Moorlands pubs among the best say beer experts
PUBS and breweries in the Staffordshire Moorlands are raising a glass after being included in a popular guidebook for real-ale lovers across the country.
The 46th edition of the Good Beer Guide, published each year by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), was released last week.
Staffordshire has a total of 88 pubs listed in the 2019 edition – the second highest number in the West Midlands region after the West Midlands Conurbation itself, which has a total of 118.
Of the Staffordshire pubs listed, 25 are making their first appearance in the guide.
There are also 38 breweries from the county listed in the guide – the joint highest in the region – including nine appearing in the guide for the first.
And the Fountain Inn in Leek, is also named as one of the top 16 pubs in the UK in the guide.
There are seven pubs from the Staffordshire Moorlands in the new edition of the guide.
Three of these are in Leek – with one in Cheadle and the other three in villages throughout the district.
The Fountain Inn has been named one of 16 finalists in the Campaign for Real Ale’s National Pub of the Year competition, having scooped the title of West Midlands pub of the year.
The Earl Grey, another entry from Leek, is also a previous winner of the Camra West Midlands Pub of the Year award.
Three breweries in the Moorlands, including Flash Brewery – based cl;ose to the village of Flash on the moors above Leek – are also featured.
Tom Stainer, chief communications officer at Camra, said: “It’s fantastic to see the number of new pub entries in the Good Beer Guide 2019 and the continued growth in local brewing.
“We’ve seen such sweeping changes across the brewing and pub scene over the past year with brewing becoming more collaborative and socially-minded, and pubs continuing to diversify to cater for all tastes with the continued increase in micropubs, tap rooms and community-run pubs, each improving choice for drinkers.
“This is the 46th issue of the Guide – a book that has become an essential companion for those with a passion for real ale and discovering the best places to find it.”
Camra say the guide is researched by independent volunteers across the UK, with every pub featured visited at least once.