A 200-YEAR-OLD inn has finished runner-up in a national pub of the year competition.
The Crown Inn, in Stockport, was hailed by members of the Campaign for Real Ale.
Landlord Steve Alexander believes its success is due to its old fashioned pub atmosphere and character, along with an ever-changing selection of fine ales looked after by cellar manager David Ball.
David, 60, who has been in the trade for 30 years, said: "It is about striking the right balance between providing for regular customers who drink what you could call session beer and real enthusiasts.
"They're like train spotters, the Camra lot. They're called 'tickers'. They'll come in and examine the board of forthcoming beers and it will be 'oh, I haven't tried Old Something or other'. They'll plan a visit so they can tick the beer off in their book.
"We have a great selection of cask beers, up to 15 handpumps at the weekend. We always have a stout/porter, a dark mild and then house beers from brewers such as Copper Dragon from Skipton and Pictish near Rochdale.
"They have four dedicated pumps and the other nine revolve between beers from other breweries, such as Howard Town in Glossop or Millstone in Saddleworth. There are many good breweries in this region."
The Crown was named best pub in Stockport and South Manchester by the local Camra branch last year and was then rated best in Greater Manchester, one of 16 regional winners, before reaching the top four in the grand final.
The Kelham Island Tavern in Sheffield won the overall competition.
Landlord Steve Alexander said: "This is an old fashioned family-run multi-room pub with good ale, honest food and live music twice a week.
"The selection of ales brings people in from all over and we have good local base of regulars.
"We don't have the football on, no plasmas. There's just one juke box and the atmosphere and character of a 200-year-old pub.
"In the summer, the gardens look up at the Stockport viaduct, which I believe is the largest brick structure in Europe.
"We're a proper traditional pub and we've had a good year for awards. Getting to the final is an achievement."
The competition analyses all the criteria that makes a good pub including the quality of the beer, atmosphere, decor, customer service, clientele mix and value for money.
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