Drinking to real ale success

Buy photos » Matt Terry, from the Turks Head, Pauline Burdett, of the Three Tuns and Teej Deffley, from The Holly Bush, celebrate being in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Picture by Marcus Mingins 3812009MMR

AN ALVECHURCH pub has been named as the best in the West Midlands region by the Campaign for Real Ale.

The Weighbridge at Scarfield Wharf was awarded the title of pub of the year in the 2013 edition of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, now in its 40th year.

When landlords John and Jayne Humphreys took over the site in 2002 it was a private club for the marina, serving no traditional beers. Today it has four, a mild and a cider and runs spring and autumn beer festivals.

The guide lists the 387 best places in the region to drink real ales and contains 93 new entries including The Royal Enfield in Redditch Town Centre and the Rose and Crown in Feckenham.

The Turks Head in Alcester High Street is also a new entry and joins two other pubs in the town in the guide - the nearby Three Tuns and the Holly Bush in Henley Street – both former CAMRA Pubs of the Year for the region.

Lloyd Evans, chairman of the Shakespeare branch of CAMRA, said it was rare for so many pubs in a town the size of Alcester to be included.

"Alcester can now legitimately claim to be a beer festival town," he added.

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