Fuller’s London Pride: A Variable, Veritable Classic

Yeah, well, that's the thing in the US for most of the post-Repeal era, while many glass styles had names (in some cases, more than one name, varying by region), the volume was variable. Another ad, different bar and from 1938, said Michelob "...“ is sold in 8-ounce glasses for a dime. Budweiser beer is served in 12-ounce containers for the same price."

 

My understanding is that it enabled the use of domestic barley.Barley grown in continental climates tend to be high in nitrogen content leading to hazy beers. This could be offset by using a proportion of grain such as rice or corn.

 

Adjunct use produced a lighter, brighter beer with the protein heavy American six row barley grown back in the day. I believe the Europeans used rice in their export beers to increase stability for the journey to market. I don't have a cite for that and dare not trust my memory, but it wasn't a cost cutting method because rice was more expensive at the time.

 

I'll bring this thread from Bud back to Fuller's with a little London Pride trivia.

Fuller's ran a competition to find a name for the beer, and the prize was a barrel of beer every year for life. The winner chose London Pride after the flower called London Pride. The flower would grow on bomb sites from the London Blitz of the 40s and became a symbol of the resilience of Londoners. I'll put a picture of the flower below and Noel Coward's tribute song.

Quoting Ron's article here:

@patto1ro , you're obviously looking right at the records, but in an interview, I heard John Keeling state that London Pride was launched on April 23rd 1959 (St George's Day) as a cask beer. If Keeling is correct, perhaps this was the date that it was officially available to the public as a draft beer with that name (as opposed to brewed).

 

As to the double drop method, if you tour the Fullers brewery, they have kept one top and bottom vessel on display. The bottom vessel has been shortened in length to conserve space.

 

1959 will just be the date when the cask beer was called London Pride. The bottled version was called that earlier. I've seen 1950's labels with that name on them and there's an entry in the Whitbread Gravity Book from November 1953 which specifically says "London Pride".

Sorry to go all anal. Here are the relevant Gravity book entries:

bottled




draught

 

Don't apologize Ron. Your work is greatly appreciated.

 

Just had a pint last night of Fuller's, for the first time in... some 15 years at Maproom here in Chicago. Still as delicious as I had remembered... solid stuff. Back on my "usuals" list if I see it again...