SOUTHWOLD brewer Adnams has brewed up a canny alternative to Guinness by launching a cask conditioned Irish Dry Stout ready for the St Patrick's Day celebrations tomorrowCreated by the company's Irish head brewer Fergus Fitzgerald, Adnams Irish Dry Stout, 4.

SOUTHWOLD brewer Adnams has brewed up a canny alternative to Guinness by launching a cask conditioned Irish Dry Stout ready for the St Patrick's Day celebrations tomorrow

Created by the company's Irish head brewer Fergus Fitzgerald, Adnams Irish Dry Stout, 4.3pc abv, is brewed using pale ale malt, roasted barley, flaked barley, wheat, a blend of Crystal, Brown, Amber and Chocolate malts and hopped with Goldings. The beer is the last in a series of limited edition international-style ales, inspired by Fergus' world travels, which Adnams has been producing over the last six months.

'How could I resist brewing an Irish dry stout?' said Fergus. 'Although I grew up near the borders of Cork, which has two of its own stouts, Guinness was the drink of choice.

'During the summer, bottles of stout were served up to the workers to wash down their sandwiches before they returned to baling the hay. My brother and I, who had been drafted in for the day, soon dealt with any remnants left in those bottles!

'Although my tastes may have moved on, dry stout still brings back memories of sunny days, warm hay, and many, many blisters from stacking the bales on the trailer. I'm hoping everyone will toast St Patrick's Day this year with a glass of Irish Stout from Southwold. How Irish is that?'

The 'World' beers series has also included German K�lsch, Belgian Abbey, German Wheat, American IPA, Belgian Witbier varieties. Adnams Irish Dry Stout is available from Mitchells & Butlers pubs throughout the UK, as well as Adnams' pubs and free trade accounts.