Friday 2 April 2010

Truman beers in the 1950's

Part two of things I missed in the Whitbread Gravity Book. This time it's the turn of Truman.

Here's one of my trademark tables:


Truman beers in the 1950's
Year
Beer
Style
Price
size
package
FG
OG
Colour
ABV
attenuation
1950
Ben Truman Pale Ale
Pale Ale
14.5d
half pint
bottled
1007
1052.1
24 B
5.90
86.56%
1950
Ben Truman Pale Ale
Pale Ale

pint
bottled
1010.1
1060.9
B 13
6.65
83.42%
1951
Ben Truman Pale Ale
Pale Ale
14.5d
half pint
bottled
1010.5
1049.2
21
5.04
78.66%
1953
Ben Truman Pale Ale
Pale Ale
10d
nip
bottled
1009
1051
22
5.48
82.35%
1959
Ben Truman Pale Ale
Pale Ale
16d
half pint
bottled
1010
1049.9
17
5.20
79.96%
1950
Best Stout
Stout
11d
half pint
bottled
1017.2
1041.3
1 + 12
3.11
58.35%
1951
Best Stout
Stout
11d
half pint
bottled
1015.3
1040.9
1 + 16
3.31
62.59%
1954
Best Stout
Stout
12d
half pint
bottled
1017.6
1044
1 + 10
3.41
60.00%
1953
Best Stout (Lactose present)
Stout
12d
half pint
bottled
1015.2
1044.4
1 + 8
3.78
65.77%
1950
Black Ben Stout
Stout
14.5d
half pint
bottled
1014.3
1049
1 + 10
4.50
70.82%
1951
Black Ben Stout
Stout
14.5d
half pint
bottled
1014.9
1047.6
1 + 9
4.23
68.70%
1950
Eagle Ale
Pale Ale
8.5d
half pint
bottled
1005.4
1032
20 Brown
3.46
83.13%
1951
Eagle Ale
Pale Ale
8.5d
half pint
bottled
1005.4
1031.6
20
3.41
82.91%
1951
Eagle Ale
Pale Ale
19d
pint
bottled
1005.8
1031.7
21
3.36
81.70%
1953
Eagle Light Ale
Pale Ale
9.5d
half pint
bottled
1004.6
1034
21 B
3.83
86.47%
1954
Eagle Light Ale
Pale Ale
9.5d
half pint
bottled
1005.3
1031.3
22
3.38
83.07%
1955
Eagle Light Ale
Pale Ale
10d
half pint
bottled
1006.6
1031.1
22
3.18
78.78%
1950
Eagle Pale Ale
Pale Ale
15d
pint
bottled
1005.4
1029.2
23 B
3.09
81.51%
1950
Eagle Stout
Stout
9d
half pint
bottled
1014.8
1034.1
1 + 13
2.49
56.60%
1951
Eagle Stout
Stout
9d
half pint
bottled
1016.7
1037.3
1 + 13
2.65
55.23%
1953
Eagle Stout
Stout
9.5d
half pint
bottled
1012.3
1034
1 + 14
2.80
63.82%
1956
Eagle Stout
Stout
11d
half pint
bottled
1016.1
1034.8
225
2.41
53.74%
1956
Light Ale
Pale Ale
10d
half pint
bottled
1011.4
1031.7
19
2.62
64.04%
1959
Light Ale
Pale Ale
10d
half pint
bottled
1006.5
1032
19
3.31
79.69%
1956
Malt Stout (Lactose present)
Stout
14d
half pint
bottled
1021.2
1045
225
3.06
52.89%
1953
No. 1 Burton Barley Wine
Barley Wine
20d
nip
bottled
1023.6
1095.4
6 + 40
9.42
75.26%
1954
Oatmeal Stout
Stout
12d
half pint
bottled
1015.9
1035.5
350
2.52
55.21%
1955
Pale Ale
Pale Ale


bottled
1011.1
1061
31
6.52
81.80%
1955
Scotch Ale (purchased in Belgium)
Scotch Ale


bottled
1025.6
1083.4
80
7.52
69.30%
1955
Stout
Stout


bottled
1022
1062
225
5.18
64.52%
1950
Trubrown
Brown Ale
16d
pint
bottled
1013.3
1032.5
16 + 40
2.48
59.08%
1950
Trubrown
Brown Ale
9d
half pint
bottled
1013.7
1035.9
16 + 40
2.87
61.84%
1951
Trubrown
Brown Ale
19d
pint
bottled
1012.8
1035.4
16 + 40
2.92
63.84%
1952
Trubrown
Brown Ale
9.5d
half pint
bottled
1007.5
1031.7
7 + 40
3.14
76.34%
1953
Trubrown
Brown Ale
9.5d
half pint
bottled
1012.4
1034.7
16 + 40
2.88
64.27%
1954
Trubrown
Brown Ale
9.5d
half pint
bottled
1011.9
1034.7
17 + 40
2.95
65.71%
1955
Trubrown
Brown Ale
10.5d
half pint
bottled
1013.9
1034.1
105
2.61
59.24%
1956
Trubrown
Brown Ale
10.5d
half pint
bottled
1016.5
1034.9
95
2.37
52.72%
Source:
Whitbread Gravity Book

Remember that quote from Campbell about Trubrown being higher than average gravity for a Brown Ale? That view doesn't appear to be borne out by the analyses. Averaging around 1035, it actually has a typical OG. Yes, there were some even weaker Brown Ales, hovering around the 1030 level, but most were 1032-1035. I wonder why Campbell though it was stronger? Perhaps it was the price. Hang on, that's not true. In 1952 Whitbread's Forest Brown cost 10.5d for a half pint (1d more than Trubrown) and was about the same strength.

You can see that, as for most breweries, the majority of Truman's products had gravities well below 1040. Eagle Stout, in particular, didn't deserve the name of  "Stout" with its sub 3% ABV. Though they did have Stouts with more a  respectable gravity and alcohol content.

Ben Truman was the brewery's pitch at the premium Pale Ale market and, with a gravity of 1050, was roughly comparable to bottled Bass. For me it's weird seeing Ben Truman portrayed as a quality, strong Pale Ale. I can only remember it as a shitty, over-priced keg beer that I kept well clear of.

The strongest two beers are worth mentioning. First, No.1 Burton Barley Wine. A full-strength Barley Wine which, like many Burton-brewed beers, was very well attenuated for its gravity. It was a blend of two beers: S1 and R1 (S = Stock and R = Runner), one brewed in Burton, the other in London. S1 was brewed and matured in Burton and then shipped down to London in hogsheads where it was blended with R1 that had been brewed in Brick Lane. The aged beer had some sourness and how of much this character was apparent in the final beer depended on the taste of the blender, who decided the proportions of  young and aged beer.

Finally the Scotch Ale. Though, being brewed in London for the Belgian market, there's little apparent connection with Scotland. Though its gravity and colour are much like those of Scottish-brewed strong Scotch Ales and, indeed, that of John Smith.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

As I've commented before, all (or almost all) the 'big name' original keg beers had a previous existence as premium bottled pale ales, even Red Barrel.

Rob Sterowski said...

When did John Smith's have a gravity of 1083?

Ron Pattinson said...

Zythophile, funny you should mention bottled Red Barrel. Just been looking at the entries for that in the Whitbread Gravity Book. Should be posting about it soon.

Anonymous said...

Hmmmmmm... Burton beer. Burton is my home town. Oh Yes.