Victoria NichollsFor years the famous advertising slogan 'Guinness is good for you' has helped the iconic brand corner the market.But now Southwold brewer Adnams has produced its own stout to rival the top brands.Victoria Nicholls

For years the famous advertising slogan 'Guinness is good for you' has helped the iconic brand corner the market.

But now Southwold brewer Adnams has produced its own stout to rival the top brands.

Adnams Irish Dry Stout, 4.5pc abv, is waiting in the barrels and ready to be served at pubs in time for St Patrick's Day celebrations today, and the brewers are hoping local revellers will toast the occasion with a creamy topped pint produced in Suffolk.

But once the barrels have been drained, the cask stout will no longer be on sale, as it is the last of six beers in a series of limited edition international-style ales inspired by the travels of head brewer Fergus Fitzgerald.

Mr Fitzgerald, who grew up near the borders of Cork in Ireland said: 'It's more akin to what a true Irish stout would have been like going back 20 years.

'During the summer, bottles of stout were served up to the workers to wash down their sandwiches before they returned to bailing 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 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.'

In the production of the international ales series Mr Fitzgerald has explored the use of different raw materials and ingredients to experiment with new tastes and to keep customers coming back to sample his creations, which have gone on sale one a month since October.

The stout, along with the other five Adnams World Beers - a German Kolsch, Belgian Abbey, German Wheat, American IPA and Belgian Witbier - have all been hand crafted at the Suffolk brewery by Mr Fitzgerald.

'When we sell out, we sell out and it's gone,' he said. 'It's no coincidence this one came out for March and we're hoping that with St Patricks Day it will go.'

He said it was a bit of fun for customers, and added that he was hoping to start a new series in October.

The stout is currently on sale in all Adnams pubs and at those it delivers to directly. Visit www.adnams.co.uk for details.

Neil Foskett, 37, from Reydon, who owns a shop in Southwold, said: 'It's nice and light, very drinkable. I could definitely drink a few of these. It's easier to drink. You could definitely promote it as a lighter alternative to Guinness.'

Fred Butter, 67, from Southwold, said: 'It's certainly very passable to Guinness. In a blind test you would have a job to taste the difference. It's surprisingly pleasant. I'm genuinely interested in this sort of thing and I would go and order it.'

Bruce Crosland, 46, from Taunton in Somerset, said: 'It's got a nice flavour. It doesn't look as creamy as Guinness but it tastes a little bit stronger.'