Pubs and bars celebrate being listed in iconic beer guide

Among those included in the 2024 book published by the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) are Melton’s Charlie’s Bar, which has only been open for a year, and The Bell, at Frisby-on-the-Wreake, which was reopened in April last year after being purchased through a community campaign.

Charlie Donovan opened Charlie’s Bar in October last year in what is regarded as Melton’s oldest building, at 7 King Street, which dates back to the 14th century. Selling craft beer, it succeeded the Beerheadz bar which was there before.

Two other Melton town centre pubs include the Half Moon, which is housed in a building so old it is mentioned in the Domesday Book, and the Wetherspoon’s outlet, Kettleby Cross, which opened in 2007.

Another notable inclusion is The Windmill, at Redmile, which featured in scenes for the iconic 1980s comedy drama television show, Auf Wiedersehn Pet.

The Bull, at Bottesford, which was famously visited by comedy legends Laurel and Hardy in the 1950s when Stan’s sister was the landlady, is in the book too.

And it is no surprise to see the Stilton Cheese Inn, at Somerby, featured after it was named local CAMRA pub of the year yet again this summer.

Other local pubs and bars included are: The Wheel Inn at Branston, Eye Kettleby Lakes Clubhouse, The Anchor at Plungar, The Anchor at Nether Broughton, The Plough at Hickling and The Malt Shovel at Barkby

The Good Beer Guide is this year celebrating its 51st edition with a striking cover and a foreword supplied by rock group Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson.

It surveys 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK and is regarded as the definitive beer drinker’s guide for those seeking the best pints in the nation’s pubs.

The book covers 398 of the best pubs in the East Midlands and keeps track of brewery numbers, flagging up seven new ones in the last year but also seven which have closed.

Across the UK as a whole, the Guide records 82 new breweries but says 142 have closed.

This year’s Guide contains 910 newly-featured pubs, which is a boost for the pub trade at a time when it has been struggling to stay afloat in recent years following the pandemic and rising fuel costs.

The trade also faces an impending threat from unlawful demolitions, which CAMRA has declared a ‘national scandal’ in the wake of the demolition of the Crooked House in Himley, in the West Midlands.

CAMRA chairman, Nik Antona, said: “The last few years have been an incredibly difficult time for the industry, and we need more support than ever before to keep our nation’s pubs and breweries open and thriving.

"I’d encourage everyone to use this year’s Guide to visit the very best pubs and breweries across the UK and support them for generations to come.”

The Good Beer Guide is compiled by thousands of independent volunteers and it helps identify significant trends and themes locally and nationally.

Click HERE to order a copy of The Good Beer Guide 2024.