Marco Pierre White says The Governor, his new beer, will satisfy the UK's growing thirst for full-­flavoured ales more than lager a drink he "doesn't get."

The enigmatic chef has teamed up with family-owned Manchester brewery JW Lees to launch the bitter into the on-trade later this spring alongside a rollout to the off-trade. Although retail listings had not yet been confirmed, JW Lees was confident of multiple listings on the strength of White's profile.

The Governor is named after a greyhound owned by White's father, and the chef himself will feature by name only on the labelling. It will be marketed with the strapline 'Be British,' in remembrance of the last words of Captain Smith of the Titanic.

"The motive for launching this is purely romantic every bloke wants to own his own pint," said White. "I like flavour, that's why I am not a lager drinker."

He expected the amber-coloured bitter to be particularly suitable as a meal accompaniment.

"A pint works much better with British food than wine. Throughout history British food has been eaten alongside beer not wine.

JW Lees, which already supplies Coronation Street beer into supermarkets, said White found the brewery's 180-year-old heritage appealing.

"Marco is a Leeds lad and is proud of his northern roots," said Emma Cartlidge, marketing manager at JW Lees. "And we are all set up and ready for off-trade listings."

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