William Bass

William Bass (1717 – 2 March 1787) founded the Bass Brewery in 1777. Before that he was the owner of a carrier business between London and Manchester.

William Bass began his involvement with beer by being a carter (a carrier) of raw materials for the Burton beer trade and then delivering barrels of made beer from the Burton brewers to the cities of London, Manchester and to Hull for the Baltic trade.

Through his transport business she could envision the potential from brewing. The ale he brewed waa of the east quality and suitable for the rigors of traveling the distance to reach London in good condition,

The brewery saw remarkable growth in its early years, with ale sent to Russia in 1784 and to North America by 1799.

Following his death in 1787, sometime prior to 1787, his son Michael Thomas Bass, operated the brewery, building up its export trade after 1821. By the end of the 19th century Bass was one of the biggest of more than 30 breweries, all crammed into the town center along with associated industries.
William Bass (Bass Brewery)