	Worthington	Pale Ale	draught	1052.7
1928	Bass	Pale Ale	bottled	1059	1013	6.00	77.97%
1929	Bass	Pale Ale	bottled	1056	1008	6.28	85.71%
1930	Bass	Blue Triangle	bottled	1058	1011.9	6.01	79.48%
1931	Bass	Blue Triangle	bottled	1056.3	1011.2	5.88	80.11%
1931	Worthington	IPA (bottled by RP Culley)	bottled	1059	1013.1	5.98	77.80%
1931	Worthington	Green Label (bottled by RP Culley)	bottled	1055.1	1014.3	5.30	74.05%
1932	Bass	Pale Ale	draught	1054.7	1012	5.56	78.06%
1932	Worthington	PA	draught	1054.7	1010.1	5.82	81.54%
1933	Bass	Pale Ale (bottled by Whitbread)	bottled	1055	1007	6.28	87.27%
1933	Bass	Pale Ale (Probyn & Co.)	bottled	1055.8	1012.2	5.68	78.14%
1933	Bass	Blue Label	bottled	1057.5	1014	5.66	75.65%
1933	Worthington	Pale Ale  (bottled by RP Culley)	bottled	1055.4	1011.6	5.71	79.06%
1936	Worthington	Pale Ale	draught	1046.9
1937	Worthington	Pale Ale	draught	1054.3
		Average		1055.0	1010.1	5.94	81.97%
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.
Truman Gravity Book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number B/THB/C/252.
Younger, Wm. & Co Gravity Book document WY/6/1/1/19 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive.

 

 

Bass and Allsopp IPA 1851 - 1901

Just to show how much of an outlier those strong Allsopp and Salt beers were, here's a selection of IPAs from Bass and Allsopp. They span the whole of the second half of the 19th century.

The strongest is 7.58% ABV - well short  of the strong IPAs, whether that Lancet article is listing ABV or ABW. They average out to around 1065º and just under 7% ABV. Which is exactly what I would have expected. 1065º was the classic OG for Burton-brewed IPA.

I.m at a total loss as to how to explain those two strong IPAs. They are very different to any 19th-century IPA that I've seen. It leaves me wondering if they've been misidentified and are actually Burton Ales rather than Pale Ales. Though The Lancet is a pretty reliable source so I'm disinclined to believe that.

Let me know if you have any ideas.

Bass and Allsopp IPA 1851 - 1901
Year	Brewer	Beer	OG	FG	ABV	App. Atten-uation
1851	Allsopp	Export IPA	1057.1	1009	6.32	84.59%
1851	Allsopp	Export IPA	1060.8	1009	6.84	85.86%
1869	Allsopp	Pale Ale	1064.2	1010	7.18	83.82%
1869	Allsopp	Pale Ale	1068.5	1013	7.19	80.32%
1901	Allsopp	India Pale Ale, Red Hand	1061.6	1009	6.80	85.27%
1851	Bass	Domestic IPA	1064.0	1013	6.69	80.00%
1852	Bass	Domestic IPA	1073.7	1019	7.11	73.95%
1862	Bass	Pale Ale	1067.8	1014	7.04	78.91%
1862	Bass	Pale Ale	1069.0	1017	6.80	75.07%
1862	Bass	Pale Ale	1069.5	1017	6.91	75.68%
1862	Bass	Pale Ale	1063.2	1012	6.69	80.38%
1862	Bass	Pale Ale	1066.9	1016	6.74	76.68%
1869	Bass	Pale Ale (brewed 2nd Jan 1869)	1065.9	1010	7.33	84.50%
1869	Bass	Pale Ale (brewed 24th Dec 1868	1065.4	1013	6.96	80.87%
1869	Bass	Pale Ale (brewed 27th Jan 1869)	1066.7	1012	7.20	82.33%
1869	Bass	Pale Ale	1067.0	1013	6.81	80.31%
1869	Bass	Pale Ale	1056.5	1010	5.98	82.08%
1870	Bass	India Pale Ale	1060.0
1880	Bass	Pale Ale	1055.2	1017	4.90	68.48%
1887	Bass	Pale Ale	1064.2	1009	7.08	84.75%
1887	Bass	Pale Ale	1063.5	1010	7.08	85.04%
1888	Bass	Pale Ale	1069.6	1011	7.58	83.82%
1888	Bass	Pale Ale	1069.0	1011	7.58	83.77%
1896	Bass	Pale Ale	1060.8	1007	6.98	87.97%
1898	Bass	Pale Ale	1064.9	1016	6.43	76.02%
1901	Bass	Dog's Head	1065.6	1003	8.06	94.59%
1901	Bass	White Label	1063.8	1007	7.25	87.73%
1901	Bass	draught Pale Ale	1064.0	1013	6.48	78.03%
		Average	1064.6	1011.9	6.89	81.51%
Sources:
The Lancet 1852, vol.1, 1852, page 474
British Medical Journal August 28th 1869, page 245
Wahl & Henius, pages 823-830
The Lancet 1852, vol.1, 1852, page 474
The lancet 1853, Volume 2, 1853, page 631.
Bass price list
Chemie der menschlichen Nahrungs- und Genussmittel by Joseph König, 1889, page 835
Brockhaus' konversations-lexikon, Band 2 by F.A. Brockhaus, 1898