Bass Brewery
Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom · Est. 1777
Tally's Take
Why this matters
The red triangle is the oldest registered trademark in Britain, and a man queued overnight to be first to file it. Bass was the beer of the empire — Burton water made pale ale possible and Bass sent it everywhere. It is now a licensed brand rather than a brewery, which is a quiet ending for something that once defined an entire style.
The Museum
Timeline
- 2000Sold to Interbrew
Interbrew buys the brewing operations of Bass PLC in June 2000 for £2.3 billion. The Bass name — holder of the first registered trademark in Britain — passes out of British ownership and eventually into AB InBev.
The Beer Library
Beers
Bass Pale Ale
Year-RoundEnglish Pale Ale
The beer behind the first registered trademark in Britain. Burton's sulphate-rich water made pale ale possible, and Bass shipped it across the empire.
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How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1777Founded
- 2000Sold to Interbrew
Interbrew buys the brewing operations of Bass PLC in June 2000 for £2.3 billion. The Bass name — holder of the first registered trademark in Britain — passes out of British ownership and eventually into AB InBev.
Today the chain tops out at Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Bass Brewery is controlled by Founder / family.
Anheuser-Busch InBev — SEC filing · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · 2026-02
PrimaryHigh reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-05Reviewed 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Bass Brewery
- Who owns Bass Brewery?
- Bass Brewery is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Bass Brewery is based in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.
- Is Bass Brewery still independent?
- No. Bass Brewery is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and is no longer independent.
- When was Bass Brewery acquired?
- 2000. Interbrew buys the brewing operations of Bass PLC in June 2000 for £2.3 billion. The Bass name — holder of the first registered trademark in Britain — passes out of British ownership and eventually into AB InBev.
- When was Bass Brewery founded?
- Bass Brewery was founded in 1777 in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom.
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