Boddingtons Pub Ale

On the corner of Great Ducie Street and New Bridge Street in Strangeways, Manchester, is where two grain merchants, Thomas Caister and Thomas Fry, founded the Strangeways Brewery in 1778. Henry Boddington joined the business in 1832 as a traveler (the local vernacular for repairman) and rose to become a partner. Henry Boddington became the sole owner in 1853. The company was renamed Boddingtons Breweries in 1886 following Henry’s death.

In 1992, Boddingtons introduced the widget can and was one of the first beers to use this technology. When Boddingtons is canned, the combination of the carbon dioxide and nitrogen needed to create the head of the beer is less than ideal. The Draught Flow System inside of the widget can consists of a plastic, nitrogen-filled ball or widget that helps the carbon dioxide already dissolved in the beer form additional tiny bubbles. This keeps the head stable and makes the beer as close to a draught brew as possible.