Coronation Ale

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Andrew Booth

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As I understand it quite a few strong beers were brewed by various breweries for The 1953 Coronations anyone got any recipes for a suitable coronation ale with modern malts and hops?
 
Obviously we don't have any recent templates, but if you look at some of Ron Pattinson's stuff there seems to have been two main groups in 1953, either ~4% stouts or something (presumably paler) in the 6-7% range.

Obvious hops to use would be bittering with Admiral to reflect his naval career (and his current standing as Admiral of the Fleet), then Sovereign as late additions. But I guess NZ and Oz hops would also work as a nod to the Commonwealth although the names aren't as suitable.
 
Do you know not so long ago I did a sole Admiral hop beer and it was excellent. The hops gave a nice if I remember slight orange taste in fact I will put it on my list to do again. This surprised me as it is usually treated as a bittering hop but it is more usable than that.
A English IPA with a little more strength would be a suggestion maybe
 
With less than two months to go, I reckon there's not enough time for anything too fancy! But I was involved in an unrelated conversation on Jim's forum that gave me my choice the Coronation:

It's fairly strong (for a British pub beer), it won't need the maturing of a hoppy "IPA" (for which there isn't time), it still has its modern incarnation being sold as a premium British "bitter" (but it's not really a bitter), its ancestry is an Edwardian "mild ale", (WHAT! ashock1 ... Wait for it! I was surprised when I figured this out!), it's the last remaining (and it probably isn't the "last", I'm just amazed you can still come across one) "XXXX" still in production, it's an early incarnation of ... Wadworth's 6X!

Read about it here: http://www.breweryhistory.com/journal/archive/137/6X.pdf (from an author who should know!).

Recipe here (for the close-on last of their strong XXXX versions, not called 6X yet): Let's Brew Wednesday - 1922 Wadworth XXXX

A modern recipe here: British Brewer » wadworth 6x clone (that's just an example, but Wadworth did let everyone know the recipe an older Web site). 93% pale, 4% crystal and 3% sugar (85% Fuggles, 15% Golding). You might use @Northern_Brewer's choice of hops for a more patriotic feel? After all, Wadworth's appeared to wave a few Golding hops at it and call it a "Bitter". If you're going to use "Invert Sugar No.3" do use one of my emulations and save yourself some unnecessary labour (or expenditure)!

It was originally OG 1.055-57, dropping to 1.050 post WWII, 1.043 and 1.041 only quite recently. I might try a pre-WWII version; it may have some flaked maize (haven't determined yet), but I will use Chavallier barley malt 'cos it's all I've got (pushing it to believe they might still be using it back then). Possibly no Goldings by then, all Fuggles? What the hell, close enough.

It's 6X's 100th anniversary this year too!
 
I’m going to brewing next week in a pressure fermenter with s04 fermented at 10psi
20 degrees I reckon it should be ready before the occasion will be a 6 kg grist with admiral at the start and at 45 minutes I’m going to do a hopstand at 80 degrees for 15 minutes with fuggles I haven’t fully worked out the recipe yet but will be doing later tonight.
 
To be honest, I am just going to re-label the Platinum Jubilee ale I made last year. It's already got union flag caps on, and it tastes so much better than it did a few months ago.
I might uncap, brett and re-bottle my remaining Sovereign hopped jubilee ale to make it a bit more earthy and agricultural for old Charley.
 
The Malt Miller were advertising Cornish barley last week - it's the stuff St Austell use and not previously available to home brewers. Could be a good base given HM's links to the Duchy over many years.
 
The Malt Miller were advertising Cornish barley last week - it's the stuff St Austell use and not previously available to home brewers. Could be a good base given HM's links to the Duchy over many years.
Flippin' heck, they have too! I've been waiting for that for eons:
https://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/product/simpsons-cornish-gold/
A base malt at EBC 24, no doubt touched by some of Simpson's clever "innovations". And at a price of ... @%$&*! Well, suppose I pay a "King's ransom" for the Chavallier barley malt, so I'll just have to close me eyes tight.

Thanks for the nudge!

[EDIT: Why's it calling it "Munich Malt"? I'm sure it's just a temporary glitch, it still points to "Cornish Gold".]
 

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