A rare bottle of Arctic beer will be opened to revive the ancient ale, 150 years after it was bottled.
Douglas Gunn Sharp, founder of Edinburgh‘s Innis & Gunn brewery, will open his precious bottle of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale – after splashing out £3,000 for it.
The nourishing brew was meant to fortify the nerves of British explorers facing temperatures as low as –40°C (–40°F) on the 1875 expedition to the North Pole.
With six times the calories of a regular beer and a potent alcohol content of nine per cent ABV, this is a far cry from your average pint.
In collaboration with the newly revived Allsopp’s Brewery, Mr Sharp will use the exceptionally rare beer to ‘seed’ a new batch.
This act of alcoholic alchemy will give rise to a new brew, the Innis & Gunn 1875 Arctic Ale, which will be available in limited quantities.
Mr Sharp says: ‘This ale was brewed for a voyage of endurance and adventure, and 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.’
Allsopp’s Artic Ale was brewed for George Nares’ 1875 expedition to the North Pole. Now, Douglas Gunn Sharp, founder of Edinburgh’s Innis & Gunn brewery, will open his precious bottle (pictured)
A rare bottle of beer brewed for an Arctic expedition will be opened 150 years after it was bottled to recreate the ancient brew
The Allsopp’s Arctic Ale was originally commissioned by Queen Victoria for George Nares’ 1875 attempt to reach the North Pole.
The beer itself was more of a survival food than a refreshing beverage for the weary explorers.
Brewed to be exceptionally rich in unfermented sugars, the beer was so sweet and alcoholic that it would not freeze even in the coldest conditions.
Victorian records describe the beer as being so ‘strong and nutritive’ that it needed to be scooped out of the brewing copper with buckets.
George Nares set out aboard HMS Discovery and HMS Alert from Portsmouth on May 29, 1875, with a hold full of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale.
Nares became the first explorer to pass the channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, now known as the Nares Straight, to the Lincoln Sea beyond.
In doing so, he disproved the popular theory of the time that this would lead to a supposed ice–free region surrounding the pole known as the Open Polar Sea.
While the sledging teams did set the record for furthest distance north, the expedition nearly ended in disaster.
George Nares set out aboard HMS Discovery and HMS Alert from Portsmouth on May 29, 1875, with a hold full of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale
A massive scurvy outbreak among the crew, believed to be caused by a lack of preserved lime juice and an excessively large rum ration, led to the deaths of several crew members.
However, upon his return to the UK, Nares was knighted for his services to geographic discovery, and the Arctic Ale achieved an almost legendary status.
Today, a century and a half later, bottles of this boozy elixir are nearly impossible to come by.
‘It’s hard to overstate how rare this bottle is,’ says Mr Sharp.
Mr Sharp acquired his stash at auction a decade ago, paying over £3,000 for a bottle that had been unearthed in a Shropshire garage.
‘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,’ he said.
‘Beer is meant to be shared, particularly on this, its 150th anniversary.’
In collaboration with Jamie Allsopp, a direct descendant of the original brewer, the bottle will be opened and used to help create a new batch.
The beer is more of a survival food than a refreshing drink. It contains six times the calories of a regular beer, enough sugar to avoid freezing at –40°C (–40°F) and an alcohol content of over nine per cent ABV
Mr Allsopp says: ‘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.
‘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.
‘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 ale will be sold in limited quantities available at select Innis & Gynn and Allsopp’s venues, with a small number of hand–bottled editions available to purchase by ballot.
Commander George Strong Nares: A Scottish naval leader
George Strong Nares was born on 24 April 1831 near Aberdeen.
He was educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross and entered the Royal Navy in July 1845.
Nares’ expedition ultimately ended in disaster when a major scurvy outbreak forced the crews to retreat, but the beer they brought with them became legendary. Pictured: Members of George Nares’ crew pose with indigenous Inuits
In 1872 he commanded HMS Challenger during the first two years of the British naval voyage.
It became the first steam vessel to cross the Antarctic Circle south of the Indian Ocean.
Commander Nares married Mary Grant in 1858 and they had four sons and six daughters.
He had command of HMS Newport in the Mediterranean, and was at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
He was then recalled to command the British Arctic Expedition to the North Pole from 1875 to 1876.
The expedition was sent by the British Admiralty to attempt to reach the North Pole via Smith Sound and to explore the coasts of Greenland and adjacent lands.
On his return from the Arctic, he was knighted and awarded the founders medal of the Royal Geographical Society.
He also served during the Crimea and took part in expeditions to Australia and the Mediterranean. Commander Nares died on 15 January 1915 aged 84.
