Green’s Dictionary of Slang

humming ale n.

strong beer.

1665		M. Stevenson Poems 42: You shall have Wine too, and when bottles fail, / You shall be sure of humming Ale.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 44: Having sufficiently warmed our brains with humming Liquor [...] we then sing a catch or two in our own Language. [Ibid.] 57: A Cup of double-brew’s Beer was sold, notable huming geer [sic].
1674		T. Duffet Empress of Morocco Act I: We shall have Coleworts, Beans and Bacon [...] Of humming Ale a lusty barrel.
1685		G. Meriton In Praise of York-shire Ale 4: Of all these Liquors I’ve had no scant, [...] none do I find, Like Humming Northern ALE to please my mind.
1699		N. Ward London Spy XI 276: Many Travellers [...] who, if you cross but their hands with a piece of Silver, or clear their Eyes with a Cup of Humming Liquor, are able to see Faries Dance.
1709		Choice in Pleasures of a Single Life 2: I’d have a little Cellar, Cool and neat, / With Humming Ale, and Virgin Wine Repleat.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 182: We’ll have a Full Port of humming Ale before we reckon.
1720		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy VI 278: We’ll broach a Tub of humming Bub.
1722		S. Centlivre Artifice Act IV: He keeps a topping House – He has humming March Beer, and deadly strong Cyder.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: Humming Liquor, Double Ale, Stout, Pharoah.
c.1730		‘The Dame of Honour’ in C. Lovat Fraser Chap Book (1920) Sept. 11: Of humming Beer, my Cellar full, / I was the yearly Doner; / When toping Knaves had many a pull.
1756		W. Toldervy Hist. of the Two Orphans III 54: Humphry Copper, together with his friend [...] had been so busy with a barrel of humming ale. [Ibid.] IV 191: A tankard of what the former called humming stuff.
1762		Bridges Homer Travestie (1764) II 66: With mutton chops, and tart, and custard, / And humming beer as strong as mustard.
1765		‘Humming Bub’ Musical Companion 6: We’ll broach a tub of humming bub.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 109: A pail / Brim full of humming Lincoln ale.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Humming liquor, double ale, stout pharaoh.
1786		J. O’Keeffe Peeping Tom 30: We’ll broach a tub of humming bub.
1787		Oxford Jrnl 29 Dec. 3/2: Fill’d with humming Ale and Beef [...] How we caper as we go.
1794		Sporting Mag. Nov. V 112/2: Two or three bushels more, and he’d Brew humming liquor.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) II 207: All our faces / Painted so red with humming ale.
c.1800		‘Humming Bub’ in Holloway & Black I (1975) 114: We’ll broach a tub of humming bub.
1813		Chester Courant 27 Apr. 4/1: They drink, like true Britons, their own humming ale.
1822		(con. early 17C) Sir W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel II 297: Go to our palace, and fetch Lord Green’s morning draught. Let us see – what shall it be, my lord? – a humming double pot of ale [etc.].
1830		Egan Finish to the Adventures of Tom and Jerry (1889) 320: We will broach a tub of ‘humming bub.’.
1840		R. Barham ‘The Wedding-Day’ in Ingoldsby Legends (1847) 209: Of what men, in our hemisphere, term ‘Humming Bub’.
1843		Manchester Courier 11 Feb. 2/1: Give me [...] A jug of humming ale.
1853		Hereford Jrnl 23 Nov. 4/1: We believe [...] that topers pots do love of humming ale.
1853		Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Nov. 84/1: What kind of bottle for holding ‘humming ale’? A blue bottle.
1859		Worcs. Chron. 13 July 2/3: Washed down with capacious draughts of humming-bub.
1861		Hereford Times 12 Jan. 12/4: The pitcher of humming ale.
1872		Western Times 16 Dec. 3/4: Our own ‘humming ale,’ or good humming strong beer.
1883		Leicester Chron. 15 Dec. 16/6: Plenty of humming ale and wine.
1897		Shields Dly Gaz. 2 July 4/1: We had stalled ox and humming ale and a ginger pudding.
1902		Sheffield Dly Teleg. 13 Dec. 6/8: [He] caused it [i.e. a bell] to be filled with old humming ale.