The 86-Year-Old Beer That Was Meant To Have Quite The Royal Debut

Coronation dinners are a grand British tradition dating back over a thousand years. Throughout those many centuries, we have seen some truly extravagant coronation dishes, spanning the spectrum of savory to sweet. (Never spicy though — spicy food has actually been banned from Coronation Day meals in keeping with stereotypical English dining.)

It wouldn't be a true celebration without some libations though, and in the land of ale, what could be more appropriate than a special coronation beer? That's the thinking behind Greene King's Coronation Golden Ale, a limited edition brew released in honor of King Charles III's coronation. Having been founded in 1799, Greene King is one of England's oldest breweries.

And 2023 is not the first year they have released a coronation ale. They did the same thing 86 years earlier, but there was a problem. The king they intended to honor was never actually crowned. The bottles survived for decades, up until this very day when they are finally going up for sale.

In 1936, King George V of England died, and control of the British Empire passed along to his eldest son, Edward, soon to be known as King Edward VIII. At least, that was the plan. There is typically a long delay between the passing of a monarch and the coronation of their successor, during which the new king or queen reigns unofficially.

For example, King Charles III's coronation on May 6, 2023, came nearly eight months after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The coronation of Edward VIII was planned for May 1937, and, knowing they needed a head start in order for the beer to be ready in time for the event, the brewers at Greene King started work on their coronation brew well in advance.

Their plans were derailed when it was revealed that Edward VIII was in a relationship with American socialite Wallis Simpson, who happened to be married to another man at the time. She soon initiated divorce proceedings, but the whole affair was simply too scandalous for the image-conscious royals.

In December 1936, Edward VIII abdicated the throne, six months before his coronation was set to occur. The throne passed to Edward's younger brother, crowned King George VI, but Green King's ale was not unveiled for the replacement monarch. Instead, the entire batch, which amounted to 2,000 bottles of beer, was tucked away in the cellar of Greene King's brewery in the town of Bury St. Edmunds and promptly forgotten.

The coronation ale meant for Edward VIII sat in Greene King's cellars for three-quarters of a century until 2011, when it was rediscovered during the course of renovations on the brewery. With no clear purpose to serve, the recovered ale continued to sit around for another decade until the passing of Queen Elizabeth II prompted a new King's coronation, and a chance to revive its original purpose.

Greene King announced that the entire collection of 2,000 bottles would be auctioned off to coincide with the crowning of King Charles III and that all of the proceeds would be donated to The Prince's Trust, a charity founded by Charles during his years as Crown Prince, aimed at providing opportunities to youth from disadvantaged communities.

The auction gives enthusiasts of both beer and the royal family the opportunity to own a piece of history. However, these bottles are strictly for display. The coronation ale likely would have been a treat in 1937, when it was freshly brewed. It was fruity and strong — really strong in fact. At 12% ABV, King Edward's brew was three times more potent than Greene King's 2023 Coronation Golden Ale, which comes in at a comparatively meager 4% ABV. (To be fair, this is a pretty average alcohol level for beer today.)

More importantly, beer has a limited shelf life, and 86 years after production, the historical ale is no longer fit for drinking.