Boldon Auction Galleries

A selection of earthen and stoneware Ginger Beer bottles, from a range of distributors, including North Eastern England.
Antique and Interiors Sale on Wednesday 8th August

After brewing, ginger beer was corked inside stoneware bottles. The earlier stoneware bottles and those brewed locally in North America were brown in colour, etched with the bottler’s name or city and relatively simple. The 1880's, however, saw the rise of sleeker looking grey/cream bottle that displayed colourful shoulder slips and stamped logos designed to attract consumer attention, thus becoming more popular. The reason for bottling Ginger Beer in stone instead of the more largely used glass bottle was in part to do with the colouring of Ginger Beer, which has an unattractive cloudy appearance. The functionality of packing was also imperative due to the exportation of large amounts of Ginger Beer to the U.S. Ginger Beer was brewed regionally but England remained dominant in the market due to their superior bottling and quality stoneware that maintained the beers effervescence. The bottles were sealed with liquid- and gas-tight Bristol Glaze and wired and corked shut to maintain carbon dioxide in the solution.