Please visit  www.oldeburnsidebrewing.com for more information on The Olde Burnside Brewing Co., creators of Ten Penny Ale! 

The Olde Burnside Brewing Co. is a spin-off of our family-owned ice manufacturing business, The Burnside Ice Co., which was founded in 1911.  While our brews may enjoy universal appeal, our marketing theme is clearly Scottish in flavor.  In keeping with our roots, we add a bit of Celtic color in all we do, including our sponsorship of a local bagpipe band, The Manchester Regional Police & Fire Pipe Band, as well as our local rugby team, The Hartford Wanderers RFC.  Come fall, join us at “Pipes in the Valley,” Connecticut’s premier Celtic music festival, showcasing the finest local and world renowned Celtic talents. Check out our website at http://www.pipesinthevalley.com/ for the latest news and information on our upcoming festival. Our tong’n’thistle brewery logo incorporates a large block of ice, as well as the distinctive ice tongs from our ice making tradition, to which we added the thistle from our Scottish heritage.  Perhaps our best salesmen are our striking tap handles.  The “Ten Penny Ale” tap handle sports a handsome bagpiper standing in a stone arch; while the tap for the “Dirty Penny Ale” is a golden Celtic cross emblazoned with a miniature sword, the label itself a 1939 British penny. John McLaughlin, lead singer for the band "Dicey Riley" even wrote a Ten Penny Ale song about the brew. 

Our Story:
Stories, as they go, range from downright boring to totally unbelievable. We hope you find our story somewhere in the middle.  At least it will give you an idea as to how Olde Burnside Brewing came to be, and why we think our ales are poised to be some of the best in the land.

It all actually started two generations ago, when The Burnside Ice Company was established by Bob McClellan's grandfather just after the turn of the century.  Coming from a long line of hardworking Scotsmen, Albert McClellan wasted no time in making Burnside Ice a leading supplier of ice to homes and businesses throughout the greater Hartford, Connecticut area.  His tradition was carried down to Bob's dad, Clifford and to Bob as well.  As the story goes, Bob remembers his Grandfather speak of the ales that were brewed locally in those days and how refreshing they were after a long day's work.  Often the cost for a pint of ale back then was a mere nickel.  On special occasions, the brewers would produce an extra fine ale for which they would charge a little more; often as much as a whole dime or ten pennies!  Those were the ales that Albert McClellan lamented were no longer available in later years.  Bob, being a beer lover in his own right, dreamed of someday being able to savor a true "Ten Penny Ale".  He even fancied the idea of becoming a brewer someday, brewing the stuff himself.  As years went by, the ice company flourished, now supplying mostly grocery stores, package stores, restaurants and caterers as well as folks planning parties and picnics.  The popularity of Burnside's product was due largely to the purity of the water emanating from the aquifer deep beneath the earth under the East Hartford neighborhood.  At the urging of several local residents Bob began to offer the water through a dispenser at the front of the building on Tolland Street.