Dougal Gunn Sharp with historic Artic Ale (Courtesy Elaine Livingstone/PA)

If you’ve ever wondered what a beer brewed for Arctic explorers might taste like, (and who hasn’t?), you’re about to get your chance. Because Dougal Gunn Sharp, founder of Edinburgh, Scotland’s Innis & Gunn, is cracking open one of the rarest beers on the planet: a 150-year-old bottle of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale.

This isn’t just any antique ale, this beer taps into the legendary arctic quests of the Victorian era.

First brewed in 1875 to fuel British explorers bound for the North Pole, Arctic Ale was basically the original extreme beer. It packed six times the calories of a normal pint, hit 9% ABV, and was hardy enough to survive –40°C temperatures without freezing.

Victorian notes even describe it as so thick and dark it had to be hauled out of the brewing copper with buckets. Definitely not your easy-drinking British lager.

Sharp picked up the bottle more than a decade ago at auction for over £3,000 after it surfaced in a Shropshire garage in the UK. Now, instead of letting it gather dust, he’s partnering with the resurrected Allsopp’s Brewery and Jamie Allsopp — a direct descendant of the original brewer — to use the historic ale to “seed” a brand-new, limited-edition batch: Innis & Gunn 1875 Arctic Ale.

“It’s hard to overstate how rare this bottle is,” Sharp said.  “Some people might think it’s madness to open it, but I think the real madness would be to leave it sitting on a shelf. Beer is meant to be shared, particularly on this, its 150th anniversary.”

“This ale was brewed for a voyage of endurance and adventure, and I think it’s only right that it has one more journey – into the glass. There’s something very special about being able to taste a piece of brewing and maritime history. That’s why we’re doing this.

The original Arctic Ale was commissioned by Queen Victoria for Sir George Nares’ 1875 expedition aboard HMS Discovery and HMS Alert. The mission pushed farther north than anyone had gone before, though the crew battled brutal cold and severe scurvy and never reached the Pole.

Through it all, the calorie-packed beer — loaded with unfermentable sugars — was a crucial lifeline, if only took take the edge off a miserable situation.

Reviving it today feels “like alchemy,” says Jamie Allsopp. “It’s one of the strongest, most unusual beers ever brewed — closer to a Madeira than a modern ale — and its myth has only grown.”

The new Innis & Gunn 1875 Arctic Ale is set to drop later this year in limited quantities at select Innis & Gunn and Allsopp’s locations. A handful of hand-bottled editions will be released via ballot. For beer geeks and history lovers alike, it’s a rare chance to sip a liquid link to one of the Victorian era’s boldest Arctic quests.

“There’s something magical about tasting a piece of brewing and maritime history,” Sharp added. “Some people think I’m mad to open it, but leaving it on a shelf would be far worse. “This beer was made for adventure — it deserves one more.”

And for beer lovers and history buffs alike, it’s going to be fun – a rare chance to taste a liquid connection to one of the great Arctic adventures of the Victorian era.

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