A SPECIALLY crafted Indian Pale Ale has been launched to coincide with a Wordsley man’s book which chronicles the history of Wolverhampton Wanderers’ famous gold and black shirt.

Three Tuns Brewery has thrown its support behind Steve Plant’s new ‘They Wore The Shirt’ book, which the Wordsley man is hoping will raise £20,000 for Birmingham’s Children Hospital.

Bosses at the company have agreed to mark the launch of the 256-page publication by brewing the ale which will be stocked in Kingswinford pub Park Tavern over the next few weeks.

John Russell, managing director of Three Tuns Brewery and himself an ardent Wolves fan, said: “Football and ale often go hand-in-hand and many a match has been dissected over a good pint between friends and family. When Steve came to me with his idea for a limited edition beer I jumped at the chance.”

“They Wore The Shirt is a really special publication and the amount of time and effort gone into producing it is phenomenal, especially for someone who is running his own business.

“As soon as I saw the draft of the book – featuring my own favourite shirts – I was sold and started brewing an IPA that would hit the spot.”

They Wore The Shirt was officially launched at Molineux earlier this month in front of 250 people and, within two weeks, more than 1,000 copies have been sold.

Steve, who came up with the idea after his father passed away in 2012, was delighted at the support. He said: “I’m absolutely amazed at the way the book has been received, with copies ordered by fans all over the world, from Australia and Japan to the US and even Iraq.

“I wanted to mark the launch by bringing out a special beer and approached Three Tuns after hearing about John’s love for Wolves.

“We spent a great day at the brewery and the idea was turned into reality. Even better he said we could have the beer for free and direct the money from the pubs buying it towards Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

“Needless to say, we had a few tasting sessions and, all I can say is, it hits the back of the net when it comes to taste.”

For more information about the book, or to purchase a copy, visit www.theyworetheshirt.co.uk.