Very exclusive beer tasting coming up in May:
Bass Royal Ale series
1869 Ratcliff Ale (569ml?)
1902 King's Ale (569ml)
1929 Prince's Ale ((500ml?)
1977 Jubilee Strong Ale (1137ml)
1978 Princess Ale (1137ml)
1982 Celebration Ale* (1137ml)
1982 Prince's Ale* (1137ml)
2002 Queen's Ale (500ml)
2002 Duke's Ale (500ml)
2007 Worthington White Shield (500ml)
First four figures is the year the beer was brewed.
Followed by the name of the beer
then size of bottle
* means it's a separate recepie from 1982
Most excellent for a beer geek like me
Some more info for other potential geeks
The Bass Commemorative Ales
Over the years brewed several Commemorative Ales have been specially brewed to mark an important occasion such as a royal visit, a brewing centenary or to honour retiring staff.
The earliest and rarest is RATCLIFF ALE, brewed in 1869.This was specially brewed to mark the birth of Richard Henry Ratcliff. The Ratcliffs were then partners in the company and "Harry" joined the board of Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton Ltd in 1894. With an original gravity of 1120°, Harry Ratcliff's Ale was very strong and remained suitable for drinking for many years.
Royal Ales
The second commemorative brew was the first of the Royal Ales. On the 22nd February 1902, King Edward VII visited Burton as a guest of Lord Burton (Michael Arthur Bass), who was a personal friend of the King. During a tour of the Bass brewery, the King was invited to pull the levers to start the brew now known as KING'S ALE.
The Beer was strong ale made to a special recipe. It was said to be at its best after 40 years. The first two or three years of maturation was in oak casks, which were stacked out of doors, covered by straw hurdles in the winter to keep out the cold, and sprayed with cold water in the summer to keep them cool. After maturation the beer was bottled, corked and sealed.
About 400 barrels of 36 gallons each of King's Ale was brewed. Numerous orders were received from the Palace for the beer, and consignments numbered several hundred dozen, such was His Majesty's liking for the beer. There were also many requests for King's Ale from independent bottlers and retailers who regularly purchased beer wholesale. To satisfy these orders, another quantity of beer was brewed to exactly the same recipe as King's Ale. This was later sold to bottlers along with special labels. Bottles of this brew are known as ROYAL ALE and are much less common than King's Ale.
In 1929, the King's grandson, the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, continued the tradition by mashing PRINCE'S ALE. Unlike his grandfather, he arrived by air and flew back to London on the same day. This of course was quite exceptional for those days.
A double celebration was marked in 1977 with JUBILEE STRONG ALE. This laying down ale commemorated the Queen's Silver Jubilee and 200 years of brewing Bass in Burton.
One year later, the Royal tradition was continued when Her Royal Highness, Princess Anne, now the Princess Royal, visited Burton to mash another special brew aptly named Princess Ale. 14,400 quart bottles were produced. Like King's Ale and Prince's Ale, Princess Ale was not sold Commercially, but was used as gifts and for charity purposes.
In 1982, Earl Spencer, father of the late Diana Princess of Wales, mashed special CELEBRATION ALE at No.1 brewery in Burton to commemorate the birth of Prince William. The celebration Ale was a limited edition of 5,000 bottles each numbered and issued with individually certificates. These were sold initially at £25 per bottle and profits donated to the Licensed Victuallers' Schools.
