Jamie, a ninth-generation family member, resurrected Allsopp’s in 2021.
Recalling the IPA’s history, he told the BBC: “Samuel was asked by the East India Company to brew a beer that would last the arduous six-month journey to India, as all other beers were arriving in bad condition.
“Samuel Allsopp did something hitherto unknown, he upped the alcohol and hop content which both act as preservatives.
“It really dialled it up strongly, and it was a really bitter beer. At the time it wouldn’t have been drinkable straight out of the brewery, but after the six months at sea going down the Cape of Good Hope, it mellowed and arrived in India in really good condition.”
This journey formed the humble beginnings of the popular ale. To save time and ingredients, Samuel and his head maltster, Job Goodhead, used a teapot to brew the first IPA and helped pioneer a new taste.
After growing into what has been described as one of Britain’s great brewing empires, Allsopp’s fortunes began to turn and the family lost control of the business in the 1930s.
