A RANGE of 15 real ales, including five from overseas brewers, will be available at The Nine Arches during its 12-day beer festival.

The pub in Legh Street, Newton-le-Willows, will host the festival from Wednesday, March 6 to Sunday, March 17 inclusive.

The overseas brewers are from Taiwan, Germany, USA, Belgium and Italy.

The pub will serve a number of beers brewed specially for the festival and among the festival collection are vegan (also suitable for vegetarians) beers.

As well as featuring a range of different malt and hop varieties from around the world, there are also beers that include chocolate and vanilla in their ingredients.

The beers will cost £2.49 a pint.

The festival line-up includes Spring Frenzy (Daleside Brewery), Grizzly Bear IPA (Shepherd Neame), Disco Macaw (Redpoint Brewing, Taiwan), Crafty Fox (Hook Norton Brewery), Bite the Bullet! (Oakham Ales), Bingo Lady (The Lost Abbey Brewing Company, USA), Chocolate Ale (Leikeim Brewery, Germany), Parts and Labour (Rooster's Brewery), Germain (Brouwerij De Bock, Belgium), Roasted Nuts (Rebellion Brewery) and Falstaff (Birrificio Gregorio, Italy).

Pub manager Fraser Winrow said: "The festival is a great celebration of real ale. It will allow us to showcase a selection of superb beers, including those from overseas, over a 12-day period, at great value-for-money prices.

"It will also give our customers the opportunity to enjoy a number of beers which have not previously been available in the pub, as well as those brewed specially for the festival.”

Three third-of-a-pint tasters will also be available for the price of a pint.