A SOUTH Lakeland brewery was challenged to create a green beer as part of an international Rainbow Project.

Seven of the United Kingdom's seven most innovative and forward thinking breweries, with seven 'randomly paired' counterparts from New Zealand, were each given a colour of the rainbow and challenged to create a new beer inspired by that colour.

For the third year in a row, the Staveley-based Hawkshead Brewery drew the colour green and was teamed up with Yeastie Boys brewery in New Zealand.

“We could have gone with the obvious - a kiwi fruit beer,” said Hawkshead head brewer Matt Clarke. “But with both the United Kingdom and New Zealand being islands, it had to be a sea inspired beer. From this I came up with Kai Moana Gose.”

Described as refreshingly tart, Kai Moana Gose is a salty and fruity beer made with kai moana (Maori for seafood) and green gooseberries.

The six per cent beer is hopped with New Zealand varieties Nelson Sauvin & Motueka and lists green lipped mussels, Loch Fyne oysters and Himalayan rock salt as ingredients.

This Saturday (Sept 17) Hawkshead Brewery's Beer Hall will host a launch party, simultaneously with Beavertown (London), Siren (Berkshire) and Magic Rock (Huddersfield) breweries.

The free event will see all seven of the rainbow beers served on draught keg plus an opportunity to purchase a limited edition mixed case - featuring 7 bottled beers and an official Rainbow Project glass - these can be reserved and paid for in advance. To complement the beers the kitchen will also be serving a New Zealand inspired menu including dishes such as The Kiwi Burger, Steak & Cheese Pie and Pavlova.

The rainbow beers have been created by the following: Red - Beavertown and Parrotdog; Orange - Burning Sky and Liberty Brewing; Yellow - Magic Rock and Fork Brewing; Green - Hawkshead & Yeastie Boys; Blue - Wild Beer Co. & 8 Wired; Indigo - Siren and Garage Project and Violet - Partizan.

Hawkshead Brewery has been brewing beer since 2002 and is one of the new wave of independent breweries which have revitalised British beer. The brewery recently expanded for the third time in 2016 and can now brew 8,500 barrels (1.4 million litres) per year.