Michael Edward Ash

Michael Edward Ash
Ash in 1953
Born(1927-12-17)17 December 1927
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Died30 April 2016(2016-04-30) (aged 88)
Known forDraught Guinness
Nitro-beer
Spouses
  • Dulcie Joan Orme
  • Gillian Issobel Little

Michael Edward Ash (17 December 1927 – 30 April 2016)[1] was a British mathematician and brewer. Ash led a team that invented a nitrogenated dispense system for Guinness stout first released in 1959, which evolved to become the beer now sold globally as Draught Guinness. As the manager in charge of the Easy Serve project, Ash is credited as the inventor of nitrogenated beer[2] (sometimes known as "nitro beer" colloquially).[3] He was Managing Director of Crookes Laboratories[4] (1962–1972) where he was responsible for securing the license for an early anti-depressant in the UK, Prothiaden.

  1. ^ "The remarkable story of the Guinness pioneer who settled in Powys", The Brecon & Radnor Express, 2 June 2016.
  2. ^ "Good Beer Gas: Nitro Beers Explained". CraftBeer.com. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  3. ^ Brown, Pete (17 May 2016). "The Man Who Created The Nitro Stout". The Morning Advertiser. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  4. ^ Tricker, Bob (2015). Oxford Circus. Lulu Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-326-34922-6.