TEN of of the area's favourite drinking venues have made it to CAMRA's Good Beer Guide 2019.

As well as the National Pub of the Year, the Cricketers Arms, which features on the cover of the 46th edition, nine other locations in St Helens or neighbouring districts were listed in the guide alongside thousands of others across the British Isles.

Among them are Connoisseur Ales Tasting Room on Church Street; The News Room on Duke Street; The Phoenix on Canal Street; The Talbot on Duke Street; The Turks Head on Cooper Street and The Beer EnGin in Whiston and The Skew Bridge in Rainhill.

Newton-le-Willows micropub The Firkin and The Masons Arms in Billinge, which technically falls under the Wigan region, also made the list.

The Good Beer guide list is selected by CAMRA branches who use the scores submitted throughout the year by members to identify places that serve consistently good beer.

Gillian Yates, chairman of the St Helens branch of CAMRA, said: "It's great for our town that we have not only the national pub of the year but other top pubs and venues in this year's Good Beer Guide.

"It's testament to the pioneering pubs like The Turks Head and the Talbot and The Cricketers, which led people looking for great venues to come to the town and seeing what else we have to offer.

"We have real ale maps in St Helens that people can pick up from participating pubs, with even more signing up to join us, like Rioja.

"We also now have a real array of real cider on offer in the town so there is lots of choice for ale and cider fans."

The 46th edition of the Good Beer Guide, published by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), features four new breweries and 33 new pub entries across the Merseyside and Cheshire region.

Tom Stainer, chief communications officer at CAMRA, added: “It’s fantastic to see the number of new pub entries in the Good Beer Guide 2019 and the continued growth in local brewing.

“We’ve seen such sweeping changes across the brewing and pub scene over the past year with brewing becoming more collaborative and socially-minded, and pubs continuing to diversify to cater for all tastes with the continued increase in micropubs, tap rooms and community-run pubs, each improving choice for drinkers.

“This is the 46th issue of the Guide – a book that has become an essential companion for those with a passion for real ale and discovering the best places to find it.”

As well as the print edition, the Good Beer Guide app is available to smartphone users.

Available on both the App Store and Google Play, users can search for local pubs based on their individual preferences and connect with friends, or subscribe to access enhanced search tools.

As well as listing new and existing breweries in the area, the UK's top pubs are listed in the Guide, with the Cricketers Arms in St Helens – CAMRA’s current National Pub of the Year – named again as one of 16 finalists in the competition.

The Cricketers Arms has established itself as a cask ale pub, with 13 handpumps on the bar. Beers come from newer regional brewers and local microbreweries. There is also a selection of real ciders. It is described as a friendly local community pub on the edge of the town centre, hosting darts and pool teams, and entertainment at the weekend. Beer festivals are staged several times a year.

The pub was judged against numerous other local branch winners and was deemed to be the best in the region overall, with a perfect mix of the essential characteristics which make a great pub: atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, value for money, customer mix, but most importantly – quality real ale.

The pub guide is broken down by region and town, making it easy to find the best pubs in your area or another area of the county you might want to visit.