Visitors to a beer festival this weekend will be able to toast the people of Ukraine with a special beetroot-infused Anti-Imperial Stout.

Inspired by an appeal from a team of displaced brewers in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city, the Four Candles brewpub in Broadstairs and Ramsgate brewers Gadds' has created the brew with money raised from its sale going to the Red Cross appeal.

And it will be on sale at the Planet Thanet Beer and Cider Festival taking place over two days of this bank holiday weekend at Margate's Winter Gardens.

Manning the stall will be Taisiya Harding who arrived in Kent last month with her husband Kevin from the Thirty-Nine steps micropub in the Thanet town, along with her five-year-old son Rinat.

They were the first Ukrainians to be granted visas by the British Consulate in Amsterdam after the family fled to Poland from the west of the country when Russia's forces began their invasion.

Four Candles' owner Mike Beaumont said: “This was a real team effort. The recipe called for beetroot. Which is not something either Eddie Gadd or I had ever used before and we were a bit unsure how it would work out.

“But we needn't have worried. It tastes fantastic. A very deep flavour with smoky notes. The beetroot came from a group of customers who have allotments in Broadstairs.

“Gadds' provided the bottles and equipment we needed to fill them and conditioned them ready for this weekend's launch. The labels were designed and printed for us free of charge.

“Thanet CAMRA gave us a prime spot at the Winter Gardens for our stall and Kevin and Taisiya Harding volunteered to run it. They had a narrow escape into Poland at the height of the war in the west of the country and wanted to do all they can to help the refugees still trying to make it out of there or who are waiting to find accommodation in Poland."

The super-strength beer was brewed to a recipe created by Ukrainian brewers keen to raise funds for their countryfolk.

The Resist Anti-Imperial Stout is part of an initiative which is encouraging brewers around the world to create the brew and use profits to help fund the humanitarian effort.

Key among the ingredients is what is described as a 'taste of Ukraine' - beetroot.

The 750ml bottles are being sold at £20 each at the festival with proceeds going to the Red Cross.

The Planet Thanet Beer and Cider Festival takes place at the Winter Gardens, Margate, from 12-9.30pm Good Friday and from

12-7.30pm on Saturday. Entry is £6 on Friday and £3 on Saturday.