Whitbread Pale Ale is has returned to London, exclusively the Draft House in Old Street, thanks to a partnership between Windsor & Eton Brewery an Pioneer Brewing Company.

Whitbread Pale Ale (WPA) was last brewed in 1976 and is being brewed under license by Windsor & Eton Brewery.

Windsor & Eton Master Brewer and Co-founder Paddy Johnson said: “Whitbread Pale Ale has a very personal significance for me.

“When I was a kid, my dad used to have a wooden crate of bottles delivered to our home every month for his personal delectation, so when Hugo approached me to talk about bringing this beer back, it brought a whole load of happy memories flooding back.

“My goal was to create a classic sessionable beer that brings out the subtle fruitiness of British hops. Using a strain of the original Whitbread yeast gives the beer a beautifully clear golden colour.”

Whitbread Pale Ale will be available to order as a 4.0% cask beer and as 4.4% in 330ml bottles from the Pioneer Brewing Company once the month-long launch concludes this month.

Hugo Anderson, brewer at Pioneer Brewing Company, explained the partnership with Windsor & Eton Brewery: “When we were looking for a craft brewer to work with, Paddy and the team at Windsor & Eton Brewery were an obvious choice.

“While they brew some award winning keg beers, they have an impeccable reputation for the quality of their cask beers.

“It has been a really good partnership as we have evolved the recipe to create a pale ale that looks to our heritage as well as to the future with a beer that uses both traditional and modern British hops to create a new classic.

“Whitbread Pale Ale hasn’t been brewed on the banks of the Thames since 1976 so it’s a very special moment for Pioneer Brewing Company to be able to write a new chapter in the history of this great beer.”