Bass, Allsopp, Guinness, Scotch and Burton Ale in 1866

Another old advert. This one for bottled beers. Just me banging away on one of my recurring themes, namely the difference between Pale Ale and Burton Ale.

Let's take a look, shall we:

Source: "The commercial and general directory of the town and parish of Croydon", 1866, page 341

This might make you think that Guinness, Bass and Allsopp were the biggest beer brands. You wouldn't be far wrong. That must be why they crop up so often in adverts. And adverts not placed by the brewer, but one of their agents.

Guinness and Bass pursued a different tactic to most other brewers. They didn't own pubs themselves, but relied on their reputation to get their beers into pubs belonging to other brewers. It's a policy that Guinness has stuck with to this day.

Back to my original point. The difference between Pale Ale and Burton Ale. I keep repeating it because of the confusion that regularly occurs. In this case, the Burton Ale is probably No. 1. Judging by the price.  Bass and Allsopp Pale Ale weren't budget beers. Yet the Burton Ale was considerably more expensive. Even more than Scotch Ale, another strong and pricey type of beer.