Bass (and Worthington)

William Bass founded his brewery in Burton upon Trent in 1777. When the Baltic trade closed, Bass followed Allsopp in brewing a hoppy pale ale for India with Burton’s sulphate-rich water, and by 1877 it was the largest brewery in the world; its red triangle was the UK’s first registered trade mark. Bass bought its Burton neighbour Worthington, whose India Pale Ale dated from 1829, in 1927. In 2000 Interbrew bought the brewing business but had to sell the Burton brewery to Coors, keeping the Bass brand, now with AB InBev. Draught Bass, a BJCP strong bitter, has been brewed under contract at Marston’s since 2005.