Acorn rolls out a royal ale and Marston's bottles Sovereign

Acorn Brewery in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, has launched GSTQ -- God Save the Queen -- a 4.4% bitter to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, with a striking pump clip that recalls the controversial Sex Pistols of the 1970s.

The golden-coloured cask ale is brewed with pale, crystal and rye malts for a rich, creamy flavour and is hopped with English Admiral, Whitbread Goldings Variety and -- suitably enough -- the "noble hop" Sovereign for a distinctive citrus and earthy aroma with a peppery and spicy, bitter finish.

The beer is available now and will be on sale through the Jubilee Bank Holiday on 2-5 June. Dave Hughes, the founder of Acorn Brewery, admits the pump clip gives a nod to the infamous Sex Pistols Number 1 hit during the Queen's 1977 Silver Jubilee but he says the illustration is not meant to be irreverent.

He added: "The Sex Pistols' song caused a big stir at the time but this is simply a fun brew to mark the occasion. We want to appeal to all cask ale enthusiasts."

The beer will be delivered to 400 customers in the North, the Midlands and London.

Marston's will launch bottled versions of three of its single Hop Ales in May in Booths and Morrisons stores. They will include a Jubilee ale called Sovereign. The beers are part of a successful programme to launch a new 4% cask beer each month with a different hop, drawn from nine countries.

Sovereign is an English hop known as a "dwarf" variety as it grows to just eight feet compared to the traditional 20 feet and is therefore easier to pick. It has a herbal, floral and "fresh mown grass" character. It was first developed late in the 20th century as a replacement for Fuggles. The other two bottles in the series are Marynka, using a Polish hop, and Goldings, based on a tradtional English variety.