Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn has announced plans to recreate an ‘Arctic Ale’ originally brewed back in 1875 to fuel Sir George Nares’ attempt to reach the North Pole.
Innis & Gunn founder Dougal Sharp acquired one of the world’s last surviving bottles of Allsop’s Arctic Ale at auction for £3000 over a decade ago, and to mark the 150th anniversary of the Nares expedition, now intends to pour it into the new brew to create a ‘physical bridge with the past’.
First brewed at Samuel Allsopp & Sons in Burton-upon-Trent, the beer was designed to provide sustenance for sailors enduring temperatures as low as -40°C.
With an alcohol strength of around 9%, it was described as ‘strong and nutritive’, rich in unfermentable sugars that could resist freezing, giving it six times the calorie content of conventional beer.
Records from the 19th century describe the ale as dark brown, ‘suggestive of old Madeira’, and so thick it had to be lifted from the brewing copper in buckets.
The recipe actually accompanied several Arctic expeditions – first Admiral Sir Edward Belcher’s 1852 mission to locate the lost Franklin expedition, then Sir Leopold McClintock’s 1857 voyage, and finally Sir George Nares’ 1875 North Pole attempt.
Though Nares’ voyage failed to reach the Pole, it set new northward progress records, and many significant points on Arctic exploration routes are still named after members of his crew.
Armed with one expensive bottle of the ale that accompanied the mission, Sharp is keen to honour the memory of both those explorers and the brewers of days past.
“The first time I read about Arctic Ale, I was captivated by the story,” he said. “It’s part of a lost chapter in brewing – a beer designed to sustain explorers on one of history’s most extreme expeditions.
“When I found a bottle at auction, I knew I had to have it, not as a collector’s piece but as a brewer.
“It’s hard to overstate how rare this bottle is,” said Sharp. “Some people might think it’s madness to open it, but I think the real madness would be to leave it sitting on a shelf. Beer is meant to be shared, particularly on this, its 150th anniversary.
“I think it’s only right that it has one more journey – into the glass. There’s something very special about being able to taste a piece of brewing and maritime history. That’s why we’re doing this.”
The Arctic ale is being recreated in collaboration with the revived Allsopp’s Brewery, which is led by Jamie Allsopp, a direct descendant of Samuel Allsopp.
“There’s something uniquely romantic about Allsopp’s Arctic Ale – it’s a story of heroism, endurance, and human daring,” said Allsop junior.
“This was a beer brewed for explorers setting out to survive the extremes of the Arctic, designed to nourish them in conditions as low as -40°C.
“It’s one of the strongest and most extraordinary beers ever made – more like a Madeira than a modern ale – and its legend has only grown with time. Very few bottles still exist, and I’ve only ever seen two come up for sale,” he noted.
“So when Dougal told me he planned to use one of his to help recreate it, I honestly thought he was mad – but I love it!
“The idea of physically pouring history into a new brew is a kind of alchemy. It’s never been done before, and it’s the perfect way to reconnect with a moment in brewing history that’s fascinated people for nearly 170 years.”
The new 1875 Arctic Ale will be brewed at Innis & Gunn’s Perth brewery using authentic malt and hop varieties from the original recipe. The bottle of Arctic Ale will be ceremonially opened during the brewing process, with the bottle incorporated into the fermentation.
It will then be released in limited quantities across Innis & Gunn and Allsopp’s pubs, and select other venues, later this year.
A limited number of hand-bottled editions will also be available to the public via a ballot – sign up at innisandgunn.com/arctic-ale.
