Long lost beers discovered in brewery vaults

l History in a bottle: Worthington White Shield head brewer Steve Wellington with part of a cache of recently-discovered old beers

December 13, 2006: It's a nice enough surprise when you find a long lost bottle of beer in your understairs cupboard — especially on a rainy evening when there's something good on the box — so imagine the surprise of Worthington White Shield head brewer Steve Wellington when he came across a lost cache of his company's famous product.

Discovered in the brewery's vaults, in Burton-on-Trent, the bottled beers date back more than 130 years. Many are still in fine condition, with their corks and wax seals still in place.

OLD TIMERS

Burton-on-Trent can trace its brewing history back more than 1,000 years. It is famous for its copious supply of gypsum-rich waters which give beers brewed in Burton an incredible finesse. Burtonisation is the term used to describe the phenomenon. Most lower-alcohol and lighter flavoured beers are at their best drunk fresh, and within six to 12 months of purchase. But some higher-strength beers (beers have recently been brewed at up to 25% ABV) can last for years. Most bottles beers are crown capped with steel and should be stored vertically. But ancient bottled beers sealed with corks should be stored on their sides at approximately 10-13°C, and then allowed to stand vertically for 10 days before decanting to let years of yeast sediment settle. Ideally, the beers should then be decanted and drunk within a few hours. Increasingly, top restaurants, such as Le Manoir aux Quatre Saisons, Le Gavroche and Aubergine, are employing beer sommeliers as well as presenting beer lists to accompany their menus.

As well as some White Shields, other brews found include some to celebrate royal marriages, visits or births, the oldest being an 1869 Harry Ratcliff’s Ale – to mark the birth of a son into the Ratcliff family, brewers who eventually became part of the Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton empire in the late 19th century.

Another bottle of particular interest is the 1982 Prince’s Ale, mashed by the late Earl Spencer, Princess Diana’s father, to commemorate the birth of Prince William. This Celebration Ale was a limited edition, also brewed in Burton.

Mr Wellington said: “It was always rumoured that there were some vintage beers on site, but uncovering such an interesting collection is fantastic. I believe this is one of the most exciting and unique discoveries ever made in British brewing.

“Contrary to a widely held belief that beer cannot age for as long as wine, most of these bottles seem to have developed subtlety and complexity over the years. The younger ones display attractive floral zestiness, whilst the older brews show Christmas pudding flavours more akin to Malmsey Madeira or Vintage Port.”

Dr George Philliskirk, beer expert and chief executive of the Beer Academy, commented: “It has always been known that beers with higher alcohol levels normally age for far longer than less alcoholic beers and, as hops are a preservative, highly-hopped beers such as India Pale Ales have long been known to have great ageing potential.

"This discovery is remarkable, especially as the oldest beer of all dates back to 1869 and tastes so fresh, and with such attractive ripe plum and honeyed flavours. This demonstrates the potential for vintage beers to be taken seriously — maybe even being worthy of a special section in wine lists at Britain's top restaurants.”

Burton upon Trent is synonymous with beer and some of those found date back to the golden age of British ale brewing, when Burton beers travelled the globe and became famous for their high drinkability and consistent quality and taste.

Thanks to the traditional brewing methods first used in the 1820s to craft Worthington’s White Shield, the modern day legacy of these historic, iconic brews lives on today. In order to preserve them for years to come, Mr Wellington and his team have already embarked upon a comprehensive re-corking programme.

As a result of the discovery, Worthington White Shield has launched a national search — in conjunction with the Campaign for Real Ale — to find Britain’s oldest bottle of beer. Details can be found on the Worthington White Shield website. The owner of Britain’s oldest unopened bottle of beer will be invited to the brewery to brew their very own vintage.

n Worthington White Shield (5.6% ABV), the UK’s champion bottle conditioned beer, is available in Waitrose at £2.09 per 500ml bottle.