A BREWERY is looking to the past to sell one of its brews to the beer lovers of Scandinavia and Russia.

It has waved “bon voyage” to a cask of a powerful stout on a special summer trip using trade routes from the golden age of shipping.

At the centre of the official Great Baltic Adventure is the vessel Thermopylae Clipper, which is now under full sail and ploughing through the waves to demonstrate the export potential of British ales.

The Black Sheep Brewery, in Masham, North Yorkshire, has sent its Imperial Russian Stout aboard the 60ft vessel, a veteran of round-the-world races, along with other versions of the drink made by 11 other breweries.

The boat is re-tracing an 18th Century trade route by which a strong version of British porter was shipped to Russia and became a favourite with Catherine the Great.

The route involves a journey across the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, stopping at Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki before arriving in St Petersburg on June 18.

The vessel’s visit to each port coincides with a local beer festival – where the British ales will be among the highlights.

Black Sheep’s managing director, Paul Theakston, and brewer Phil Douglas will be joining the crew for a leg of the journey from Sweden to Finland.

Black Sheep’s director of sales, Brian Smith, said: “Our head brewer really rose to the challenge when we asked him to produce an Imperial Russian Stout.

“He has produced a wonderful beer which is 8.5 per cent alcohol content – you have to drink it very carefully and give it a lot of respect.”

He added: “Black Sheep Brewery got involved, because it’s something different and exciting.

“We always try to be innovative and come up with new ideas, and this journey really grabbed us as something that stood out.”

The voyage is the brainchild of the organisation Brilliant Beer, which aims to raise the profile of British ales.

Organiser Tim O’Rourke said: “The reason we are undertaking this voyage is to recreate a historical passage, which is an old export route between the UK and Russia.

“We hope it will be a good demonstration of the opportunities there are for British ale in export markets such as Scandinavia and western Russia.”