A Blackburn pub has named an ale after a former landlord who died last year.

Andrew Hudson, former landlord of The Station pub in Cherry Tree, died in June, 2023. He was 61-years-old.

Now, the pub is now selling 'Andy's Ale', a light amber ale which is £3 until Thursday, September 26. It will be £3.50 from this date.

Andrew Hudson, former landlord of The Station pub in Cherry TreeAndrew Hudson, former landlord of The Station pub in Cherry Tree (Image: Shane Hudson) Andrew’s son, Shane Hudson, said: “He died unexpectedly last year so we thought it would be good to name an ale after him.

“It will be nice to have that regular reminder and presence of him. In the year he had the pub he made friends with a lot of people and he made some really good connections.

“This is a way of keeping his memory alive and making sure he is always at the forefront of our minds in the pub.”

Shane, who took over as landlord after his dad died, said he thinks his dad would have liked the taste of the ale.

He said: “In his day-to-day life he preferred lager and Guinness but also had ale too. He enjoyed a range of drinks and I think he’d be quite happy with [the taste of it].

“He didn’t like the spotlight and always worked in the background so if he were alive we’d never get away with doing something like this. But it’s his time to shine.”

Shane, 32, said his dad was a caring man who loved getting to know his customers.

'Andy's Ale' at The Station pub in Cherry Tree'Andy's Ale' at The Station pub in Cherry Tree (Image: Shane Hudson) He said: “He loved getting to know people, figuring out what makes them tick and what troubles they had. He was a friend to anyone.

“He’d sit and chat if anyone wanted to get something off their chest or needed some [positive words].

“There were occasions when someone had to wait an extra 30 seconds to get served because he was involved in someone else’s crisis at the other end of the bar.”

Shane said the ale has been well received since going on sale last week.

“A full barrel sold in a day-and-a-half so it has gone down really well,” Shane said. “We have seen a steady increase in customers and punters have supported us a lot in the last year so I want to thank them.”