Michael Edward Ash
Michael Edward Ash | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Calcutta, India |
| Died | April 30, 2016 (aged 88) |
| Occupation(s) | Mathematician, Brewer, Businessman |
| Known for | Development of nitrogenated dispensing system for Guinness stout |
Michael Edward Ash (17 December 1927 – 30 April 2016) was a British mathematician and brewer renowned for leading the development of the nitrogenated dispensing system for Guinness stout, which debuted in 1959. This breakthrough technology became the foundation for the internationally recognized Draught Guinness. As the head of the Easy Serve initiative, Ash is acknowledged as the pioneer of nitrogen-infused beer, often referred to as "nitro beer." Subsequently, he held the position of Managing Director at Crookes Laboratories from 1962 to 1972, where he played a key role in obtaining the UK license for the early antidepressant Prothiaden.
Education and early life
Ash was born in Calcutta, India, to civil engineer Wilfrid Cracroft Ash and Maud (née Harper). He had two siblings: environmentalist Maurice Ash and a sister named Marjorie. His education began at The Old Ride School and Yarlet Hall preparatory schools before he attended Canford School in Dorset. Between 1945 and 1948, he studied mathematics at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated with first-class honours in the Mathematical Tripos, received the Rouse Ball Prize, and earned the distinction of Senior Wrangler in 1948.
Career
Following his graduation from Cambridge, Ash spent three years lecturing in mathematics at The Bedford College for Women. In January 1951, he joined Guinness & Co. as a mathematician at their Park Royal brewery in London, becoming the first individual without a brewing background to be employed by Guinness.
By 1954, Ash had gained experience overseeing two departments—Brewing and Forwarding—and in 1955 was entrusted with managing his own unit known as the 'Sample Room,' equipped with experimental facilities and supported by a team of twenty. Assigned by Managing Director Hugh Beaver to resolve the 'Draught problem,' Ash delegated two team members to assist him. At that time, Guinness utilized a complicated draught system that combined highly conditioned beer with aged, nearly still beer, which restricted its potential for international expansion.
Guinness aimed to develop a dispensing system enabling bartenders without specialized training to serve draught beer rapidly while maintaining a consistent foam head measuring three-eighths of an inch on a half-pint glass. Ash determined that blending nitrogen with carbon dioxide—rather than relying solely on CO₂—was the solution; however, perfecting a nitrogenated dispensing system took four years. Initially met with skepticism both internally and by competitors who dubbed it "Daft Guinness," Ash partnered with keg designer Eric Lewis to invent a self-contained two-part keg known as the 'Ash Can.' This design separated beer from mixed gas under pressure and introduced nitrogen into the process. Redesigned and launched during Guinness’s bicentennial year in 1959, this innovation transformed draught beer service. Ash noted that they chose the ideal head height themselves: three-eighths of an inch.
Because nitrogen has lower solubility compared to carbon dioxide, beer could be stored under higher pressure without becoming overly fizzy. This elevated pressure forced the beer through tiny holes in the tap, producing small bubbles and creating the signature 'surge' effect.
Referred to as the "easy serve system," this new method replaced the traditional "high and low" taps starting in late 1959 across Ireland, then spreading throughout Great Britain and internationally during the 1960s. By December 1959, approximately half of all draught Guinness outlets had adopted the system, with full implementation expected by January 1960.
Although initially divisive—some Irish consumers missed the more robust flavor—the nitrogenated stout eventually became standard among Irish stout producers.
In 1962, Ash transitioned from brewing to become managing director of Crookes Laboratories (a Guinness subsidiary) located in Park Royal; Crookes later moved to Basingstoke in 1965. There, he secured licensing rights for the antidepressant Prothiaden (Dosulepin) in 1967. From 1970 onward, Ash expanded his focus toward business education and was among the founding governors of Templeton College Oxford.
Personal life
Ash encountered his first spouse, Dulcie Joan Orme, in Hampstead, London, during 1950; they wed in May 1951 and became parents to four children: Lionel Michael (who passed away as an infant), Lucinda (Lucy), Frances, and (Michael) Edward. Following their divorce in 1975, Ash remarried Gillian Issobel Little, who passed away in 2007. He spent his final years residing in Painscastle, Powys, Wales, and passed away on April 30, 2016.
Publications
Among his notable works are:
- The Journal of Institute of Brewing: Continuous Brewing (1961)
- Information Science 1500–1850
- Invention Innovation and Mathematics
Bibliography
- 'Believe: Six Turning Points for Guinness That Hinged on Inner Strength, authored by John Simmons and Mark Griffiths
- Guinness: The 250 Year Quest for the Perfect Pint by Bill Yenne
- Beer: The Ultimate World Tour by Bill Yenne
- Twenty-six Ways of Looking at a Blackberry, written by John Simmons
- The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer That Changed the World by Stephen Mansfield
- The SAGE Encyclopedia of Alcohol: Social, Cultural, and Historical Perspectives by Scott C. Martin
- Making Guinness Guinness – Michael Ash, Trinity College Cambridge: The Fountain, Issue 23