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Top Ten beers:
1. Gales Festival Mild, Hampshire
2. Young's Waggledance, London
3. Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild, West Midlands.
4. Ossian Inveralmond, Scotland
5. Timothy Taylor, Porter
6. Valhalla, Orkney
7. Caledonian Deuchers, Edinburgh
8. Russelsheim Dunkel, Germany
9. U Flecku Dark, Prague
10. Ansells, Mild, West Midlands

Top Ten pubs:
1. Alexandra Arms, Rugby
2. Fat Cat, Norwich
3. Pater Vaters, Antwerp
4. Atkinsons Bar, Birmingham
5. Market Porter, Southwark, London
6. Kings Arms, Norwich
7. Glacier bar, Barcelona
8. Tennants, Glasgow
9. Waggon and Horses, Halesowen, W Mids
10. Eastgate Inn, Chichester, Sussex

Steve explains himself:

Picking your favorite ten pubs could take a lifetime of research but I knocked mine up with in minutes as these were the ones that struck a chord. I would undoubtedly pick others if you asked me again but for now this is my current hot list. I have again listed them in reverse order with a brief reason why. 10.This is where I cut my teeth on Gales ales.We became regulars in the pub in the early eighties as our sojourn for beers and overnighters got started. Maisie, the licensee was a classic landlady and it felt like a local should do. 9.the Waggon was for me the best pub in England in the mid eighties. It always had a dozen or so beers, mainly new ones and all in good quality. The pub was an imposing Victorian corner boozer and a classic of its type. I spent many a happy hour on my own in here and was never disappointed. 8.A new pub this year for me and amongst all of Glasgow's finest this was the one that appealed to me. Another large basic corner pub, with 15 or so beers from all over the UK. The beers were cheap and the food good. The pub had a real community feel about it even if it sits in student country. 7.Barcelona is a favorite city of mine and the Glacier has helped with this. It sits in the corner of a cosmopolitan square, reminiscent of an oasis surroundings , but with a vibrancy about it. The music is loud, the clientele varied and the beers many .Probably the best beer bar in Spain. 6.Norwich has many fantastic pubs but the one I like is the Kings Arms. There is always a decent welcome, plenty of quality ales and a nice setting. The relaxed atmosphere always sets you up for the day .Plenty of local ales as well. 5.Now I have to admit to having only been here once, about a month ago , but this pub is a classic. The pub is situated opposite Borough market and has a great view of London life. It serves 12 beers, all the same price and all of good quality.This pub has a real feel to it which is hard to describe and better experienced. 4. In the dark days when Birmingham was a shit hole and no decent beer could be found, there was a very special place if you knew where to go.in the depths of the Midland Hotel by New street station was the Atkinson's bar. A bar that was like a library , dark and mysterious. Most surprisingly it sold beers by gravity, Bass and Holdens, which added others dependant on the season. Even now this bar is turning into an urban myth, but it really was there. 3.The Paters in Antwerp is an amazing bar set in the shadows of the local cathedral but with a charm of its own. Inside it has two storeys, but being cramped by the small bar is much more fun. Always lively with a mixture of cultures and people the beers reign supreme with an excellent range. A must for any Belgian visit. 2.The king of pubs and twice CAMRA national winner and very difficult to argue against.This shoddy looking backstreet boozer is a virtual Tardis once inside. Around 20 beers on the pumps and similar on gravity and this pub has the lot. Great beers , good staff, top quality and a backroom for the sport. The business. 1.but the top pub has to be your local.Over twenty five years of drinking in the Alexandra , the range and quality of beers has been excellent. The staff know what they are doing, the food is ok, free papers, bar billiards, skittles, a garden with festivals and a brewery to come. There is no pub I know with suits one side and grunge the other and both having respect for each others space. The pub deserves an award just for that. It is a small pub, but a community pub and although far from being the nearest pub to me, I consider it my local. And that s good enough reason for me.

Steve Heighton August 2005.