A SELECTION of prize-winning real ales will be sipped, gulped and downed at the diamond jubilee year ‘Booze on the Ouse’ beer and cider festival in St Neots next month.

Organisers have collected together a range of CAMRA national and regional beer competition prize-winners for the 37th festival.

On tap will be milds from the Mighty Oak brewery in Essex, bitters from Snowdonia’s Purple Moose, and Acorn brewery’s Gorlovka Imperial Stout, named after the Ukrainian twin town of its Barnsley home.

A range of more than 20 golden ales will include Holden’s Golden Glow.

And to celebrate the Queen’s landmark year, the festival features the Jubilee Special, a real ale from the Little Gransden’s Son of Sid, brewed with chequers berries from wild service trees.

The presence of Batemans’ Dark Mild and Salem Porter at the event will mark another milestone – the 25th anniversary of the rescue of Lincolnshire brewery, Batemans. After two years of campaigning by its chairman, George Bateman, and CAMRA to raise funds, Bateman bought the 60 per cent share of the firm which belonged to his brother and sister, John and Helen Bateman.

CAMRA has teamed up with The Hunts Post to offer five pairs of tickets, and samples of real ale and cider, as a competition prize. To be in with a chance of winning just tell us which Bateman family member fought to save the Batemans’ brewery 25 years ago.

Answers on a postcard or a sealed envelope to Booze on the Ouse competition, The Hunts Post, 30 High Street, Huntingdon, PE29 3TB. Entries should reach us by Wednesday, February 29, and include your name, address, and telephone number.

INFORMATION: The beer festival runs from Thursday, March 15, to Saturday, March 17, at the Priory Centre, St Neots. Tickets �1 for Thursday 5-7pm, �2 from 7pm to 10.30pm, �1 for Friday midday to 7pm, �3 from 7pm until 10.30pm and �1 on Saturday between midday and 10pm. Families welcome until 8pm. Free entry to Camra members. For more details visit www.huntscamra.org.uk