Cask masters have been rewarded by brewer Greene King with the launch of its Head Brewer's Club.
The Suffolk brewer has hand-picked 300 of its best real ale houses for entry into the club and the first 10 were officially inaugurated at a ceremony at the brewery in Bury St Edmunds last night.
Pubs which gain membership are rewarded with a selection of benefits, including:
*£100 towards Cask Marque accreditation paid by Greene King
* access to deals and promotional support one month before other Greene King pubs
* signage, certificates and point of sale material
* the chance to take customers on a brewery tour
* newsletters and additional PR support
* members that show the biggest increases in sales will have a house beer brewed in their name
The scheme was launched in the same week that the Cask Report revealed that cask ale is bucking the national trend of alcoholic drinks declining in sales and is actually in growth.
John Bexon, Greene King head brewer, said: "When served in great condition, cask ale is the best drink in the world and I want to pay tribute to these licensees that do it really well.
"Membership of the Head Brewer's Club means the guarantee of a great pint and top notch service."
Founder member Bernard Lee, licensee of the John Barleycorn in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, said: "It is very prestigious to be a member and it is a recognition of excellence in the business.
"Cask ale is the one category that's in growth, it is one thing that we do well and it is right to be positive about it."
The other pubs rewarded last night were: the Worppell in Ware, Hertfordshire; the Junction in Southampton; the Brewery Tap in Abingdon, Oxfordshire; the Queens Larder, Holborn, London; the Rose and Crown, Bury St Edmunds; the Anchor in Woodbridge, Suffolk; the Shakespeare in Bristol; the Old Wheatsheaf in Frimley Green in Surrey; the Laughing Fish in Isfield, Sussex and the Nelson & Railway in Kimberley,
For more information visit www.headbrewersclub.co.uk