I never tried the original Double Diamond. Production ceased some 30 years ago long before I was at legal drinking age, or indeed at the slightly lower bar (at the time) of the North-West’s mean underage drinking age. It is a beer that, until last week, existed for me only in an apocryphal pantheon – that of history’s most despised beers.

Double Diamond sat with such delights as Watney’s Red Barrel and Worthington E as beers I am glad never to have been around to drink, such is the vitriol and scorn poured upon them by the people who did. The epitome of the bland, fizzy keg beers that inspired the four founders of CAMRA to stand up and start doing something about the decline in quality, traditional brewing in the UK in the early 1970s.

Naturally I jumped at the chance to visit the Blue Stoops, the Allsopp’s-run Kensington gastropub, to try Double Diamond for myself. I still don’t understand why I really wanted to try it, but there was certainly an allure. Presumably, nay, hopefully, it tastes nothing like it used to. And I wouldn’t know if it did anyway. But there is something compelling about these forays into nostalgic brands that seems to be hugely de rigueur at the moment.

The Blue Stoops itself is marvellous. Its refurbishment in 2024 is detailed and precise, with the whole venue centred around the Allsopp’s brewing history. Even the menu has a beautifully traditional British slant, with a seasonal steamed pudding always on the menu. Allsopp’s advertising and branded products from over the decades adorn every wall.

I was particularly taken with the bespoke 3D relief tiles featuring the Allsopp hand in a glorious blue around the bar - only to discover on my return home that they were crafted just around the corner from me in Jackfield, Shropshire, by Craven Dunnill. Unsurprisingly, it has already picked up several awards for this stunning piece of work.

The tastefully lit, dark-wood bar is adorned with four cask handpulls – three for the core Allsopp’s range and one for Kirkstall brewery’s Ascension Extra Pale Ale. All of Allsopp’s beers are currently made at the Leeds brewery, thanks to Kirkstall’s Steve Holt being the one to, by chance, pick up the old Allsopp’s brewing ledger at auction – the document which inspired Jamie Allsopp to revive his family’s brewing legacy.

There are Allsopp’s and Kirkstall keg beers in the mix at the Blue Stoops too. The Allsopp’s stout and pilsner stand proud on their font, adorned with the familiar red hand logo. Alongside them, in blazing yellow and red, there it was. Double Diamond. A 3.8 per cent ABV pale ale, featuring the classic Little Man mascot, who has been rebooted by illustrator Satoshi Hashimoto. The diminutive chap has had a few years added – his grey hair now a nod to his pedigree and smart yellow and red chequered trousers bring him stylishly on-brand.

This is a carefully thought out relaunch. Even the italicised, uppercase font from the original adverts has been restyled in its entirety by lettering artist Alec Tear, with diamond punctuation to keep the brand running throughout. It is retro-chic in high resolution, laid out for the modern drinker.

The design community is effuse in its praise for these careful layers of hard work. Nostalgia marketing is noted as being effective at reaching younger demographics, particularly Gen Z (those born after 1997) by promoting a sense of authenticity and longevity. With signs pointing to that generation being increasingly won over by both craft and cask beer (just look at the success of the recent Boddingtons relaunch) it feels like the return of Double Diamond couldn’t be better placed to hit the current zeitgeist.

Perhaps most importantly, those younger drinkers are unlikely to have the same grasp of Double Diamond’s past reputation that I do only recognising and admiring, the cute, vintage stylings that give visual clues of the brand’s age.

However, I can’t say I had any trepidation as I raised that first glass to my lips. The modern Allsopp’s has re-established its reputation for quality and easily shaken off any residual tarnish left by its time with Allied, as is proper. Kirkstall is a cracking brewery in its own right. The pedigree is there.

And Double Diamond is absolutely reasonable. A light gold pale ale that is easy-drinking and a pleasant, sessionable ABV. It is dominated by citrus and light tropical fruit flavours as you’d expect from a modern pale made using Citra and Mosaic.

The beer is light in body, no doubt thanks to its sub-4 per cent ABV, with an easy bitterness that keeps it crisp. Overall it’s a clean, well-made beer. Does it work wonders, as the promotional material would still have us believe? Probably not. It’s not going to set the world on fire. But there’s absolutely nothing to turn your nose up at. It’s tasty and refreshing.

Put the badge makers away everyone, there’s no need for the “DD IS K9P” slogan to get a 2026 reboot too.