Banff Orders its Fowler's Ales ... June 1841

Another Keen Customer for Fowler's Ales

An extraordinary antiquity has just come to light on eBay. It is a letter written on June 14th 1841 and postmaked both 15th and 16th from Banff ordering a cask of Fowler's Table Beer value one guinea .... with pleasingly the promise to return the cask. It was "sent and advise" by Fowler's on July 13th.

click on both images to enlarge



The letter reads: Sir, A friend of ours has requested us to order for him a Cask of your Table Beer, value One Guinea, the Cask to be returned - Will you be so good as send us a Cask of that value to the care of Messrs. Laing & Stewart Agents - Leith, ... [alas the remainder is lost.]

But there's more to it yet ...

Nothing in life is that simple. The reason the order has been preserved to this day is because it was mailed using one of the Penny Black postage stammps introduced by Rowland Hill bearing the portrait of Queen Victoria just 13 months earlier in May 1840.



It's going to look mighty fine on display when Fowler's is back in its old HQ brewing Table Beers. Indeed, the call has already gone out for Craig Allan, today's Head Brewer at Fowler's, to create a Penny Black Fowler's Table Beer for 2008.