A Cross Hills micro-brewery is toasting an addition to its range – a smoked beer.

The first batch of Kour – so named because the malted barley comes from the Czech Republic, and the Czech for smoke is ‘kour’ – is about to go out from Naylor’s Brewery to the trade.

Stephen Naylor, who runs the Station Road brewery with brother, Robert, said: “We have taken a standard beer and introduced the smoked, dried hops into the conditioning tank and left it for a week and a half.

“It’s part of our range of beers in which we add a twist of flavour to a standard brew. It will go out to a range of pubs, and we will also produce some bottled examples.

“We wanted to see how we could do it in our own way, and have been helped by a friend, Roger Baxandall, of Craven Bacon Supplies, who works nearby.

“He has allowed us to put the hops in the smoker he uses to dry-cure bacon.”

Kour is the second beer with a twist the brewery has produced – the first was called Aurora – and it has plans to do others, including coffee flavour and fruits, added Stephen.

The brothers launched their brewery in 2001 at the Old White Bear in Cross Hills, later selling the pub and moving into Midland Mills in the village, where they now employ eight people.

They have earned a number of awards for their brews.