The Isle of Wight has seen 22 of its pubs end up in the much-championed ‘CAMRA Good Beer Guide’.
According to iwcp.co.uk, the drinking establishments that have ended up in the 2013 edition of the publication include the Newport Ale House, as well as S. Fowler and Co in Ryde.
CAMRA, which stands for the ‘Campaign for Real Ale’, uses its guide to highlight pubs that merit a visit. The release of the latest edition (the 40th in its history) shows the extent of the options available for people on Isle of Wight breaks.
Brian Jacobs, of the island’s branch of CAMRA, said: “Every pub in the guide has been individually surveyed by a dedicated team of hard-working volunteers who turn out, often on cold winter evenings, to survey pubs, unpaid and unthanked.”
In his opinion, being in the CAMRA guide is a “coveted accolade” and can mean increased revenues for pubs. Reviewers offer a description of the variety of beer, accommodation, history, architecture, atmosphere and food, among other factors.
A significant part of what the organisation does is organise ale festivals, with viewfrompublishing.co.uk reporting that the West Dorset branch has its annual Octoberfest coming up in Weymouth. It runs on October 12th and 13th.
At events such as this, breweries from surrounding areas come together to offer drinkers a huge choice of beers to sample. Octoberfest is set to feature two Isle of Wight beers on its list.