November 1999

Ever heard about treacle mugs? I have three. They used to be used in the 19th Century to take treacle beer home, the mugs having a china screwed top. Due to the contents being sticky the tops used to get stuck and order to release the top the lid would often be broken. Hence the jugs have all been restored. I wonder what they are worth.

From Beer Dave: Treacle is a synonym for molasses. Some brews like Theakston's Old Peculiar are brewed with molasses. Treacle beer was a forerunner of this ale. A number of old ales and barleywines used this by product of the sugar refining as a cheap source of a fermentable sugar. Rum was also made from treacle. To find out more about the value and history of treacle mugs visit www.steincollectors.org.

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