A HERITAGE brewery is creating an ale in tribute to one of the country’s best-loved folk singers.

Harveys Brewery in Lewes will unveil Copper Ale to coincide with the centenary of the birth of legendary folk singer Bob Copper MBE, who died in 2004.

Bob was the patriarch of Rottingdean's Copper Family, renowned singers in the area for more than 200 years.

As well as the family's repertoire, Bob was responsible for collecting and recording traditional songs and dialect for BBC Sussex, preserving the tunes and lyrics and ensuring that the style in which they were sung remained.

This morning members of the Copper Family, several of whom make up Nutshell Construction in Lancing, will sing Oh Good Ale at the 225-year-old brewery while malted barley is mashed with spring water.

The folk song includes lines such as: “It is of good ale to you I’ll sing/And to good ale I’ll always cling.”

Sussex hops will be added to the resultant sugars and the mixture will be boiled in the ‘Copper’ prior to cooling and fermentation.

The beer will be available for the sold out Bob Copper Centenary Event in London this month.

Ben Copper, grandson of Bob and managing director of Nutshell Construction, said: “The family are delighted to be kicking off the celebrations to mark Bob's centenary year in a way that he would thoroughly have approved of. “His birthday was January 6 so what better way to say Happy Birthday than with beer and some singing.

“We are all very much looking forward to tasting the fruit of tomorrow's endeavours at the Centenary Event later this month."