Last year the brothers, who own Phipps Northampton Brewery Company (NBC), relaunched the famous Northamptonshire ale Phipps IPA, 40 years after it was last brewed.

The brothers, who were born in Rushden, had such a success with the revival of the historic beer that they relaunched a second ale, the Red Star bitter.

Now, a year after they bought the company, they will be launching their third product, the legendary Ratliffe's Celebrated Stout.

Alaric said: "We started with IPA and then moved onto Red Star. We have had quite a few emails asking about Ratliffe stout so we thought we would try it out.

"The IPA has been stunningly successful. We have sold about half- a-million pints in the past year and Red Star has also done well.

"I think it is because it is a good brew with a good story. It is a taste from the past.

"This all started off as a bit of a hobby and we had no idea it would go this far, but as long as people keep asking, we will keep brewing."

The old Northampton brewery of Ratliffe and Jeffrey was taken over by Phipps in 1899, although Mr Ratliffe stayed on with the company to oversee the continued brewing of his famous stout.

By the end of the 1930s, Ratliffe's Celebrated Stout had replaced Phipps's own brews as the main stout in the range.

After the merger with NBC in 1957, the joint stout was known as Ratliffe's Jumbo Stout and later Phipps Jumbo Stout.

This was the last Phipps brand to be brewed by new owners Watney Mann, finally bowing out in 1972.

The starting point for reviving this long-lost brew was authentic brewer's records dating back some 80 years. It has been brewed in Grainstore in Oakham by masterbrewer Tony Davis.

Ratliffe's Celebrated Stout is a "creamy, full-bodied malty brew, satisfyingly rich with distinct caramel and coffee notes".

It will be officially relaunched on December 5 and locations will be announced in the Evening Telegraph shortly.

For more information visit www.phipps-nbc.co.uk.