Sheffield may not be synonymous with a beer style in the way that Pilsen or Burton are, but it was the birthplace of a type of beer: pale Barley Wine.
The first Barley Wines were very much forged in the image of the original Bass No. 1 Burton Ale. That is, a ridiculously high gravity – often North of 1100o – and a very dark brown colour. This was the template for Barley Wine, right from when Bass coined the term around 1870 until the early 1950s. When a new, much paler version was developed by Tennant Brothers at its Exchange Brewery in the centre of Sheffield.
Tennant already brewed a Barley Wine in the classic style with No. 1 Barley Wine. Both were brewed to a super-high gravity, but there was a huge difference in the colour. The older Barley Wine had a colour of 145o on the old Lovibond scale, while Gold Label was just 35o, close to bitter in colour. The pale colour was achieved by restricting the recipe to just pale malt, No.
1 invert sugar and flaked maize. The older No.1 also contained black and crystal malt, plus a darker type of sugar.
Originally, Gold Label was brewed as a genuine stock ale, aged in oak casks for 12 months before bottling to round off any rough edges. Though as its popularity grew, the production method was simplified to speed up the process.
Gold Label was a big hit with drinkers. This caught the attention of rival brewers and some brought out a similar beer of their own. Eldridge Pope, for example, had a beer called Goldie. A slightly modified version of that beer became the legendary Hardy Ale.
Its popularity received a further boost when Tennant was bought by
Whitbread in 1961. Whitbread had its own strong ale, Final Selection, but
such was the renown of Gold Label that, unlike Tennant’s other bottled beers,
it wasn’t discontinued. Quite the opposite, in fact, as Whitbread started brewing Gold Label in its Chiswell Street brewery in London.
Throughout the 1970s, Whitbread pushed Gold Label quite heavily, with an
advertising campaign which claimed “strong as a double scotch, less than
half the price”.
Sadly, the current version of Gold Label is just a shadow of its former self,
a mere 7.5% ABV instead of 11%. If only someone would brew the original
1950s beer!
BY RON PATTINSON
Renowned beer historian and author
barclayperkins.blogspot.com
First published in Sheffield Beer Week 2019 Guide
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