Get ready for York's hottest ever beer...

York Brewery, in Toft Green, has teamed up with The Chilli Jam Man, to create a fiery variation of one of its most popular brews.

The beer, called Mostly Ghostly, combines the brewery's award-winning Centurion's Ghost Ale with a Ghost Chilli infusion - and the creators say the results are spectacular.

Andy Barker, brewery director, said: "The temperature in the brewery has been rising steadily with this latest innovation and believe me, Mostly Ghostly is out of this world. It is freakishly good."

The Chilli Jam Man - Simon Barrett - said: "I love working on collaborations with other great producers, everything from Chilli Jam Sausages and Pork Pies to Chilli Jam Ice Cream and Chocolate Cakes.

"Needless to say, I'm very excited to be working with York Brewery on a Chilli Beer, I've been looking for the right company to work with for years. We've had to do a lot of research on this which, as you can imagine, I've thoroughly enjoyed!

"There has been a lot of experimentation and it has been a lot of fun.

"We had looked to do a beer from scratch but then hit upon the idea of using Centurion Ghost, so we put an infusion in that and it came out spot on."

The Bhut jolokia 'ghost chilli' was once the hottest natural pepper in the world, at 1.1 million on the the Scoville rating. York Brewery brand manager Neil Arden said those who have tried samples of the beer, which has an ABV of 5.4 per cent, say the heat 'sneaks up on the drinker', with a "growing, lingering warmth," strongest in the aftertaste.

The beer uses British-grown Challenger, Fuggle and Bramling Cross hops, and has a ghost chilli infusion added.

Samples were made available at Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival, and York drinkers will get their chance next week.

A cask will be on the bar at the York Beer and Cider Festival on Knavesmire from next Wednesday to Saturday, but most of the beer will be bottled and launched on September 18 at the York Food and Drink Festival.