Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Let's Brew Wednesday - 1911 Eldridge Pope AK

An Eldridge Pope Crystal label featuring a monocled huntsman holding a glass of beer.
How has a decade and a half affected Eldridge Pope AK? I some ways not all, in others quite a bit.

Let’s start with the quite a bit. The gravity is down more than 5º and the ABV more than half a percent. Boo.

Exactly what I’d expect, mind. In the early years of the 20th century brewers were under pressure. The excise duty on beer was increased to pay for the Boer War and the cost of brewing licences was greatly increased. The price of beer being totally inelastic, brewers reacted to these increases by reducing gravities. Which had been their response for more than a century.

The grist is as near as dammit identical. Same ingredients, same proportions. Nothing to see there.

While the hopping rate per barrel remained identical, the 1911 iteration included a large quantity of old hops. Mid-Kent and Kent from 1908, Worcester from 1909, East Kent from 1909 and Mid-Kent from 1910.

1911 Eldridge Pope AK
pale malt 7.00 lb 79.28%
flaked maize 0.33 lb 3.74%
No. 2 invert sugar 1.50 lb 16.99%
Fuggles 120 mins 1.00 oz
Fuggles 60 mins 0.75 oz
Goldings 30 mins 0.75 oz
Goldings dry hops 0.50 oz
OG 1043
FG 1011
ABV 4.23
Apparent attenuation 74.42%
IBU 32
SRM 7.5
Mash at 152º F
Sparge at 165º F
Boil time 120 minutes
pitching temp 60º F
Yeast White Labs WLP099 Super High Gravity

 

5 comments:

Grayson said...

The crown loved their late 19th and early 20th century wars. Sad drinkers paid for it.

Anonymous said...

Ever since the Normans conquered England that was the way.
Oscar

Anonymous said...

4.23 percent abv and 32 IBU is pretty respectable.

Anonymous said...

Just out of interest, why use a super high gravity yeast?

Ron Pattinson said...

Because it's the Eldridge Pope yeast.