An exciting collaboration between two Cornish companies has lead to the creation of a tasty new tipple that is perfect for the cold winter nights ahead.

Gatekeeper, a 5.6 per cent Porter-style heavy beer, has been carefully crafted by Keltek Cornish Brewery in Redruth, using locally sourced kelp, harvested by the Cornish Seaweed Company.

Rob Jones, head brewer at Keltek and a keen scuba diver, was sure that the liquorice sweetness of kelp would be a fantastic addition for their latest creation. This was where Tim at the Cornish Seaweed Company came in, supplying freshly hand-harvested, sustainable kelp from the Gweek river bed.

Gatekeeper begins life at 8am each day, when the barley and water are steeped together for 90 minutes. The dried kelp is then added to the mash, releasing the sugars that give the finished product that all-important sweetness. In goes a blend of British and German hops, creating a sturdy, smooth bitterness and a full depth of flavour. It is important to carefully control every part of the process; everything from temperature to ratios is critical to getting the end product just right.

Rob said: "Our range was missing a porter - we have brews down at 3.4 per cent, ranging right up to 7.5 per cent, but we have nothing as dark as this one. At this time of year drinkers tend to chose darker, heavier beers, and Gatekeeper is definitely going to tick these boxes."