Perhaps because he does not have the surname Guinness is why for years he was not even mentioned in the history section of the well-known beer brand. But without the contribution of Michael Ash It would be unimaginable that Irish stout could have come so far.
This English mathematician, born in 1927, was practically unknown outside the Guinness factory itself, but in 2015 the company’s archivist I decided to get back in touch with the master brewer. He was 88 years old and I had not set foot in the Dublin factory for over 50 yearsHis figure only appeared in a few archives, but his work marked a before and after.
A Cambridge mathematics graduate, Ash worked as a financier at a brewery in Park Royal, west London, just before joining Guinness in 1951. In less than a decade, this mathematician turned brewer revolutionized the company with an idea that would go down in history not only for Guinness, but for the entire beer world.
Ash was the creator of nitro beersThese are beers that have been injected with nitrogen gas, which gives the foam a special consistency, giving the sensation that the beer is much denser and more full-bodied.
Guinness Stout was first brewed following the recipe still in use today in 1821, but it was not until 1959 that it was nitrogenated and offered on tap as it is today. The point is that Guinness on tap was very popular in Ireland, but abroad it is sold in bottles.This was because barrel storage was very complex and proprietary.
To find a solution The Draught Project was commissioned Ash and a group of 20 engineers. The mathematician had only been with the company four years and had just finished his training as a brewer when he was asked to lead this research team.
By then, carbonated beer was already widespread. Ash proposed using a mixture of CO2 and nitrogen. A solution that was not only effective in keeping beer better in the barrels but also boosted its creaminess.
Unlike carbon dioxide, Nitrogen does not occur naturally in beer.It is a natural gas that we breathe regularly, but it is not produced during fermentation. Nitrogen had to be introduced manually.
The system was called “Easy Serve“and within a few months the old taps were being replaced with the new system. From late 1959 to the early 1960s, more than half of Guinness’s outlets switched to the nitro system.
The problem for a while was that nitrogen, which produced more delicate foams, also made for a softer beer, something that many Irish drinkers did not like. Nevertheless, nitrogenated stout became the standard and is still used today. its characteristic foam has become a classic.
Ash soon left the Dublin factory. In 1962 he became managing director of Crookes Laboratories (owned by Guinness). In 1970 he moved into business education, founding Templeton College, Oxford.
Guinness spent around £20,000 researching this solution. What Ash’s team ended up with was a method that has generated millions in profit, not only used by Guinness, but also by the rest of the world. by breweries around the world like O’haras, Kasteel, Petrus o even Estrella GaliciaAsh died in 2016, just one year after returning to the factory he had helped reinvent.
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