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150 year old Allsopps bottle arctic The ale, which was originally designed for a leading polar expedition, is set to be opened by a scottish brewer To create a modern version of the historic drink.
Dougal Gunn Sharp, founder of edinburgh-based Innis & Gunn will pour rare spirits into a new drink.
This bottle is one of a handful of bottles surviving from Sir George Nares’s 1875 North Pole expedition, originally prepared burton upon trent For British explorers.
Mr Sharp acquired it at auction a decade ago for more than £3,000 – five times the estimate – after discovering it in a Shropshire garage.
another bottle of the same beer An 1852 expedition later made headlines when it sold on eBay for more than $500,000, although it is believed the transaction was never completed.
In partnership with the revived Allsopps Brewery, Mr Sharp now plans to use a quantity of the ale to craft a new limited-edition ale. beerIt will be called Innis and Gunn 1875 arctic The ale and will follow the original Allsopp’s recipe.
“It’s hard to overstate how rare this bottle is,” Mr Sharp said.
“Some people might think it’s crazy to open it, but I think the real madness would be to leave it on a shelf. Beer is meant to be shared, especially on this, its 150th anniversary.
“This wine was created for a journey of endurance and adventure, and I think it’s perfect that it has another journey – in the glass. There’s something very special about making a wine and being able to taste a piece of maritime history. That’s why we’re doing this.”
The beer was brewed at Samuel Allsopp & Sons burton upon trent And it was designed to provide sustenance for sailors enduring temperatures as low as minus 40C.
With an alcohol strength of about 9 percent, it was described as “strong and nutty”, rich in fermentable sugars that can resist freezing. It contains six times more calories than traditional beer.
Victorian era records describe the liquor as dark brown and so thick that it had to be scooped up in copper buckets.
Beers accompanied several Arctic expeditions, including Vice-Admiral Sir George’s attempt to reach the North Pole in 1875. Although each ended in difficulty, the story of Arctic Ale became legend among brewers.
Jamie Allsopp, founder of the new-look Allsopp Brewery and direct descendant of Samuel Allsopp, said the collaboration with Innis & Gunn feels like “a physical bridge to the past”.
He said: “There is something uniquely romantic about Allsopp’s Arctic Ale – it is a story of heroism, stamina and human courage. It was a beer crafted for explorers to survive the extremes of the Arctic, designed to nourish them in conditions as cold as minus 40 degrees Celsius.
“It is one of the strongest and most extraordinary beers ever made – more like Madeira than modern wine – and its legend has only grown with time. Very few bottles still exist, and I have only seen two come up for sale.
“So when Dougal told me he planned to use one of them to help rebuild it, I honestly thought he was crazy – but I love it.
“The idea of physically putting history into a new wine is a kind of alchemy. It’s never been done before, and it’s the perfect way to reconnect with a moment in crafting history that has fascinated people for nearly 170 years.”
The new beer will be released in limited quantities at Innis & Gunn’s taproom later this year edinburgh and at Allsop locations in Glasgow, London, as well as select other stockists.
A small number of hand-bottled versions will also be made available via ballot.