The Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide – the UK's best-selling beer and pub guide – is celebrating its 51st edition with a striking cover and a foreword supplied by Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. The Guide, which surveys 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinker's guide for those seeking the best pints in the nation's pubs. 

However in this year's guide there are NO pubs in Midsomer Norton listed - the nearest is the Fromeway in Radstock praised for its award-winning garden.

The book says it is : " A friendly free house has been run by the same family for six generations and is now in the capable hands of Emily, the youngest daughter of the present generation. There is great selection of weekly changing ales from all over the country. "

Other local mentions are for Tucker's Grave over in Faulkland and two who were already in the guide, The Griffin and Just Ales on Stony Street.

Dickinson's foreword shines a spotlight on the cultural tradition of pubs within the United Kingdom, the importance of protecting the heritage, charm and welcoming nature of pubs and clubs, and not taking them for granted. 

The Good Beer Guide, which is published annually by CAMRA, helps beer lovers take a barometer of the local beer scene. As well as covering 392 of the very best pubs across Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, Bristol and Somerset, it keeps track of brewery numbers, and notes a net loss of eight breweries across the counties. 

The story is the same across the UK, as although the Guide records 82 new breweries, 142 have closed. This net loss of 60 breweries is a worrying reminder that a lack of support from the Government means dire consequences for local businesses, in the wake of a cost-of-business crisis and the constant pressure of fuel bills. 

This year's Guide contains 910 newly featured pubs, which is a fantastic prospect for the pub trade which 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. 

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, which reviews over 4,500 pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinkers' guide to the very best pints in a variety of styles of pubs to suit individual tastes. Compiled by thousands of independent volunteers, it helps identify significant trends and themes locally and nationally.