Month: December 2019

A large group of beer aficionados met at Marston’s Sports & Social Club on Monday night to mark the 150th Anniversary of the brewing of Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton’s Ratcliff Ale, which is recognised as the oldest still drinkable beer in the world.

Ratcliff Ale was brewed on 16 December 1869 at the now demolished Bass Old Brewery on High Street. Produced to mark the birth of Richard Henry “Harry” Ratcliff, the son of company Director Richard Ratcliff, it was designed to be consumed on Harry’s 21st birthday.

Along with Ratcliff Ale, numerous bottles of the other five Bass Commemorative Ales, or Bass Corkers, were opened including three bottles of the exceptionally rare 1929 Prince’s Ale, all in aid of the National Brewery Heritage Trust and Cancer Research UK.

“Overall the evening was a huge success,” said Harry. “Approximately ninety people being given the opportunity to taste a unique and very special collection of beers, spanning one hundred and fifty years.”

Gary Summerfield took charge of the job of uncorking the beer along with Netty Webster and Andy Jackson.

“It is rare to have Bass Corkers with complete seals, as over the years the wax becomes very brittle,” observed Gary. “When we chipped the wax off, it was interesting that the lead sealed King’s Ale had the red wax underneath confirming that these were originals. What was surprising was that the older bottle corks came out pretty much intact whilst the later tended to crumble, maybe the corks were better quality back then?”

The assembled enthusiasts enjoyed talks from local Brewing Historian Ian Webster and National Brewery Heritage Trust Chairman / ex-Bass Director Dr Harry White, whilst the unique tasting session was led by renowned International Beer Writer Roger Protz, who along with a panel of Tony Duckworth and Martin Thomas both ex-Directors at Bass, Beer Writer Pete Brown, Harry White and Ian Webster, described the old ales in great detail.

 “It was a fascinating and rewarding event, tasting beers from a century or more ago and finding them in perfect drinking condition,” said Roger Protz who had never tried Ratcliff Ale before. “The most memorable was the Ratcliff Ale, 150 years old. There was a frisson of excitement in the room when this beer was sampled. It was clear in the glass and was amazingly complex, as fruity as sherry or Madeira but with a delicate balance of hops.”

“Ratcliff Ale was an over-stamped label of a standard beer of that time: Bass & Co’s, No. 1 Strong Ale, a precursor of what is nowadays called a barley wine,” explains Harry. “That it was still sound in terms of both taste and appearance is a huge testament to the brewing skills and expertise employed in Burton at that time. An era when despite the demand for Burton’s beers worldwide, brewing could still only be carried out during the winter months, because no-one understood the true nature of the fermentation process or was even aware of the existence of micro-organisms!”

“And I was very worried that we wouldn’t have enough beer to go around!” exclaimed a relieved Ian Webster. “As it turned out every bottle we opened was drinkable and each person got to try all six. It was magical to be able to toast with Ratcliff Ale and watch everyone drink it! Afterwards I had people telling me they’d never forgot tonight; it was a unique experience for an amazing beer.”

And as for the 200th Anniversary?

“I doubt I’ll be around to see that one,” laughs Ian. “But if I am, I hope someone invites me to the party.”

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Roger Protz’s Tasting Notes

1982 Prince’s Ale a.k.a. Celebration Ale
Marmite, toffee, spicy hops on the nose, rich malty palate with vinous fruit and hops developing. A lot of Marmite notes in the finish with tart fruit and peppery hops. 

1978 Princess Ale
Chestnut colour, good condition, sherry and hops aroma. Bittersweet in the mouth with tart fruit and peppery hops. The finish is dry with rich fruit and some hop bitterness.

1977 Jubilee Strong Ale
Herbal note on the nose — coriander? Earthy note on the palate from English hops, dry and fruity like old blood oranges, some hops notes. Tart fruity finish ending bitter.

1929 Prince’s Ale
Oak on the nose — was this aged in wood? Raisins and sultana fruit. Tart fruit in the mouth with hop bitterness. Finish has more tart fruit, oak notes and light hop bitterness.

1902 King’s Ale
Dry vinous fruit on the aroma with toasted malt and a touch of acidity. Rich, ripe fruit dominate the palate — Dundee Cake fruitiness and ripe malt. Long, bittersweet finish dominated by fruit and rich malt notes with gentle bitterness.

1869 Ratcliff Ale
Bright chestnut colour, Massive fruit on the nose — raisins, sultanas, plums. Bitter and slightly acidic in the mouth with burnt fruit. Bitter finish with dark fruit and rich malt. Amazingly complex.

On 16 December a unique evening was held where all of the Bass Corkers were opened and tasted to mark the 150th Anniversary of the brewing of Bass’ Ratcliff Ale. The panel was led by international Beer Writer and beer tasting expert Roger Protz and here for your reading pleasure are Roger’s tasting notes from all six beers.

1982 Prince’s Ale a.k.a. Celebration Ale

Marmite, toffee, spicy hops on the nose, rich malty palate with vinous fruit and hops developing. A lot of Marmite notes in the finish with tart fruit and peppery hops. 

1978 Princess Ale

Chestnut colour, good condition, sherry and hops aroma. Bittersweet in the mouth with tart fruit and peppery hops. The finish is dry with rich fruit and some hop bitterness.

1977 Jubilee Strong Ale

Herbal note on the nose — coriander? Earthy note on the palate from English hops, dry and fruity like old blood oranges, some hops notes. Tart fruity finish ending bitter.

1929 Prince’s Ale

Oak on the nose — was this aged in wood? Raisins and sultana fruit. Tart fruit in the mouth with hop bitterness. Finish has more tart fruit, oak notes and light hop bitterness.

1902 King’s Ale

Dry vinous fruit on the aroma with toasted malt and a touch of acidity. Rich, ripe fruit dominate the palate — Dundee Cake fruitiness and ripe malt. Long, bittersweet finish dominated by fruit and rich malt notes with gentle bitterness.

1869 Ratcliff Ale

Bright chestnut colour, Massive fruit on the nose — raisins, sultanas, plums. Bitter and slightly acidiic in the mouth with burnt fruit. Bitter finish with drak fruit and rich malt. Amazingly complex.

What was the first British Trade Mark? The Red Triangle of Bass? Well yes and no. Trade Mark Number One was a beer label for Bass & Co.s Pale Ale.

Although it is a generally accepted and much repeated “fact” that the Red Triangle was the first Trade Mark, it was in fact the 914^th; so to be precise and somewhat pedantic, as historians have a habit of being, the Red Triangle formed part of the first Trademark. Bass also registered numbers two and three on the same day. In 2013 Bass Pale Ale was relaunched as Bass Trademark Number One. If the current owners of Trade Mark Number One AB In-Bev cannot get their facts straight, what chance does anyone else have?

In late 1875 Parliament finally passed a long campaigned for Trade Mark Act 1875 which came into force on 1 January 1876. This superseded the 1862 Merchandise Marks Act which had offered only limited protection for companies like Bass; since 1862 it was illegal to use another’s mark with intent to defraud but it wasn’t until the 1875 Act that companies could legally register their actual Trade Marks.

The 1862 Act wasn’t without legal power and was used to convict people in the courts; an example being in 1866 when one John Yeomans, a Brewer’s Agent was successfully prosecuted in Brighton for applying the Trade Mark of Bass to bottles not containing Bass’s Ale. He was sentenced to six months in prison.

The Registration process was done at the Trade Mark Office on Fleet Street in London and the story goes that to ensure that Bass was the first company to register their Trade Marks an employee camped out overnight on New Year’s Eve outside. To prove this here is a drawing of the unnamed Victorian Gentleman.

Now if I was this person who stayed up all night on a cold London street, I’d be a little annoyed that my name is not recorded in the annals of history! Add to this that this drawing dates back to the 1960s and not the 1860s led historian Martyn Cornell to suggest that this tale may be fabricated. Nice story though!

What is known is that Bass registered three Trade Marks that day, these were labels for: Bass & Co’s Pale Ale with the Red Triangle, Bass & Co’s Burton Ale (as seen on Ratcliff Ale and the other five Bass Corkers) with the Red Diamond and Bass & Co’s Extra Stout with the Brown Diamond. Along with Bass’ three registrations another 50 or so Trade Marks were registered by other companies that day. It wasn’t until 16 days later on 17 January 1876 that the actual Red Triangle, Red Diamond and Brown Diamond Trade Marks were registered, numbers 914, 915 and 916.

When did Bass start to use the Red Triangle? There is evidence to show that they had been around since the late 1830’s. In 1877 the Manager of Bass’ London Stores a Mr F. J. Thompson commented that the Red Triangle had been used as a mark on casks for forty years, dating this to 1837, note this is on casks not bottles. Following the opening of Bass Middle Brewery in 1853 casks brewed here had a White Triangle to distinguish them from those brewed at the original High Street premises and when the New Brewery opened in 1863 these had a Blue Triangle.

Cask branding was common practice and certainly Bass’ great rival Benjamin Wilson was doing this on casks of Burton Ale that he was exporting to the Baltic in the early 1800’s. I’ll come back to an interesting Benjamin Wilson story shortly …

Although it was registered on 1 January 1876, this wasn’t when Bass started using the Trade Mark Number One label, the Bass Pale Ale label was designed by George Curzon, a Burtonian, in 1855. Curzon came up with the ring of Stafford Knots, the background design and incorporated the signature and Red Triangle. Here is the label that Bass used prior to Curzon’s, as you can see it is for East India Pale Ale and has the Bass & Co. signature but no Red Triangle. The design was simple and therefore easy to copy.

Bass announced their new label with a letter In February 1855 a letter, with an accompanying a copy of the label and it is worth a read.

We beg respectively to call your attention to the annexed fac-simile of a label that we have adopted as the distinguishing mark of the identity of our PALE ALE.

The general imitation of our old label for all sorts of Pale Ale has rather assisted than prevented deception. We trust the one we have now adopted – the figure of which belongs to us as our Trade Mark – will be a means of securing us and the public against the fraud that has been so long and so greatly complained of.

We are, Sir

Your most obedient Servants,

Bass & Co.

Bass hoped that Curzon’s label would be difficult to mimic, but this was not the case as it was noted that when the 1862 Merchandise Mark Acts was passed that the label was already being copied all over the world, the company holding examples from Glasgow, Liverpool, France, Germany and even as far as Melbourne in Australia! The fake labels copied the shape, the Stafford Knot, the Red Triangle or a close approximation was used like a bell. One even went as far as calling themselves Baass & Co! At one time the company claimed to have nearly 2,000 examples of fraudulent labels on file!

Bass famously used to pursue such fraudsters through the courts post 1876 and there are many examples of them doing just this to be found in newspapers and brewing journals, be it publicans using old Bass bottles and filling them with different ale or brewers making near copies of the Bass label.

This unscrupulous business practice of passing one’s beer off as a rival’s was something that Michael Thomas Bass Senior, the father of the then current Chairman, also called Michael Thomas Bass had firsthand experience of. In 1803 he provided 30 unmarked casks of Burton Ale to a Baltic customer along with a metal brand marked “B. Wilson” so that these could be fraudulently sold as Wilson’s ale.

In a letter to the merchant he stated “I should not like any person to know of it.” I bet he didn’t, however it isn’t recorded if Benjamin Wilson ever became aware of Bass’ underhanded practice. I am sure Bass had his reasons for doing this; as I explained in my first talk Wilson at the time was the number one brewer in Burton and Bass wanted to break Wilson’s grip on the market, from the evidence here even if that meant playing dirty.

So back to Bass: now with the Red Triangle Pale Ale label in use, in early 1857 they started to use the Red Diamond label and the Brown Diamond followed in 1864.

I’d like to clear up some confusion that Trade Mark Number One and the beer Bass No.1, are the same; they are not. Trade Mark Number One was for Bass Pale Ale only and Bass No.1 was their premium Barley Wine which was Trademark Number Two. During the 1860’s Bass adopted a numbering system for their beers, with No.1 being the strongest, No.2 slightly weaker etc., with Ratcliff Ale being Bass No. 1.

To confuse matters the stouts with the Brown Diamond were called P2, P3, P4 and P5. There was no P1, could this have been to avoid confusion with Bass No.1, but why P and not S for Stout? It appears that the P stood for Porter and that the terms Stout and Porter were interchangeable back in the 1860s.

Today the Red Triangle is owned by AB In-Bev, making it the longest running Trademark in British history and I think it can claim to be the most famous Trademark in history and was famously painted by Manet in Un bar aux Folies Bergère in 1886.

My blog logo bears no resemblance to the Bass logo, although just to be on the safe side I did write to AB In-Bev and was given their blessing to use it.

Talk originally presented at the Ratcliff Ale 150th Anniversary evening 16 December 2019.

Which one is the odd one out?

• Phil Seaman 1926-1972 Jazz Drummer
• Stanley Clarke 1933-2004 Property Developer
• William Bass c.1717-1787 Brewer
• Joe Jackson 1954-date Musician
• Paddy Considine 1973-date Actor & Film maker

The answer is William Bass, as all the others are famous Burtonians. Bass was born around 1717 in Hinckley, Leics, 21 miles away from the town that his name would be forever linked to. He was the second son of John Bass, a Plumber and Glazier. The family also had a farm, which included a Brewhouse.

John Bass died when William was fifteen, his elder brother, also John, kept on the business and supplied cider locally which William would pick up Birmingham, he would also bring in supplies for brewing which presumably was done by his Mother.

In 1752 William and John set up carrying business between Manchester & London. They bought textiles in Manchester and travelled to London, stopping at Ashbourne before pressing on to Burton to load up on … hats! Although there was a brewing industry in Burton at that time, it was no more important than Hatting, the town was also famed for Alabaster carving.

Bass began to transport Burton Ale to London and Manchester. Burton Ale was a dark, very strong and sweet style that is not brewed today, the closest modern approximation is Marston’s Owd Roger. Despite its name Ind Coope’s Draught Burton Ale, was not a Burton Ale, but a Pale Ale.

William bought his brother out of the business in 1755 and married Mary Gibbons the following year, who was the daughter of Michael Gibbons who ran the Red Lion on Grey’s Lane in London. The couple settled at Nether Hall in Wetmore, Burton.

Bass bought increasing amounts of Burton Ale from brewers such as Leeson, Musgrave, Clay, Evans and Lovatt and may have even started to brew himself, which means that Bass was brewing in Burton before the accepted date of 1777. In 1765 Bass advertised in the Derby Mercury “a handsome new-built house” on the east side of High Street complete with a Brewhouse, unfortunately the actual location for this house has been lost to time, but it shows that Bass was brewing in Burton at least 12 years before 1777

At the age of around 60, when most of us are thinking of retirement, Bass paid £1,050 for brewery on the east side of High Street which had stood empty for two years. He didn’t choose Burton for the water as it would be 45 years before these unique properties for the production of Pale Ale were known, he picked Burton as it was central between London and Manchester, it was a growing town, it was linked via the Grand Trunk Canal to Liverpool and Hull. He also chose Burton because he lived in the town!

The business would provide a future for his two sons Michael Thomas and William jr and the premises stretched from High Street to the Hay, sandwiched between what would become his greatest rivals William Worthington and Benjamin Wilson. The breweries of Henry Evans and John Walker Wilson sat opposite. He also purchased additional land off William Yeomans and it is likely that he relied on Yeoman’s to run the brewing side.

Early on William Bass had three distinct markets; local innkeepers, innkeepers in London and Manchester and Merchants in the Baltic to whom many of the early Burton Brewers dealt with.

Ten years after establishing his brewery William Bass passed away leaving a growing business to Michael Thomas and William jr. The latter showed little interest in brewing and sold his half to his brother. Michael Thomas Bass was a businessman with ambition, he wanted to be more successful than Benjamin Wilson who was the biggest brewer in Burton.

He visited London and Manchester, successfully gaining more customers and then started to export to the Baltic directly, cutting out the Hull Merchants thereby making greater profit, but by 1790 his Baltic exports totalled just 211 barrels, Benjamin Wilson was sending ten times that amount, even John Walker Wilson, Benjamin’s brother was sending over 1,000 barrels.

After Wilson expanded his business by purchasing the Sketchley Brewery on Horninglow Street, his capacity increased to 4,500 barrels per annum. At this point Bass was only the 8th largest brewer in town, so he entered into a partnership with James Musgrave 1791.

Musgrave’s Brewery was on Bridge Street, and could trace its roots back to Benjamin Printon the twon’s first Common Brewer. Musgrave had added three Maltings on Anderstaff Lane (now Wetmore Road) and had been trying to sell his business for six yrs. He introduced Bass to new customers and in four years they were producing 3,000 barrels, with about two thirds for export.

Political unrest between Britain & France meant that ships to the Baltic had to travel in convoy, but despite this it was still possible to export. They also saw local sales increase, in Burton alone they had 81 customers, these were reached by wagon or for those out of town, canal.

The Bass Musgrave business was typical for brewers of their day and they were known as Common Brewers who also traded in such commodities as timber and linen. In 1792 John Ratcliff started working for the company as a Clerk, he would be taken on as a partner in 1796 and such was the trust this wasn’t legally finalised for another thirteen years!

The Bass Musgrave partnership ended abruptly, Musgrave entering into an agreement with John Greaves. Why this happened it not recorded, it could have been because Musgrave disagreed with making Ratcliff a partner.

John Ratcliff’s role changed to that of a Commercial Traveller for the new company that was called Bass & Ratcliff. The High Street brewery was expanded with a new Brewhouse in operation for the start of the 1797 brewing season.

The first years of Bass & Ratcliff were difficult, due to the Baltic conditions although in 1799 a new market opened up when five casks went to America via Liverpool. Bass & Ratcliff were excellent business men, chasing debts vigilantly and employing Agents in major cities, however despite their best efforts they were unable to break Wilsons hold on the Baltic.

In 1804 Bass & Ratcliff sent 900 barrels of their finest and strongest ale to the Baltic before receiving orders; the plan was it would to arrive before Wilson’s. However Wilson had undercut him, so they had to reduce the price even further and merchants exploited what was a flooded market.

If 1804 was a bad year, 1805 was worse still and it appeared that Wilson had won the battle of the Baltic, Bass & Ratcliff fell back on dealing in timber and making casks, some of which were exchanged for Porter, but then there was a political twist in 1806 when Napoleon blockaded the Baltic Ports and the elaborate trade that existed between Hull, London and Danzig came to an end within a few months.

Due to Wilson’s reliance on the Baltic trade he was harder hit than Bass & Ratcliff, he soon sold his brewery to his nephew Samuel Allsopp. Due to their larger local customer base Bass & Ratcliff were more resilient. They still tried to send ale to the Baltic but with limited success, they also exported to Ireland, N America, the W Indies and even Australia.

Over half their trade was to local pubs, suggesting that Bass & Ratcliff owned the inns, this was an early example of a tied estate that became more important later in the 19th century.

In real terms how big was Bass & Ratcliff? Although Burton had a reputation for ales enjoyed the world over, the entire output of the town was equal to a mere third of one of the large London brewers. Bass & Ratcliff employed just 25 men and the brewery was powered by men/horses. Like many other brewers, Bass & Ratcliff were unable to produce a consistent product due to a lack of understanding of the science behind brewing.

The 1810’s saw the business grow, with the Baltic Trade replaced by the North American, West Indian and Australian market, this was made possible by the good keeping qualities of Burton Ale. At home they enjoyed good sales in Lancashire and London and by 1820 a long held ambition was realised and they became the largest brewers in Burton, owning at least six local pubs.

Another market was soon to open up that would see Bass become the greatest brewery in the world; India! This would see Bass and other Burton brewers such as Allsopp, Salt, Marston, Ind Coope and Worthington become dominant forces in the world of brewing. Within a few decades Bass went from the biggest Brewer in Burton to the biggest Brewer in the world!

Talk originally presented at the Ratcliff Ale 150th Anniversary evening 16 December 2019.