This new Portsmouth D-Day-themed beer tells an amazing storyÂ
BEER lovers have been given the chance to tap into a poignant piece of history with a new commemorative beverage.
It comes as the newly-revamped D-Day Story museum teams up with the Southsea Brewing Company to produce a new brown ale.Â
Named D-Day Brown (DDB), the four per cent brew has been created to mimic the branding and taste of Brickwoods Brown Brew (BBB), which was formerly brewed in Portsmouth and Southampton.Â
While Brickwoods is now long-gone, BBB was a favourite among Brits who served in Normandy during the landings in 1944 '“ especially civilian-cum-Second World War engineer Roderick Kilgour '“ who took a number of bottles over to France when duty called.Â
Relishing his first-choice tipple, he would save the label of each bottle he drank, writing on it where he drank it and who he shared it with.Â
Those labels are now on display at the D-Day Story '“ and booze lovers are invited to buy a bottle of DDB and savour the moment in the same way.Â
'˜It's wonderful to be able to reminisce this poignant piece of history in this way,' said James Batney, the museum's manager.Â
'˜In writing on those old labels and sending them home, Roderick Kilgour made a point of remembering the good times '“Â even in the middle of a war.Â
'˜We experience incredible freedom because of the efforts of people like him, and selling this beer is all about encouraging people to sit back, share with a friend or two and just take a moment to connect with his story.'Â
Priced at £3.95 per 330ml, 500 bottles of DDB are available to buy at the D-Day Story.Â
The label on each drink has been specifically designed to carry the D-Day Story branding, while paying aesthetic homage to Mr Kilgour's go-to beer. Â
David Eastwood, a director and brewer at the Southsea Castle-based Southsea Brewing Company, says he is '˜really proud' of the product.Â
'˜The story behind the beer has really struck a chord with us, it's one of camaraderie,' he said.Â
'˜We took a look at the Brickwoods recipe and decided to take a modern twist on it for this special edition.Â
'˜DDB is a good all-rounder, it's lightly hopped and it's not overpowering at four per cent.Â
'˜We've had great feedback already and it's something we're definitely looking to keep going as long as the demand for it is there.'Â
Among Mr Kilgour's labels on-show at the D-Day Story is one from a BBB he enjoyed on the pontoons at Arromanches, on August 20, 1944.Â