What's Brewing 1959

marshbrewer · May 2, 2019

Stole this from Edd Mather on twitter (and here, I believe) - posted for those of you who don't do social media. It's really, really interesting.

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-whats-brewing-1959-online

Cheers Edd!

kelper · May 3, 2019

Thanks! I was born in '55 so I found it interesting.

chesters-mild · May 3, 2019

Mid 1960's me old dad took me round Chesters brewery in Ardwick Manchester, just like this video, all open FV's but no stainless steel, the best was the smell in the hop store (and the free pint in the 'allowance office') nowt like the big industrial breweries of today!
Cheers & thanks jjsh :cheers3:

MyQul · May 3, 2019

Superb! A picture of a bygone age (not just the brewery but the vehicles, fashions, etc). I love the guy starting up the boiler with his flame thrower - not dangerous at all. No sir-ee

Chippy_Tea · May 3, 2019

Loved that thanks jjsh for posting the link.

Drunkula · May 3, 2019

After watching it I did a search and there's a good few beer and brewing videos.

Chippy_Tea · May 3, 2019

Making Beer. Adding the hops. 1950s The malt is ground and the grist is moved to the copper domed mash tuns. Here the grist is mixed

Head Brewer's control room in a beer manufacturing facility 1950s. Daily testing and examination of the maturing beers and ales is carried out by men in white coats. A glass is filled from a tap on a beer cask. This process is repeated. A man taste the brew and a full glass of ale is held up to a light bulb.

HuntleyFilmArchives

The Baron · May 3, 2019

Local to me I can remember the melbourne brewery in the tile/stonework on some of the old pubs in Leeds and still there on the odd one. I think the actual melbourne pub was just round the corner from the old Tetley Brewery. Thanks for the post I was going back in time Lol

Richie_asg1 · May 3, 2019

Lovely to see this thank you. It looks like steam was a new conversion for this brewery as it originally had open fires to heat the coppers. Love the dry hopping machine!

GerritT · May 3, 2019

Location not authorised
BFI Player films cannot be played outside of the UK

Error code: geo

matt76 · May 3, 2019

Nice one @jjsh , fascinating look back in history! athumb..

Apart from still struggling to comprehend that in those days actually the world wasn't all in black and white, I'm stunned how short the fermentation times were yet how long the mash and boil times were.

Interesting to note how the process is fundamentally the same as how i brew a mere 12L or so today. Did make me wonder if i should be dry hopping my bitters, i had assumed this was a practice reserved for IPAs.....

Oh, and +1 @Richie_asg1 , loved the dry hopping funnel bicycle machine thingy, i so want one of those now! clapa

marshbrewer · May 3, 2019

matt76 said:
yet how long the mash and boil times were

That fascinated me as well - I can see why the mash and boil times were typically longer in the late 19th century recipes that you see online, but I would have thought that, certainly when it came to mashing, the malts would have been 'modern' enough by the late 50's not to require such a long time in the tun, but they must have had their reasons!

Slid · May 5, 2019

jjsh said:
Stole this from Edd Mather on twitter (and here, I believe) - posted for those of you who don't do social media. It's really, really interesting.

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-whats-brewing-1959-online

Cheers Edd!

Absolutely! Very interesting little film. I picked up on three things:
Adding sugar
Dry hopping in the keg - the only flavour / aroma hops - the rest being for bittering.
Hops seem like Goldings from the locations mentioned - Kent - Worcester - Hereford.

marshbrewer · May 5, 2019

Slid said:
Dry hopping in the keg - the only flavour / aroma hops - the rest being for bittering.

Wasn't there a hop back? I'll have to watch it again now! :laugh8:

Slid · May 5, 2019

jjsh said:
Wasn't there a hop back? I'll have to watch it again now!

There was - I remember it well.

marshbrewer · May 5, 2019

That would give flavour, though, wouldn't it? Unless it was used just to strain the boil hops out.... I'm going to have to watch it again. :laugh8:

An Ankoù · May 6, 2019

kelper said:
Thanks! I was born in '55 so I found it interesting.

...and to answer a later question on another thread, I'm a year older.

An Ankoù · May 6, 2019

the baron said:
Local to me I can remember the melbourne brewery in the tile/stonework on some of the old pubs in Leeds and still there on the odd one. I think the actual melbourne pub was just round the corner from the old Tetley Brewery. Thanks for the post I was going back in time Lol

Not to be confused with the Temple Brewery in Melbourne.

An Ankoù · May 6, 2019

jjsh said:
Stole this from Edd Mather on twitter (and here, I believe) - posted for those of you who don't do social media. It's really, really interesting.

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-whats-brewing-1959-online

Cheers Edd!

Hi Jish,
The link you attached won't play outside the UK!!!
Is this the same footage?
http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/whats-brewing
Thanks

chrisbjones202 · May 6, 2019

Great link.

I wonder how sanitary his top pocket where he keeps his hydrometer is before tipping back the measured sample.

What's Brewing 1959

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