Last updated at 09:48, Tuesday, 14 April 2009

A COMMEMORATIVE ale has been brewed especially to raise a toast to Laurel and Hardy for their Ulverston homecoming.

Ulverston Brewing Company directors Anita Garner and partner Paul Swann have created the 3.9 per cent real ale to mark the unveiling of the statue of the legendary comedy duo on April 19.

The beer, called Celebration Ale, features a picture of the bronze statue on its label. And Miss Garner hopes the bottled ale will act as a portable tourism advert for the South Lakes town when it is drunk.

She said: “All our beers have names associated with Laurel and Hardy – names like Another Fine Mess, Laughing Gravy and Flying Elephants. We’re born and bred in Ulverston so we wanted our beers to be linked to the town.

“We got the permission of the town council to use the town crest on the bottle as a logo and if our beers travel then people will associate them with Ulverston. We’ve worked with Graham Ibbeson, the statue sculptor, and he’s okayed it for us to use the statue on the label. It also mentions a little bit about Ulverston and says ‘raise your glass to the comedy duo in our home town’. We wanted to advertise Ulverston for people to come and visit.”

Miss Garner describes the drink as a very pale, hoppy, easy, refreshing beer. And she says that despite doom and gloom of the recession, trading figures are slightly up on last year.

Miss Garner said: “I think more and more people are wanting local produce. It can only be good because at least the money is coming back into our local economy.”

A bottle of the ale will be handed to each of the dignitaries present on the day of the unveiling in County Square – including Ken Dodd, who will remove a specially made cover to reveal the £60,000 likeness. Celebration Ale will be available to buy on the unveiling day.

First published at 11:49, Saturday, 11 April 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk