TWO award-winning breweries have teamed up to create a special beer 100 years in the making.

Hook Norton Brewery, based near Chipping Norton, and New Zealand based craft brewers Yeastie Boys release their one-off X Ale in canned form today.

The drink is one of 10 unique beers produced for the Wellington-based company's YeastieX anniversary project celebrating a decade of brewing.

After partnering up with the renowned West Oxfordshire brand, Yeastie Boys leafed through Hook Norton's past recipes and found the perfect beer, originally devised back in 1918.

With a drop of artistic license thrown in X Ale was born and the Oxfordshire brewery's managing director James Clarke admitted it was great fun to experiment with the new brew.

He said: “We love to push the boundaries and have a play around with what people’s perception are of what beer Hooky makes.

“This is not the usual brew people would expect to come out of our cellar but we are always looking to offer something new and different and this certainly fits the bill.

“It was great to be a part of the YeastieX anniversary project and can’t wait for the next opportunity to work with them.”

X Ale is pale gold in colour with aromas of zesty lime, satsuma and passion fruit and a dark fruit taste with a hint of spicy lemon zest.

It has been available in cask since last month but from today will be packaged in handy 330ml containers.

Yeastie Boys, which won Champion Beer at the 2014 Hong Kong International Beer Awards, picked its favourite UK brewers to create the 10 beers.

Hook Norton was one of the first ports of call in their search for collaborators, with the brewery's storied history a key selling point.

Five generations of Mr Clarke's family have worked at the brewery and his son, George, is following in his father's footsteps as a trainee brewer.

The brewery's records stretch back to 1849 and Yeastie Boys 'Brewserker' JK, himself a long term Hook Norton fan, revealed he was first attracted by the brewery's tradition.

He said: “Hook Norton was one of the first UK breweries I fell in love with, so much so I suggested it as a stop on my honeymoon.

“Pouring over their brewing records I found a recipe exactly 100 years before our tenth birthday with a surprisingly modern style.

“X Ale is a good nod to the old and new, our love of tradition and mucking about with it in a respectful way.”

The new brew looks to take advantage of the current popularity of craft beer, which has helped sustain Hook Norton's own microbrewery since it opened three years ago.

Next weekend, X Ale will be presented to its biggest audience yet at TAPS 2018, the UK's biggest craft beer festival, held at Birmingham's Custard Factory.

For more details on Hook Norton Brewery go to hooky.co.uk.