Bass, Mitchells & Butlers

Bass Brewery

Industry	Brewing
Founded	1777
Founder	William Bass
Headquarters	Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire (brewery); Luton, Bedfordshire (Bass brand), England
Products	Beer
Production output	365,000 hectolitres (311,000 US bbl) in 2011
Owner	Molson Coors Brewing Company (brewery); Anheuser-Busch InBev (Bass brand)
Website	www.bass.com

The Bass Brewery /ˈbæs/ was founded in 1777 by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, once the highest-selling beer in the UK. By 1877, Bass had become the largest brewery in the world, with an annual output of one million barrels. Its pale ale was exported throughout the British Empire, and the company's distinctive red triangle became the UK's first registered trademark.

Bass took control of a number of other large breweries in the early 20th century, and in the 1960s merged with Charrington United Breweries to become the largest UK brewing company, Bass Charrington. The brewing operations of the company were bought by Interbrew (now Anheuser-Busch InBev) in 2000, while the retail side (hotel and pub holdings) were renamed Six Continents plc. The UK government's Competition Commission was concerned about the monopoly implications arising from the deal, and instructed Interbrew to dispose of the brewery and certain brands (Carling and Worthington) to Coors (now Molson Coors Brewing Company), but allowed Interbrew to retain the rights to the Bass Pale Ale brand. In 2010, it was widely reported that AB-InBev are attempting to sell the rights to the Bass brand in the UK for around £10 million to £15 million.

Draught Bass (4.4% ABV) has been brewed under contract in Burton by Marston's for AB-InBev since 2005. Bottled and keg products are brewed at AB-InBev's own brewery in Samlesbury for export, except in the United States and Belgium, where Bass is brewed locally. Bass Ale is a top ten premium canned ale in the UK, with 16,080 hectolitres sold in 2010.