The 5% saison is the creation of Will Alston, an astrophysicist at Cambridge University’s Institute Of Astronomy, who scooped top prize at the Great British Home Brew Challenge 2015.

Alston’s beer, a pale ale that features rhubarb grown in his allotment, is being brewed at Thornbridge and will be sold in selected Waitrose stores from the middle of October.

Commenting on the accolade, Alston said: “My approach to brewing is to try and match a style as closely as possible, then add my own twists.  I have a very basic all grain set up which means you have to work harder to get good results but also allows you to be more involved in the process.”

Rob Lovatt, Thornbridge’s head brewer and a judge in this year’s competition, added: “Will’s beer was a very worthy winner – a refreshing easy-drinking beer with complex flavours that came together well, showing great skill in the brewing process.

“We’ve never brewed anything like this before so we’ve been really excited at the brewery to be involved in making this winning recipe.”

Kate Prall, beer buyer at Waitrose that will retail the beer in 500ml bottles, said: “The competition mirrors the increasing interest in beer in the UK. Customers are increasingly becoming more confident and experimental in their beer choices.

“In recent years, they are now more likely to have six or seven beers in their repertoire rather than just one or two old favourites. This is reflected in our speciality beer sales which are up 34% over the past year.

“In its second year, it is great to see the interest this competition generates among home brewers. The love and care that is given to the beers is tangible and it is a great credit to all those who entered the competition that judging a winner was so very difficult.”