Broadside was first brewed in 1972 to mark the tercentenary of the battle of Sole Bay, a fierce naval battle that took place off the coast of Suffolk between an Anglo-French force & the Dutch. The battle occurred during the Third Anglo-Dutch War when the English fleet, aided by the French, attempted to block Dutch trading routes along the North Sea. Although the Dutch surprised the Anglo-French fleet by attacking it in harbour, the outcome of the battle was inconclusive. Severe weather conditions prevented the Dutch from coordinating a cohesive & sustained assualt, causing them greater losses.