Thrale/Thrall history
Anchor Brewery, Bankside, London (1616-1986).
The history of Anchor brewery from 1616 until 1986, including the 52 years between 1729 & 1781 in which it was owned by Ralph and Henry Thrale.
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'Thrale's Entire' and later 'Russian Imperial Stout'
The development & success of Thrale's Entire and its successor Russian Imperial Stout.
Development of Porter & Stout
In the late 18th century, Thrale's Brewery, was renowned for its production of strong Porter beers - popular with the laboring class of England, namely the street and river porters of London. These beers known as "Stout Porter" or "Brown Stout" were particularly popular in the Baltic regions, including Russia as their higher alcohol content and more hops could withstand long journeys and harsh destination climates.
Henry Thrale expanded the brewery's production and export capabilities, focusing on the increasingly popular porter style. The brewery's porter, known as "Thrale's Entire" gained a reputation for its quality and strength. By the 1760s and 1770s, there are records of Thrale's porter being exported to Russia and other parts of the Baltic.
Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great, who ruled Russia from 1762 to 1796, is often associated with the early versions of Russian Imperial Stout. In 1796, Thrale's Brewery supplied a specially brewed porter to her court. This beer was designed to be robust enough to survive the journey and to appeal to the Empress's taste. It was said that it would "keep seven years". It is well-documented that she enjoyed strong English porters.The connection between Russian Imperial Stout and Peter the Great is likely a myth, as porter did not exist during his 1698 visit to England.
Barclays Russian Imperial Stout advert. Tatler Magazine 11 November 1936..
The History and Antiquities of the Parish of St. Saviour, Southwark published reported, in 1795 …
The reputation and enjoyment of Porter is by no means confined to England. As proof of the truth of this assertion, this house exports annually very large quantities; so far extended are its commercial connections that Thrale’s Intire[^1] is well known, as a delicious beverage, from the frozen regions of Russia to the burning sands of Bengal and Sumatra. The Empress of all the Russias is indeed so partial to Porter that she has ordered repeatedly very large quantities for her own drinking and that of her court.The term "Imperial" to describe stronger versions of beer began to appear in English brewing records and advertisements in the 1820s. The phrase "Russian Stout" was recorded from 1889 onward, reflecting the style's historical connection to exports to Russia. However, the full term "Russian Imperial Stout" did not come into common use until Courage started making Russian Imperial Stout in 1970.
Commercial history
When the Russian trade dried up, Courage continued to brew small batches of Russian stout for the British market, branded 'Barclays', despite being owned by Courage.When Courage closed its historic London Horsleydown brewery in 1982, production of the stout was moved to John Smith's brewery in Tadcaster. It was 10 percent alcohol, brewed from pale, amber, and black malts, with a touch of Pilsner malt, and around 24 pounds of Target hops per barrel — that is four times as many hops as are used in a conventional beer. The stout had an aroma of fresh leather and licorice, with bitter black chocolate in the mouth, and a long finish packed with bitter dark fruit and hops.
Sadly, the beer did not continue production for long after Courage was taken over by Scottish & Newcastle in 1995. The annual brew became an occasional one and then petered out completely in the late 1990s.
Further information about Anchor Brewery, including its location, development, images and documents is here.
| Owner of original | David Thrale |
| File name | histories/tree01-anchor-brewery/tree01-anchor-brewery-07.html |
| File Size | 5.43 KB |
| Media ID | 928 |
| Dimensions | n/a |
| Folio version | v13.0.0.33 (B240424-085038) |
| Linked to | Anna Thrale; Henry Thrale; Ralph Thrale; Edmund Halsey; Hester Lynch Salusbury; Anchor Brewery, Southwark, Surrey, England |
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