21/03/2007

A competition to find Britain’s oldest drinkable beer has crowned the 1868 Ratcliffe Ale with the unnusual title – narrowly beating a 107-year-old Scottish beer.

The three month search, which was started by Steve Wellington, head brewer at Worthington White Shield, challenged beer enthusiasts to submit bottles older than the 1869 Ratcliff Ale which was found in Burton.

Beer expert, Roger Protz, was in possession of the closest competitor. A bottle from the Scottish Brewing Archive dating back to the very early 1900s, given to him by the then archivist, Charles McMaster.

Steve Wellington and his team have now embarked on a re-corking programme of all the historic bottles to maintain their quality for the future. Examples of the different vintages will be displayed in the Coors Visitor Centre, in Burton on Trent.