Three Tuns XXX

[patto1ro]

The weakest of the "pale ales". Almost as weak as has been passed off as "pale ale" and "bitter" in the last 80 years. Ron Pattinson has done loads to deciphering those "coded" names. But there will be the odd cases where they can't be deciphered, 'cos they were never intended to be?

Those guys in the past just hadn't got the imagination to come up with something like "triple chocolate raspberry ripple stout". Can't think what was up with 'em.



"Invert Sugars" gave way to "Sucrose" syrups (ordinary sugar) as it became cheaper to manufacture the stuff and transport it without consequence (we thought!). Cereals were a source of cheap sugars (corn sugar) even back in Victorian times. Some sugars are "neutral fillers" but that can be a benefit to some recipes. They can also bring their own flavours and colours. They have been used as cheap alternatives to "real" ingredients, but that's certainly not always the case. The UK was particularly keen to use sugar in beer.

Everything from essential component in beer to cheap alcohol producer.

We're lucky these days 'cos the modern cheapskate additives generally won't kill you like the ones they've used in the past.



I've ordered some Fullers "Past Masters" (1891"XX") like I mentioned earlier. Flippin' expensive! The relevance of mentioning it was that guy @patto1ro who popped by earlier was collared into extracting those recipes by Fullers from their ancient brewing logs (if he happens to pop by again and sees this, he'll probably say "err ... but not that one").

Yeah, I did that one. It's XXK, really, not XX, which was their stronger Mild.

 

[peebee]

Yeah, I did that one. ..

Ha! But it isn't what I ended up with! Bit popular them "Past Masters"! I'd missed my first choice, the 1910 Double Stout, but that happened so quick I thought it hadn't come out yet. Missed the XX it seems (I'd thought I'd got it) and had to have the "1914 X". The 1966 is now gone too. But in the mucking about got the advantage of their 10% discount for the price of my email address! Guess I'll get a whole load of email spam selling Japanese sushi now.

I've a sneaking suspicion they only pay lip-service to the history anyway and they're all good? So, there won't be much point doing the Fuller's 1914 X (mild) recipe in the "Armistice!" book for comparison? (The book's is much weedier at "only" OG 1.051).



Humm ... think I might try that book recipe anyway. Better idea than to repeat Courage 1914 X as that might not be at its best for Xmas. ... @dlowe1992: If @patto1ro doesn't refuse me permission, I'll post my interpretation of his recipe and you might give it a look instead of Three Tuns's XXX (for which we haven't a recipe) ... the Fuller's X will certainly be closer to a historic XXX, without the certainty of brain aesthesia (it won't be a "bitter" as Three Tuns describe but I think you'll find an early 20th C. X-ale will confuse any idea of "bitter" that you may have).