A BEER festival at the White Lion in Upton proved so successful that it is likely to become an annual event.

Real ale lovers flocked to the historic hotel to sample a range of brews from across the country at the first-ever Lion and Pepperpot Beer Festival.

Hotel owner Jon Lear said the event, held over the Bank Holiday weekend, was a great success.

"We had 25 different beers and nearly all of them went," he said.

"Upton was pretty quiet over the weekend - maybe because of the bridge - but the festival was a fantastic success."

Among the beers on offer were Mr Phoebus, a new light ale from the Malvern Hills Brewery at West Malvern, which had already proved a hit at the Upton Folk Festival earlier in the year.

Clive's Fruit Farm in Upton contributed its Willingsworth Wobble Juice Cider, Weatheroak brewery at Alvechurch produced a White Lion Festival special ale just for the event and Enville Ales of Stourbridge was represented by an unusual beer, flavoured with Mexican honey.

Brews from further afield included Madonna's Tipple, the famous Timothy Taylor Landlord from Yorkshire and the aptly named Skull Splitter, an 8.5 per cent brew from the Orkney Islands.

Drinkers also had the chance to buy special festival T-shirts, sweat shirts and rugby shirts, along with pint glasses engraved with the festival logo.

Members of Upton Folk Club and the Reel Bones group provide a lively and welcome musical accompaniment for the drinkers.

Mr Lear said the festival went so well that he was planning to make it an annual event. He will also be organising a smaller-scale event to coincide with the town's water festival in August.