A publican is using his experience to help set up a brewery in the North-East.

Michael Stroud, landlord of the Four Alls in Ovington, near Gainford, hopes to pull the first pint of beer to come from a micro-brewery he has started in the pub's cellar later this month.

Eighteen months ago, Mr Stroud moved to Ovington from Kent, where he ran a brewery with his father

After he ceased production at his Ales of Kent brewery, Mr Stroud wanted to buy a pub in the south of England but had difficulty finding anywhere suitable. He began to look further afield and chanced across the Four Alls advertised on the Internet and within six weeks he had moved in with his entire family.

Mr Stroud had kept some of the smaller pieces of brewing equipment from the Ales of Kent brewery and cleared out a cellar at the Four Alls so he could begin making beer in the pub.

He said: "The locals have all been champing at the bit to see what it tastes like. I might have to experiment to get something that most people like. Before I was brewing for southern tastes. Up here they prefer the beer to be a bit more bitter and, of course, they all say southern beer is too flat and like more head on it.

"I'm not sure what I'll call the first beer, but I'll probably give it a local name - possibly connected with the village's Maypole."

The beer will be brewed under the Ales of Kent name, as that company technically still exists. However, if the venture is successful, Mr Stroud intends to rename it the Four Alls brewery.

Initially, the beer, which is made using a traditional full-mash method with whole leaf hops, will only be served at the Four Alls. Although, Mr Stroud eventually hopes to be able to bottle it and distribute it at local outlets.

He said: "When we used to have the Ales of Kent brewery, we used to have some beer sold at Binns in Darlington. It would be nice to start doing that again."