SEVEN Plymouth area pubs have made it into the Good Beer Guide for the first time this year.
City hostelries The Mannamead, in Mutley Plain; Nowhere Inn, in Gilwell Street; Eggbuckland's Prince Maurice; Coxside's Thistle Park Tavern; and the Waterloo Inn, in Stoke, are all included in the publication.
They are joined by South Hams pubs the Ship Inn, at Noss Mayo, and the Journey's End Inn, at Ringmore.
Ian Wood, owner of the Waterloo Inn, said he and wife Lynne were delighted to be featured after 35 years in the trade.
"We're really pleased," he said. "We have real ales on, and in bottles, and they are a good seller.
"And real cider is going well too, we have real keg cider and box cider.
"In fact, trade it pretty good, we have darts, euchre, quiz nights, it's a busy pub."
Overall, the 43rd edition of the book, published by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), lists 29 pubs in the Plymouth area.
The publication – a respected guide to UK pubs serving quality real ale – can only contain details of 29 city-area venues each year, otherwise it would be too big.
But the city, and its CAMRA branch, actually boasts about 200 real ale bars.
Each edition of the guide contains details of some newly-featured bars.
In total the new book contains details on 62 pubs in Cornwall and 125 in Devon.
And it has write-ups on 4,500 pubs nationally.
Boozers are nominated for the guide by CAMRA members at a meeting.
They then visit each pub, judging it on the quality of its real ales before voting on which ones should be included.
Each entry has details of food, opening hours, beer gardens, accommodation, transport links, disabled facilities and real ales on sale, including local ales.
The Good Beer Guide is independent and makes no charge for entries.
Pubs are regularly checked by CAMRA volunteers – there are 850 members in the region, with 175,000 nationally.
The guide also contains features on pubs, beer and brewing, and lists CAMRA beer festivals nationally, as well as a list of real ale breweries, including those in the Plymouth area such as Summerskills and Dartmoor Brewery, alongside 29 in Cornwall, and 42 in Devon.
Eight new real ale breweries are listed for Devon: Big Rabbit, in Butterleigh; Braunton, in Braunton; Grampus, in Lee Bay; Madrigal, in Combe Martin; Occasional, in Silverton; Tally Ho! at Hatherleigh; and two in Totnes: Totem and Totnes Brewing Company.
Roger Protz, the guide's editor, said: "British brewing has never been in better health, with a third consecutive year of over 10 per cent growth and more different beers being brewed than ever before. The range of beers available to beer drinkers now is colossal and we're seeing real competition between pubs who want to serve the best selection."