A MAJOR £180,000 investment at the highest brewery in England will see the launch of a brand new beer in West Devon next month.

Dartmoor Brewery has just taken delivery of two enormous new fermenting vessels, each with the capacity of 14,000 litres.

The six-metre high vessels are being installed as part of the brewery's recent expansion at its Princetown premises and will be used to expand the existing brands — and accommodate the new beer.

Jail Ale and Dartmoor IPA are to be joined by Legend — a beer for which sales director Mark Shackleton has great hopes.

Mark said: 'We really want to put ourselves on the map with it.

'Beers that sell in large quantities are mid-gravity, which is what this is, and I think it will appeal to young people. The landlords seem to love the new pump clips, the whole Legend imagery is fabulous — we are over the moon with it.'

Simon Loveless, head brewer and managing director of Dartmoor Brewery, said: 'This beer is significantly different from what we are brewing at the moment. It's quite a unique beer — it's very similar in colour to Jail Ale, but quite different in other ways.

'Dartmoor is 4.0ABV, Jail is 4.8 but Legend is in the middle at 4.4. It's the same strength as the old draught Bass, which has more or less disappeared from around this area, so it's hitting that end of the market.

'One of the most difficult things was naming it — with a good name, you are halfway there.

'We've invested a lot money in point of sale, for example, £4,000 to £5,000 worth of glasses, and the new pump clips are really high quality, top of the range.'

Legend will be available in pubs in the area from March 22 — an official launch of the new beer is in the pipeline.

In addition to the extended buildings, new fermenting vessels at the brewery and new beer, the expansion means extra staff and an additional vehicle.

Dartmoor Brewery, which Simon started in November 1994, has seen a steady growth, which he expects to increase year on year.

'The switch to cask ales has been led to a certain extent by CAMRA. Buying local is a big factor, but at the end of the day, it's quality and consistency that count,' said Simon.

'We are currently producing about 150,000 gallons a year — but we are targetting another 75,000 gallons of new business.'

The brewery's board also has a new member — Richard Hutchings, one of the South West's most prominent licensing experts. Senior partner at regional law firm Kitson Hutchings, he has been involved in many of the region's most prestigious licensing deals.