It’s that time of the year – the Good Beer Guide 2025 has been released and licensees proudly display their GBG window stickers on the front of their pub, informing all looking for a good pint of cask ale or cider that they’ll find it here! Wolverhampton CAMRA have had a busy year, and this has included visiting our pub and club of the year winners for 2024. It’s time for a look back at those winners and runners-up. Looking for information about which pubs are in the Good Beer Guide? You’ll have to buy yourself a copy to find out!
City Pub of the Year 2024
As voted by you and following a round of judging, Hail to the Ale micropub in Claregate was voted our City Pub of the Year for 2024. Back on 12 May branch members and micropub regulars turned up for the presentation, the seventh time Hail to the Ale have won this prestigious award since they opened their doors eleven years ago. Hail to the Ale went on to finish third in the West Midlands County round!
Runners-up this year were last year’s winners, the Keg & Comfort micropub in Oxley.
Wolverhampton CAMRA branch Chairman, Mark Hewitt, presents Angela and Gary Morton of the Hail to the Ale micropub in Claregate with the Wolverhampton CAMRA City Pub of the Year award for 2024.
South Staffordshire Pub of the Year 2024
The branch covers a portion of South Staffordshire and so, annually, our South Staffordshire (formerly “Country”) Pub of the Year is decided following judging. This year and for the second year running, The Swan Hotel at Brewood scooped the South Staffs PotY title. Congratulations to Ian and Scott Goode on the great work they’ve put in. The Swan Hotel has won this award at least eight times since 1997 and were presented with the latest award on 27 April.
(Right) Branch vice-chairman Rob Taylor presents the South Staffordshire Pub of the Year award at the Swan Hotel.
Runners-up were the Barley Mow, Penn Common.
Club of the Year 2024
Our Club of the Year for 2024 probably won’t come as a surprise – they’ve won Club of the Year for nine years running! We were pleased to visit the Firs Club at Codsall on 6 April to award Anna Reynolds and team with the certificate proclaiming them Club of the Year 2024! The First Club regularly progresses further in the competition and this year was no different, the Firs Club were announced West Midlands Regional CAMRA Club of the Year!
Runners-up this year, for the first time, were Pennfields Bowling and Social Club.
(Left) Anna Reynolds of The Firs Club, Codsall, holds the Wolverhampton CAMRA Club of the Year 2024 award alongside branch chairman, Mark Hewitt.
(Right) Pennfields Bowling Club receive the Club of the Year 2024 runner-up award.
Cider Pub of the Year 2024
Hail to the Ale emulated Keg & Comfort the year before in making it a double win as they won Wolverhampton CAMRA’s Cider Pub of the Year 2024.
(Left) Gary and Angela Morton are seen with the Cider Pub of the Year award, alongside the award for third place in the West Midlands CAMRA County Pub of the Year competition.
(Below) Louise and John Clive of the Keg & Comfort pose with triple runner-up awards! From left to right, the County Cider Pub of the Year 2023 runner-up award, the Wolverhampton Cider Pub of the Year 2024 runner-up award and the Wolverhampton City Pub of the Year 2024 runner-up award.
Other Awards
Aside from our main awards, other awards are presented throughout the year. These include our Mild Merit award, recognising those pubs not only serving cask mild ale, but keeping it in top condition, awards for long serving licensees and others besides.
Mild Merit Award
Generally, Wolverhampton CAMRA will award the Mild Merit award to a pub or club during May, at our Mild in May event, where we plan a route and visit pubs keeping mild ale. The aim of the Mild in May is to raise awareness of mild ale and to encourage more people to try the beer and appreciate its unique flavor and history. This year’s winner was The Swan at Compton and they were awarded during our mild trail, which ran from Tettenhall Wood to Wolverhampton city centre.
Rob Taylor, branch vice-chairman, presents Mike Boyes of the Swan at Compton with the Mild Merit award 2024.
Special Award
Occasionally the branch will present a special award for a one off event or feat. On 25 October the branch, following presenting our 2024 beer festival good cause, Wings & Paws Rescue with their donation, awarded The Chindit for the significant contribution the licensees and patrons of the pub made to the festival charity pot during our Summer Festival of Beer & Cider.
(Left) Festival organiser Charlotte Coxon presents the award.
Beer of the Festival
Annually, the branch awards the brewer of our beer of the festival (as voted for by beer festival visitors). This year’s beer of the festival is All Nation’s Dabley Gold, brewed by Andy Brough at the All Nations Inn in Madeley, Telford. The branch will be visiting to present Andy with his award on a Saturday in December – if you’re a branch member and interested in coming along, please contact Amanda Hignett, our social secretary.
All CAMRA members are welcome to join us to events, presentations and trips – we have a core of members who attend most gatherings but we’d love to see more of you! Take a look at our diary for upcoming outings. We also send a monthly e-mail newsletter out to those who subscribe, detailing our work and events as well as forthcoming plans. If you don’t get these e-mails but want to, let us know!
