Cheers! Sandbach pub and Smallwood pub praised in 'CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2025'
By Deborah Bowyer
27th Sep 2024 | Local News
A Sandbach pub and a Smallwood one have made it into the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2025.
The gospel of real ale hotspots and top quality boozers, was first published in 1972 by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
And in 2024, a huge amount of local pubs and bars have made the list.
The Beer Emporium in Sandbach has again made it into the Good Beer Guide, this time the 2025 edition.
The popular Welles Street pub which prides itself on craft beers on tap and to take away has a loyal following in the town.
Della Hyde manager said: "Again, it's down to the staff here, our amazing customers and the community we have in Sandbach."
Della took over from the previous manager, Liam Bridle, who managed The Beer Emporium but sadly died last year following a viral infection.
She added: "They are big shoes to fill but we know how proud he would have been of everyone."
The Bull's Head in Smallwood is also in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2025 - it's third accolade to date.. The Bull's Head was also named 'Pub of the Year' 2024 by the Macclesfield and East Cheshire CAMRA in March .
The Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide is the UK's best-selling beer and pub guide.
Unique to this year, its 52nd edition will feature not one but two covers, starring two of the UK's favourite fictional locals: Coronation Street's Rovers Return Inn, and Emmerdale's Woolpack.
The Guide, which lists 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinker's guide for those seeking the best pints in the nations' pubs – and costs £14.99 online.
Despite the tough trading environment facing a lot of licensees, they continue to battle against the odds, and the 2025 Guide boasts over 900 pubs that are new to this edition.
Information in the Guide is collated by thousands of CAMRA volunteers who give up their time every year to select the best of the best across the UK. As well as covering 143 of the very best pubs across Merseyside and Cheshire, it includes 36 new pub entries across the counties.
With two of ITV's flagship soaps being referenced on the cover, the foreword of The Good Beer Guide 2025 has been written by multi award-winning TV executive producer Iain Macleod.
In his foreword, MacLeod writes: "...the story which threatened one of our pubs the most was also the one which most resonated with our times."
"In 2023, the Rovers Return closed its doors. A combination of the lingering legacy of the Covid lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis meant that landlady Jenny Bradley couldn't afford to keep it open. The characters – and the viewers – lamented the news like the loss of a loved one. If it were needed, it was a timely reminder of the central place the nation's pubs have in our lives and in our affections."
The amount of pubs continues to decline in the UK, but CAMRA shines a light on these businesses. In total, there were 38,175 pubs in the UK at the end of 2023, down from 41,015 a decade earlier. (Source)
Ash Corbett-Collins is the national chairman of CAMRA.
"The Rovers Return Inn and the Woolpack represent the UK's love of their local, and to have them featured on the covers for this year's Guide is very exciting," said Ash.
"CAMRA's mission is to ensure support from the Government as well as tangible legislation to protect pubs in this country. By next year's edition of the Guide, we want to be talking about the beer and pub trade growing with the support of communities and parliament alike."
This year's Guide is sponsored by Midland Snacks Traditional Pork Scratchings and endorsed by Cask Marque.
The Good Beer Guide 2025 has been released, today, 26 September 2024, and is available to purchase now from this link.
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