Full marks for the Allmarks

A pub dedicated to real ale is a worthy CaskForce winner, the Marston's beer-quality initiative supported by the MA

For Les and Wendy Allmark, becoming proud winners of the CaskForce Beautiful Beer Gold Award for April was public justification for everything they've been doing over the past few years.

"We've worked hard with real ale," says Les, who runs the White Hall Hotel in Tywyn, Gwynedd, with his wife, Wendy, the licensee.

It started back when Wendy worked at Freddies — a private

members' club in the Wirral.

"Wendy wanted to introduce real ale because it was perfect for the club's clientele," says Les. "The boss wasn't so sure — he thought that people come to a venue for the atmosphere, not the beer."

But Wendy won him over and was proved right. "Customers loved it, word spread quickly and Freddies became very successful," adds Les.

Wendy's success was such that when the couple started looking for a place of their own to run, real ale was high on the agenda.

"That's one of the main reasons we took on the White Hall," Les explains. "Real ale was already here and proving popular, so we thought it was a great opportunity."

Currently, the pub offers four main ales — Jennings Cumberland, Jennings Cocker Hoop, Banks's Bitter and Marston's Pedigree — together with a weekly guest ale from Marston's extensive range.

It's an offering that goes down very well with the tourists in this small seasonal town. "This is only the start of our third summer season here and we're already starting to see the same faces coming back to us," says Les. "It's a testament to how well we look after the beer.

"There's always someone here who knows how to look after the ales," adds Les. "If it's not me, it's our cellarman, Tony."

The Allmarks have been champions of real ale, and deserving winners of the Beautiful Beer Gold Award. They are hoping for further success in September's final.

Three chances to win: the route to getting your rent paid for a year

Stage one: the BIIAB Award in Beer & Cellar Quality (ABCQ): Apply online or ring the hotline for a chance to be chosen for the unique in-cellar training for licensees and pub staff. From January to August we are sending our team of beer-quality experts to pubs around the country to deliver the nationally-recognised ABCQ.

A monthly draw will pick 20 pubs to go forward for the free training course. Another 360 pubs will be nominated by Marston's freetrade and national sales teams.

In order to qualify for this, you need to

be eligible to stock any beer from the Marston's beer portfolio. All qualified CaskForce members from previous years

that have not been drawn will enjoy automatic entry.

Stage two: Cask Marque accreditation: Once you've got your ABCQ under your belt, you automatically go through to a draw to be in with a chance to win the respected Cask Marque quality accreditation.

Each month 20 pubs are picked from a draw and given the chance to gain the Cask Marque accreditation, or have their annual fee paid for a year.

To qualify, you need to have achieved the ABCQ, or already hold the Cask Marque accreditation.

Stage three: new this year - the BBPA Gold Award: Each month 10 pubs with Cask Marque accreditation are picked from a draw and given the chance to receive the Beautiful Beer Gold Award and £500 to invest in pub improvements.

One of these elite pubs every month will then go through

to the grand final, with the chance to win their rent paid

for a year (or the freetrade equivalent).

Join our hall of fame: To win free ABCQ training in your pub go to www.caskforce.co.uk, or call 0800 028 1969.

Pubs will be drawn each month on the dates shown below to receive the ABCQ training and will be notified by telephone.

A suitable date will be arranged for the training to take place at your convenience.

For the chance to win £500 towards

pub improvements or the ultimate prize

of having your rent paid for one year,

again, go to www.caskforce.co.uk, or call 0800 028 1969.

Draw dates

8 April, 13 May, 10 June, 8 July.

Winners

Stage one: the BIIAB Award in Beer & Cellar Quality (ABCQ)

Andre Thomas James, Kings Head, Halstead, Essex; Craig Howitt, Four in Hand, Cumbria; Les Biffin, Plough Inn, Somerset; Christopher Gillard, Twisted Oak, Exeter; Emily Trenholm, Wheatsheaf Inn, Thirsk, North Yorkshire; John Vowles, Woodspring Inn, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset; James Hupper, Station Hotel, Patrington, East Yorkshire; Nicholas Carson, Swan Inn, Pershore, Worcs; Peter Dodd, Black Horse, Darlington; Ian Moore, Kings Head, Ulverston, Cumbria; Neil Rogers, Jack O Lantern, Loughborough; Matthew Dawson, Coach & Horses, near Pickering, North Yorkshire; GS Shocker, Crown Inn, Walsall, West Midlands; Phil Taylor-Jones, the Cannon, Wellingborough, Northants; Julia Franklin, Kings Arms, Winkleigh, Devon; Nigel Bould, New Black Bull, Brindley Ford, Stoke-on-Trent; David Boulter, Knot of Rope, Thornbury, Bristol; Andrew Thomas, Waggon & Horses, Grantham, Lincolnshire; Helen Harris, Corner Pin, York; Lana Hull, Peacock Inn, Derby

Stage two: Cask Marque accreditation

Claire Bignell, Farmers Bar, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire; Joanna Prigmore, Harlequin, Kettering; Ian Barton, Duke of York, Telford, Shropshire; Donald Jackson, Blacksmiths, Carlisle; Matthew Foxhall, Bell Inn, Gloucestershire; Bob Scallan, Nags Head, Wrexham, Clwyd; Deborah Williams, Bridge Inn, Wrexham; Yvonne Scott, Admiral Owen, Sandwich, Kent; Rita Cox, Eyre Arms, Derbyshire; Mike Barker, Dog & Gun, Ormskirk, Lancashire; Steve Wole, Leigh Inn, Knutsford, Cheshire; Dianne Critchley, Five Crosses, Minera, Wrexham; Howard Morris, Nags Head, Lincolnshire; Paul Blatchly, Somerville Arms, Leamington Spa; George & Dragon, Chester; John Justice, Twisted Oak, Exeter, Devon; Denise Harvey, Queens Head, Lichfield, Staffs; Nick Abbott, Tradesmans Arms, Devon; Charlie Kilburn, Ship Inn, Sewerby, Bridlington; Dave Woods, Macclesfield RUFC, Cheshire

Stage three: new this year —

the BBPA Gold Award

Tom Nicholls, Collegian, Lancaster; Stephanie Corcoran, Bell & Bear, Rowley Regis, West Midlands; Simon Taylor, Eureka, Ormskirk, Lancashire;

Charlie Davenhill, Crown Inn, Crewe, Cheshire; Colin Clark, Edgcumbe, Bere Alston, Devon; Nick Jones, Coracle Tavern, Carmarthen; Anthony Windle, Three Crowns, nr Chippenham, Wilts; Matt Brannan, Cross Keys, Liverpool; Gary Slack, Queens Arms, Bakewell, Derbyshire; Andy Joplin, Spring Head, Hull, North Humberside