Rare bottle of Arctic beer to be opened after 150 years to revive brew

A Scottish brewer is set to open one of the rarest beers in the world – a 150-year-old bottle once brewed for an Arctic expedition – to create a modern version of the historic ale.

Dougal Gunn Sharp, founder and master brewer of Edinburgh-based Innis & Gunn, will pour a bottle of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale into a new brew.

The original bottle is one of a handful still in existence which were made for the 1875 expedition of Sir George Nares, whose team set out to reach the North Pole.

The bottle was originally brewed in Burton-upon-Trent for British explorers venturing into the frozen north.

Mr Sharp acquired it more than a decade ago at auction for just over £3,000 – more than five times the estimate – after it was discovered in a Shropshire garage.

Another bottle of the same beer from an 1852 expedition later made headlines when it sold for more than 500,000 dollars on eBay, although it is thought the transaction was never completed.

In partnership with the revived Allsopp’s Brewery, Mr Sharp now plans to use a quantity of the ale to seed a new limited-edition beer.

This will be called Innis & Gunn 1875 Arctic Ale – following the original Allsopp’s recipe.

Mr Sharp said: “It’s hard to overstate how rare this bottle is.

“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.

“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.”

Brewed at Samuel Allsopp & Sons in Burton-upon-Trent, the beer was designed to provide sustenance for sailors enduring temperatures as low as minus 40C.

With an alcohol strength of around 9%, it was described as “strong and nutritive”, rich in unfermentable sugars that could resist freezing. It has six times the calorie content of conventional beer.

Records from the Victorian era describe the ale as dark brown and so thick it had to be lifted from the brewing copper in buckets.

The beer accompanied several Arctic expeditions, including Vice-Admiral Sir George’s 1875 attempt to reach the North Pole. Though each ended in hardship, the story of Arctic Ale became legend among brewers.

Jamie Allsopp, founder of the new-look Allsopp’s Brewery and a direct descendant of Samuel Allsopp, said the collaboration with Innis & Gunn feels like “a physical bridge to the past”.

He said: “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.

“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.

“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 beer will be released later this year in limited quantities across Innis & Gunn’s Taprooms in Edinburgh and Glasgow, at Allsopp’s venues in London, as well as a select number of other stockists.

A small number of hand-bottled editions will also be made available through a ballot.

Published: 03/11/2025 by Radio NewsHub