Cracking the Codes of Centuries-old Brewing Recipes

All About Beer Magazine - Volume 35, Issue 4
August 1, 2014 By
Classic Collection brewers' log (1)
Cracking the codes in the brewers’ books was a matter of trial and error.

The first two beers for what the brewery calls its Classic Collection appeared in October 2012: Double Stout and India Pale Ale, which were major styles in Victorian times. Brewing started in oak mash tuns still in use: The brewery has retained two Victorian steam engines that can provide energy if there are power cuts.

Double Stout, 5.2%, dates from 1868 and was brewed with pale and roasted malts and hopped with East Kent Goldings. It has dark fruit, roasted grain and peppery hops on the aroma and palate, with further notes of chocolate and coffee.

IPA, 6.1%, followed in 1870. By this time, Shepherd Neame had a laboratory and was able to analyze samples of the style from Burton-on-Trent. John Owen says the brewery never exported IPA to India in the 19th century, “but the beer did get as far as Sumatra.” IPA was brewed with pale and crystal malts and was hopped with Fuggles and East Kent Goldings. The re-creation has a bright bronze color with massive tart fruit, spicy hops and biscuit malt on the nose. Tangy citrus fruit and bitter hops dominate the palate and finish.

The most fascinating old beer revived by Main and Owen was Brilliant Ale, launched in May 2013. The beer was first brewed between 1825 and 1855, and when the codes were cracked it was found to be made with 100% pale malt and East Kent Goldings. The 5.6% beer is straw-colored and has a honeyed malt aroma with orange and lemon fruit along with spices from the hops. Bitter hops build in the mouth, and the finish has candied fruit and juicy malt. It has long been thought that pale ale, so closely associated with Burton, was slow to spread and didn’t become a national style until the latter part of the 19th century. But Brilliant Ale was produced much earlier, and records reveal it was hugely popular and one of the brewery’s best-selling beers.

The three unlocked beers come in traditional amber glass bottles embellished with the brewery’s 19th-century logo on the label, neck and crown. (History buffs looking for more can view a poster promoting Brilliant Ale, thought to be Shepherd Neame’s oldest surviving advertisement, on display in the brewery.) The beers are available in bottle all year round and cask-conditioned as seasonal draft ales.

aaBrilliant Ale_21
Beers re-created from recipes written in code at Shepherd Neame.

Today Shepherd Neame remains a successful and flourishing independent brewery. The Brakspear site in Henley closed in 2002, but the brewing equipment was moved to Witney, also in Oxfordshire and with an almost identical water supply. The brewing kit includes now rare “double drop” fermenters, oak vessels ranged in two banks. Fermentation starts in the top bank, and after a few days the unfinished beer is dropped down to the vessels below, leaving behind dead yeast cells and unwanted protein. According to Brakspear, this leads to a cleaner fermentation that creates Bitter and Oxford Gold, beers with the brewery’s signature characteristic of a rich butterscotch note. Brakspear shares the site with the Wychwood Brewery, famous for its Hobgoblin strong ales.

Both Brakspear and Shepherd Neame have seen off their competitors of the 19th century, all long gone. Keeping the brewery records secret clearly paid a rich dividend.

This story appears in the September issue of All About Beer MagazineClick here for a free trial of our next issue.