Bass was the son of
William Bass, a carrier from
Leicestershire, who founded the brewery in 1777. After his father's death in 1787, Michael ran the brewery with his brother William until he took sole control in 1795. He continued to develop the
Baltic trade with Russia and North Germany, exporting via the
River Trent and Hull. He extended the brewery's operations, laying the foundations for its future success. He entered into partnership with John Ratcliff and in 1799 he built a second brewery at Burton. Following the
Napoleonic blockade, Burton brewers needed another market, and Bass was one of the breweries to start brewing and exporting
India Pale Ale (IPA). Bass married Sarah Hoskins, the daughter of Abraham Hoskins of Burton and
Newton Solney. Sarah's brother, Abraham, built
Bladon Castle, a
folly which aroused bad feeling locally. Sarah's great-grandfather
George Hayne was responsible for establishing the
Trent Navigation as an active concern. Bass died at the age of 66. His eldest son,
Michael Thomas Bass continued to manage the brewery company and was MP for
Derby for over 35 years. ==References==