Aylesbury venue named real ale pub of the year

An Aylesbury venue was awarded real ale pub of the year status at a regional ceremony last Thursday (January 27).

The Hop Pole in Aylesbury was the Campaign for Real Ale's 2021 Pub of the Year.

Staff, guests and members of the CAMRA group celebrated the achievement.

CAMRA branch members joined chairman, Simon Isted, to present a certificate to Ian Matthews, landlord of the pub.

A CAMRA spokesman said: “The Hop Pole has been a long-standing entry in CAMRA’s national bible, the Good Beer Guide, for many years now due to having one of the widest selections of real ales in the local area.

"It’s also an excellent community pub that supports events such as quizzes and live music and hosts regular beer festivals.”

The branch also wanted to recognise the efforts made by Ian and his team at the Hop Pole to make real ale available during national lockdowns, operating a takeaway click-and-collect service when it was legally possible to do so. For this, Ian was also given a Lockdown Hero award by the local CAMRA branch.

The pub also made all possible efforts to reopen as quickly as possible in April last year, with outdoor table service being provided at the earliest opportunity.

Fortunately, the branch members were able to toast the pub’s success in the warmth inside with no restrictions in place.

"The branch congratulates the Hop Pole and wishes it a successful and less eventful year in 2022", the spokesman added.