Beers
Association | IPA
The Association, flagship of the British fleet, and three other vessels struck the Gilstone Ledge in October 1707 and sank with the loss of two thousand sailors amongst them Rear Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell.
This disaster is still described as the worst in naval history. The accident occured due to the lack of a proper compass and clock onboard.
After the tragedy the best brains in the land including Isaac Newton and Edmund Halley were tasked to advance technology to calculate longitude however Edward Harrison, a clockmaker, collected the prize in 1773 after creating various clocks, one of which was made entirely of wood.
Association is a floral Indian Pale Ale with soft grapefruit finish.
Buy nowChallenger | Best Bitter
The Challenger, an English schooner, was making her way home to London with a cargo of exotic fruits from Suriname, South America when she struck rocks South West of Samson.
Her crew of eight managed to launch a life boat and row ashore to Bryher with a single oar putting the whole island into quarantine.
Challenger is a classic, single hopped bitter with delicate herbal and spicy tones.
Buy nowMinnehaha | IPA
SS Minnehaha was bound for Tilbury from New York City when she went aground on rocks off Bryher.
She was carrying various cargo including brand new motor cars, grand pianos and sewing machines, all of which was jettisoned into the water to lighten her bow and free her from the rocks.
Over two hundred cattle ended up in the sea and were guided to Bryher and Samson by local gigs.
Unlike many wrecks around Scilly, Minnehaha was repaired and put back into service but in September 1917 was torpedoed and sunk near Fastnet Rock with the loss of forty three persons.
Buy nowNancy | Bitter
The Nancy was an express Packet Ship in the British East India Company fleet.
Sailing on a stormy night from Cork in February 1784, she struck the ledges west of Rosevear island.
Amongst the lives lost were Captain Haldene, his lover Ann Cargill, an infamous actress of the time, and their young child.
Cargill’s body was found with her child still held tightly in her arms and is believed to haunt Rosevear with her lullabies.
Nancy is a smooth dark amber with floral and orange hop tones.
Buy nowSchiller | Golden Ale
The SS Schiller, a German ferry, wrecked in tragic circumstances on her passage from New York.
She struck the Retarrier Ledges in thick fog and was hit by two large waves which smashed her against the rocks, damaging lifeboats and breaking the hull.
Panic spread quickly and there were extraordinary violent scenes as people tried to save themselves.
Only two lifeboats escaped the wreck with just twenty seven of the three hundred and seventy two people onboard. Another ten survivors were picked up the following day none of them were children.
Schiller is a pale golden ale with delicate hints of spice – probably the closest we will get to a lager for you lager drinkers!
Buy nowT.W. Lawson | Porter
The world’s first pure sailing tanker, the Thomas W Lawson, was anchored off Annet to shelter from an impending gale.
The captain had refused assistance from St Agnes and St Mary’s lifeboats who advised to abandon the ship and only accepted the local pilot Billy Hicks from St Agnes when both lifeboats had to return to their stations.
Overnight both anchor chains snapped and the schooner smashed against Shag Rock losing all seven masts and breaking the hull. Only two men survived and were rescued by Hicks’ son in the gig Slippen.
T.W Lawson is a light porter style ale with a rounded malty finish with subtle spicy hop flavours.
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