A number of Ledbury pubs and breweries have been named in the Good Beer Guide 2023.
The guide, produced annually by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), is designed to showcase the UK’s best beers and where to find them.
Two historic buildings represent the town centre in this year’s guide - iconic Elizabethan coaching inn the Feathers Hotel and 16th century timber-framed pub the Prince of Wales.
Les Smith, landlord of the Prince of Wales, said: “We’ve always had local ales on tap. We find it’s good to have a couple of local beers and a couple from further afield.
“You get the people from CAMRA come round a couple of times a year - they check the beers for temperature, colour etc - and then hopefully a few months later you’re in the Good Beer Guide.”
Mr Smith, who runs the Church Lane pub with wife Elaine, has recently put it up for sale.
“Myself and my wife are 65 now and we’ve been here 19 years. It’s time for someone younger to take the reins.”
Ledbury Real Ales included in Good Beer Guide
The Oak Inn at Staplow, just a couple of miles outside Ledbury, is also included in the guide. It is also currently the number one pub in Herefordshire for Sunday lunches on Tripadvisor - and is ranked fourth overall out of 453 restaurants in the county.
Landlord Chris Howell said: “The business is improving all the time. We’re bucking the trend at the moment.”
The Farmers Arms at Wellington Heath has also made it into the guide. The village pub was a runner-up in CAMRA’s Country Pub of the Year awards just a few years ago.
READ MORE: Ledbury pub flying high even as cost of living crisis hits industry
Bromyard’s Rose & Lion, the Bell Inn at Bosbury, and the Chase Inn at Upper Colwall are also featured by CAMRA.
Local breweries are also featured in the guide, including Ledbury’s own Ledbury Real Ales.
Established in 2012, the Hereford Road brewery uses locally-grown hops and sells its beers mostly within a 15-mile radius of the town.
Odyssey Brewery, based at the Brockhampton Estate near Bromyard, features alongside county favourites Wye Valley Brewery and the Wobbly Brewing Co.
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