“I’m going down the pub” is getting a good cause to it as charity is now beginning at the bar. Wiltshire ale fans will be able to drink up to help the old and vulnerable this winter with a new season pint from Wadworth that comes laced with a taste of the Caribbean.

The Devizes brewery is launching a charity beer in its pubs next month – Coconut Shire, a strong porter which the brewer recommends as the perfect pint to accompany that 70s classic dessert, Black Forest Gateau.

And every sip will go to help the needy as 5p on the price at the pumps will be donated to the Wiltshire Community Foundation’s Surviving Winter Campaign.

The beer, which has an abv. of 5.1 per cent, is described by Wadworth as having “dark fruit flavours combined with the mellow aroma of coconuts”. The brewer claims, “it tastes great with smoked sausage, blackened fish and Black Forest Gateau.”

The Surviving Winter campaign, which has been running since 2010, supports elderly and vulnerable people to keep warm and safe during the winter months. And there’s a pressing need for ale lovers to do their bit because it is estimated that 30,000 households in Wiltshire live in fuel poverty, meaning they cannot afford to heat their home properly through the coldest months of the year.

NHS statistics show that that up to 400 people in Wiltshire die each year simply because of cold homes. Most people who suffer premature winter-related death are over 65 and 75 per cent of these deaths are due to the impact the cold has on respiratory and circulatory conditions.

Besides promoting its new “Ale Aid” appeal, Wadworth is celebrating that two of its brews have been voted as among the best beers in the world.

Old Timer, the brewer’s strongest ale at 5.8 per cent and which has been issued as a winter ale for more than 50 years, won a silver prize at the recent World Beer Awards. And Swordfish, a unique blend of Wadworth beer and Pusser’s Navy Rum with an ABV of 5 per cent, won a bronze at the same awards.