“HOW do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”

Words from Sonnet 43, penned by County Durham-born Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

But one restaurateur is hoping they will be applied to his new range of beers, made in a brewery named in honour of the lovestruck 19th Century poet.

Mark Hird has spent £200,000 creating the Sonnet 43 Brew House, at the Kicking Cuddy pub, in Coxhoe; near where Ms Barrett Browning was born and raised at Coxhoe Hall.

Mr Hird, managing director of Tavistock Leisure, hopes the first bottles will roll off the production line by the end of the month; and plans to rename the pub the Sonnet 43 Brew House, Tasting Room and Restaurant, serving craft beers and British cuisine using locally sourced produce.

Earlier this week, the Campaign for Real Ale said the number of breweries in the UK had topped 1,000, the highest figure for more than 70 years; with a record 158 new breweries opening in the past year, the highest number ever recorded in the campaign’s annual Good Beer Guide.

Mr Hird said: “The craft beer market is one of the only sectors in the pub industry that has shown strong growth in recent years and I’m really excited about playing a role and supporting the shift from mass-produced beers to ones that have been more lovingly crafted.”

Sonnet 43 will initially produce four beers: Steam Beer, Indian Pale Ale, Brown Ale and American Pale Ale, which will be sold at Tavistock venues across the North-East along with other venues.