A WEST Malvern brewery is stepping back in time by producing an ale identical to that supped by a famous author with links to the town back in the 1800s.

Roget's Reviver, a one-off batch of traditional 19th Century strong ale is being created by Malvern Hills Brewery in a ready to brew package in time for Christmas.

The brewery, established in 1998, is being produced in memory of Dr Peter Roget, author of the famous Thesaurus.

Although a London-based doctor, Roget became universally famous for his Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases written after retirement at the age of 69, some of it whilst visiting his daughter in West Malvern. He later died there in 1869, aged 90, and is buried in West Malvern churchyard.

His namesake beer is being made on just one day, December 8, using a traditional recipe with five speciality malts and three hop varieties to create a spicy flavour and deep brown colour. Duty is avoided because the beer is being prepared prior to fermentation in a ready to brew pack. Each pack comes with 35 pints to which the customer adds yeast and leaves for a week to ferment.

Unlike most home brew kits, the beer is ready made and involves no mixing or boiling. It works out at 57p per pint.

It has been created with West Malvern Village Stores, which has established an expanding fortnightly delivery of ready to brew bitter within a ten-mile radius of Malvern. It needs to be ordered from the stores in advance of the brewing date.