A TRADITIONAL pub in a town known for its beer industry has been crowned best in the region.

The Dove, in Hospital Road, Bury St Edmunds, has beaten off competition to be named Regional Pub of the Year by Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), which supports real ale and real pubs.

It features in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2011, which is being launched today, alongside the other 15 regional pub winners in Great Britain.

Dove Landlord Roger Waters, 60, who only took over the running of the pub a year ago, said they were so pleased to receive the accolade after such a short period of time.

“The Dove is just a very simple back-street pub that we wanted to be like a ‘village pub in the town’, serving real ale. And this is what we do.

“In the last year we have had over 300 different ales, mostly from East Anglia, and will continue to have real cask ale from many of the smaller local brewers.

“With so many pubs closing, in both towns and villages, it shows that there is a need out there for small community pubs and that they can be successful.”

West Suffolk CAMRA chairman Kevin Waterson said The Dove, which dates back to 1837, proved pubs could survive without selling lager.

He said: “It’s packed at times, and without all the TV and razzmatazz and all that. People can go in there and have a chat without all the other interruptions, like music going on. It’s more social.”

Mr Waterson said Mr Waters was “passionate” and very knowledgeable about beer.

“We have many different bitters, but the pub also has a lot of milds and stouts and porters,” Mr Waters said.

He said Woodforde’s Wherry and Crouch Vale Brewers Gold were available all the time.

The Dove, which is owned by Bury St Edmunds-based pub retailer and brewer Greene King, also has different events, such as folk nights and quiz nights.

It will compete to be crowned CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year later in the year.

To get this far it has already been named CAMRA’s West Suffolk Pub of the Year and Suffolk Pub of the Year.