In 1809, London’s Golden Lane Brewery stood trial for the unusual offense of dosing its beer with an extract of fish-skins. The brewers pleaded that the process was simply a harmless, cost-effective substitute for the customary isinglass finings; the public prosecutor thundered that, whether it worked as a fining agent or not, the additive was putrid, disgusting, and obviously illegal. Yet the defense had a star witness: Humphry Davy, famous for his chemical discoveries and the most successful public communicator of science of his generation.

Dr. James Sumner delves into this story and shares how the episode illustrates the challenges brewers faced in promoting innovations to an often justifiably suspicious public, and how they enlisted scientific reputations in support of change.

Dr. James Sumner is Senior Lecturer in the History of Technology at the University of Manchester in the UK. His book Brewing Science, Technology and Print, 1700–1880 explores changing attitudes to scientific expertise, experimentation and publication in the beer-brewing cultures of Britain and Ireland. He also works on the histories of computing and IT, technical education, industrial science, and the history and heritage of Manchester and its universities. He has a strong interest in public engagement and has delivered over 50 public and general-audience events including talks, discussion sessions and guided tours.