In a remarkable fusion of history and innovation, a 150-year-old bottle of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale—originally brewed for a daring Victorian polar expedition—is about to be opened by a modern Scottish brewer. Dougal Gunn Sharp, founder of the Edinburgh-based Innis & Gunn, will use the centuries-old ale as the foundation for a new, limited-edition beer.
The bottle, one of only a few in existence, was first crafted in 1875 for the British Navy’s attempt to reach the North Pole under Vice-Admiral Sir George Nares. The forthcoming recreation aims not only to revive a long-lost brewing tradition but also to pour new life into one of the most storied ales in British history.
This rare bottle, discovered in a Shropshire garage and purchased by Sharp for over £3,000—five times its estimated value—represents more than just aged malt and hops. It carries within it the spirit of endurance, exploration, and craftsmanship that defined an era of scientific discovery and human ambition. By choosing to open the bottle on its 150th anniversary, Sharp intends to bridge the centuries between Victorian innovation and modern brewing artistry.
A Brew Born of Ice and Exploration
The story of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale begins in the industrial heart of Burton-upon-Trent, the 19th-century epicentre of British brewing. In 1875, Samuel Allsopp & Sons received an extraordinary commission: to create a beer capable of sustaining sailors through the extremes of the Arctic, where temperatures plunged to minus 40 degrees Celsius and daylight disappeared for months at a time. The ale had to be not only resilient but also rich in nutrients—a form of liquid sustenance for explorers venturing into the world’s coldest frontiers.
The result was Allsopp’s Arctic Ale, a dark, viscous brew with an alcohol content of around 9 percent, brimming with unfermentable sugars that prevented it from freezing and provided essential calories. Contemporary reports described it as “strong and nutritive,” with a consistency so thick it had to be ladled from the brewing copper in buckets. In an age before modern refrigeration or preservation techniques, this robust composition made it an ideal companion for expeditions into the unknown.
The ale accompanied several Arctic voyages, most famously the 1875 British Arctic Expedition led by Sir George Nares, whose mission was to reach the North Pole and expand scientific knowledge of the polar regions. The expedition ultimately fell short of its goal, turning back amid illness and frostbite, yet the story of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale endured. The beer became emblematic of the grit and resolve of Britain’s explorers, embodying the same spirit of endurance that carried them through months of ice, darkness, and peril.
Over the decades, surviving bottles of the original ale have become relics of both brewing and maritime history. One bottle from the earlier 1852 Arctic expedition, also commissioned by Allsopp’s, made headlines in 2007 when it appeared on eBay with a winning bid exceeding $500,000—though the transaction is believed never to have been completed. Even so, the auction reflected the almost mythical status of this beer among collectors and historians alike.
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Today, barely a handful of bottles remain, each one a sealed time capsule of the 19th century’s adventurous spirit. It is one of these precious few that Sharp now intends to open, not for curiosity’s sake, but to reawaken the recipe and flavor that once fueled the most formidable voyages on Earth.
Reviving a Lost Legend: The Collaboration Between Innis & Gunn and Allsopp’s
For Dougal Gunn Sharp, opening this bottle is not an act of destruction—it is one of creation. By collaborating with the revived Allsopp’s Brewery, he plans to use a portion of the ancient ale to “seed” a new brew: the Innis & Gunn 1875 Arctic Ale. The project, undertaken with the blessing and participation of Jamie Allsopp—a direct descendant of Samuel Allsopp—represents a symbolic and literal link between past and present.
“It’s hard to overstate how rare this bottle is,” Sharp remarked. “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.” His sentiment reflects an ethos that transcends simple brewing: the idea that history should be lived, tasted, and experienced, not merely preserved behind glass.
The modern recreation will follow the original recipe as faithfully as possible, using historical records from Allsopp’s archives to capture the ale’s defining qualities—its strength, sweetness, and remarkable density. Yet, it will also incorporate the precision of contemporary brewing techniques, allowing Innis & Gunn to produce a beer that balances authenticity with drinkability.
Jamie Allsopp, who resurrected his family’s historic brand after more than a century of dormancy, described the collaboration as “a physical bridge to the past.” He added, “There’s something uniquely romantic about Allsopp’s Arctic Ale—it’s a story of heroism, endurance, and human daring. 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 minus 40C.”
For Allsopp, Sharp’s plan to pour a small measure of the original ale into the new brew is nothing short of alchemy. “The idea of physically pouring history into a new brew is extraordinary,” he said. “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 forthcoming Innis & Gunn 1875 Arctic Ale will be released later this year in limited quantities, available at Innis & Gunn’s Taprooms in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Allsopp’s venues in London, and select specialty stockists. A small number of hand-bottled editions will also be made available through a ballot, ensuring that only a fortunate few will have the chance to taste this remarkable revival.
Brewing Memory: History Reimagined Through Taste
The reopening of the Allsopp’s Arctic Ale is not merely an exercise in nostalgia—it is an act of historical recovery. In an age when brewing often revolves around experimentation and novelty, this project reminds the world that beer can also serve as a form of storytelling. Every sip carries the essence of the people and circumstances that gave rise to it.
The Arctic Ale was, in many ways, a marvel of early scientific brewing. Burton-upon-Trent’s mineral-rich water, known for its high sulfate content, lent itself perfectly to creating robust ales that travelled well. This quality helped make Burton one of the most important brewing towns in Britain, exporting its beers across the Empire. When Samuel Allsopp & Sons were approached to craft a beer for polar explorers, they already possessed the expertise to make a brew capable of withstanding the harshest climates.
What they produced went beyond simple sustenance—it became an emblem of the Victorian Age’s belief in progress and human ingenuity. The Arctic Ale represented the intersection of science, industry, and adventure. Its recipe—a potent blend of malted barley, hops, and high fermentable sugars—was both functional and symbolic, reflecting Britain’s confidence in its capacity to conquer the unknown.
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When Sharp and Allsopp’s team recreate this beer, they are not only replicating a recipe; they are reviving that spirit of innovation. Modern craft brewing, with its emphasis on experimentation, has much in common with the fearless creativity of 19th-century brewers who worked without the benefit of digital thermometers or modern yeast management. Yet, both share a fascination with the possibilities hidden in a barrel of fermenting liquid.
Tasting the new Innis & Gunn 1875 Arctic Ale will thus be more than a sensory experience—it will be a dialogue across time. What might the explorers have felt as they opened a cask aboard an icebound ship, the amber liquid offering warmth and comfort amid a frozen wasteland? How might their ale have tasted after months in the Arctic night—strong, sweet, and enduring? These are the questions Sharp and Allsopp seek to answer, not through speculation, but through brewing itself.
Even the act of opening the bottle carries symbolic weight. Beer, unlike wine, is not meant for indefinite storage; its essence lies in consumption and community. By choosing to unseal a 150-year-old relic and blend it into a living recipe, Sharp honors that philosophy. He transforms what could have remained a static museum piece into something vital—a continuation rather than a conclusion.
The project also underscores how brewing can serve as a vessel for memory. Just as the original Arctic Ale captured the determination of explorers confronting the unknown, its modern counterpart reflects a contemporary thirst for connection to the past. In an era when technological progress often overshadows tradition, the collaboration between Innis & Gunn and Allsopp’s suggests that innovation can also mean rediscovery.
When the limited-edition ale is finally unveiled, it will mark not just the revival of a long-lost recipe, but the rekindling of a human story—a tale of endurance, exploration, and shared craft that stretches from the ice fields of the Arctic to the breweries of modern Scotland. It is, in essence, a journey from the frozen decks of Victorian exploration ships to the warm glow of today’s taprooms.
As Dougal Gunn Sharp aptly put it, “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.” That journey, a century and a half in the making, will soon begin anew—one pour at a time.