This is the remarkable story of Bass Pale Ale. This story begins at the dawn of the industrial age, and charts Bass’s rise as one of the first global brewing brands. Over the course of two centuries its pale ales evolved to meet the times, and today we know Bass as one of Britain’s classic cask ales—a beer enjoying a current renaissance among the country’s pubs.
In many ways, in telling the story of Bass, we’re recounting the history of brewing in Britain over the past two centuries: its technological and industrial rise, the collapse that befell the giants over the past generation, and, perhaps, an encouraging revival.
On this episode of One Iconic Beer with Jeff Alworth you’ll hear from Harry White, who started at Bass in the research and development department in 1977. He would become Director of Quality Assurance in 1989, and stayed with the company until 2007. Today he is the chairman of the National Brewery Heritage Trust in Burton Upon Trent. You’ll also hear from Pete Brown, one of the most celebrated beer writers in the world and the author of over a dozen books, including his most recent, Tasting Notes – The Art and Science of Pairing Beer and Music.
Listen to the whole conversation where you download podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, and Overcast.
This episode is sponsored by:
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Jeff Alworth has been writing about beer since the late-1990s. His books include the award-winning titles The Beer Bible and The Secrets of Master Brewers. His articles have been published in a wide range of publications including All About Beer, and he currently writes the “Style School” column for Craft Beer and Brewing magazine. Since 2006, he has maintained his award-winning blog, Beervana.
