Beer from the Arctic expedition in 1875 will be used to produce a new drink

A bottle of beer, a souvenir of an expedition to the Arctic in 1875, will be opened and used to produce a new drink in a British brewery, the Times reported on Monday. The original beer contains 9%. alcohol and has six times higher caloric value than the one currently brewed.

The daily reported that Dougal Gunn Sharp, master brewer from the Edinburgh brewery Innes & Gunn, intends to open a bottle of Arctic Ale from the Allsopp brewery, which he bought over a decade ago for over PLN 3,000. pounds. The beer found there is to be used to create a limited-edition drink Innis & Gunn 1875 Arctic Ale.

– Beer should be shared, especially on the 150th anniversary (of the expedition). “This beer was brewed for an adventurous journey that requires endurance, and I think it rightly has another journey ahead of it – into the glass,” Sharp told the Times.

150 years ago, @allsoppsbeer brewed Arctic Ale for an expedition to the frozen North.

This year, we've joined forces to bring it back to life – a faithful recreation, brewed using a bottle of the original itself.

Sign up for your chance to taste a true piece of brewing history. pic.twitter.com/oCCvz23Qrm

—Innis & Gunn (@innisandgunn) November 3, 2025

The beer was brewed in the English town of Burton upon Trent for Admiral George Nares' expedition to the North Pole, which took place in 1875-76. The route of the British Arctic expedition ran through the Smith Strait, along the west coast of Greenland. Although the goal of the expedition was not achieved, the group, moving on a sleigh, achieved the goal a new record for reaching as far north as possible.

The drink was an important component of the explorers' food rations. It was rich in unfermented sugars, making it it did not freeze even at minus 40 degrees Celsius. It was described in Victorian-era documents as a dark brown, thick liquid.

The new beer will be created in cooperation with the reactivated Allsopp's Brewery, owned by Sharp and Jamie Allsopp, a direct descendant of the brewer responsible for the drink accompanying the expedition.

– There is something exceptionally romantic about a bottle of Arctic Ale. It is a story of heroism, perseverance and human courage Allsopp said.

The new beer will be launched in limited quantities this year at Innis & Gunn and Allsopp, with a small number of hand-bottled versions available to purchase via a customer draw.

From London Marta Zabłocka (PAP)

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