One of Britain’s most renowned strong ales is back on the bar after more than a decade in the wilderness after Sussex-based Dark Star Brewery revived Prize Old Ale.

Originally brewed in the 1920s by George Gale of Horndean, Hampshire, Prize Old Ale (POA) is one of the best-known examples of a now almost defunct British beer style, long-matured ale. The 9 per cent revived version is very much a labour of love for Dark Star head brewer Henry Kirk (pictured) and is available in cask and 500ml bottles.

Speaking at a tasting in the Harp, Covent Garden, Kirk said he was delighted to be finally sharing the beer with drinkers, “as I’ve been living with this project for six years.”

The latest incarnation of POA comes with the influence of three breweries in the beer. A batch of the original was transferred from Horndean to the Griffin brewery in Chiswick after Fuller’s bought the Gale’s business in 2005. That beer was later combined with a fresh brew in Chiswick, using the original recipe.

After limited commercial success for its version of POA, Fuller’s left it “languishing in a tank” at the brewery from 2010, said Kirk. After Dark Star was itself acquired by Fuller’s, Kirk was able to have the beer tankered to its brewery in Partridge Green.

Having brewed yet another batch, using Gale’s recipe and original yeast strain, Kirk combined the Fuller’s version with his own brew and aged it further. The result is a complex beer with the umami and sour flavours that characterised the original POA, as well as sweeter flavours of caramel, vanilla, liquorice and orange.

Kirk said: “Some beer writers recall that Prize Old Ale had got a bit tired towards the end of its time at Gale’s. Hopefully adding our new batch has revived it and put the life back into this incredible beer.”