The selection and quality of beers on offer at The King and Castle pub and restaurant, based at the Severn Valley Railway‘s Kidderminster station, has been rewarded with a listing in the Good Beer Guide 2024 issued by CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

The 2024 edition of the guide was issued on Thursday, 28 September, and by securing a listing in the hallowed pages of the beer-drinkers bible recognises The King and Castle as one of the best pubs in the country, especially as it was chosen by independent consumers.

The pub’s menu has recently updated and now includes basket meals and Sunday lunches. Its inclusion in the pub was largely down to its range of real ales supplied by a range of local brewers, including Bewdley Brewery, Hobsons, Bathams, and Brew 61. On the non-food side, the pub is now staging fortnightly quiz nights, with the next one taking place next Tuesday, 3 October.

Although The King and Castle is already a well-known Kidderminster pub, by being listed in the CAMRA Guide 2024 will give an extra boost to the pub, which is enjoying a welcome resurgence in popularity, as manager Paul Corner explained: “Being in the Good Beer Guide gives us an opportunity to be highlighted to a wider range of people who are interested in high quality real ale.

“Like many pubs, we struggled post-Covid, but now we’re really seeing things pick up again. Local trade is also really important to us, and we’re getting great support from our regulars. I’m feeling excited about the future, and looking forward to a very busy time leading up to Christmas this year.

“The King and Castle is fortunate in its location, as part of the Severn Valley Railway. Our local trade is added to every week by people coming to travel on the heritage line. Right now, we’re in the middle of the Autumn Diesel Bash, which is bringing lots of people, many of whom are very keen to sample real ales that are local to this area.”