AFTER pop superstar Madonna admitted she loves real ale, the drink has become the trendiest in Britain, and the Faithful City is no exception.

Plans are already underway for the largest beer festival in the West Midlands to be held on Worcester's Pitchcroft Racecourse this summer, and the festival's organiser Peter Bottomley said it should be a big hit with younger people and women.

"A lot of younger people are going to places in Worcester like Wetherspoons and the Swan With Two Nicks which specialise in real ale," said Mr Bottomley who is also treasurer of the Worcester branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.

"Although there is no concrete evidence that real ale is becoming more popular in Worcester, it certainly isn't declining.

"Almost 50 per cent of the people at last year's Worcester beer festival were female. It is by no means male only."

Nationally, CAMRA is claiming Madonna's confession that she loves a proper pint on Tonight with Jonathon Ross has made real ale the coolest drink around.

"Real ale has become the trendiest drink in Britain almost overnight," said Mike Benner, head of campaign and communications for CAMRA.

"When a trendsetting icon like Madonna backs real ale, the world listens.

"I'm confident Madonna's love for real beer will further help it to shake off its flat cap image and stamp out the myth that beer is fattening. It contains no fat."

And the next time Madonna drops into Worcester she will be able to find her favourite beer, reportedly Timothy Taylor's Landlord, at the Salmon's Leap on King Street, the Walter de Cantelupe in Kempsey and the Great Malvern Hotel in Malvern.

She might also be able to find it at this year's CAMRA festival as it is one of the beers requested by drinkers at the website.

Real ale fans can log on to www.worcesterbeerfest.org.uk and vote for which ale, cider or perry they would like to sample.

"We can't promise they'll definitely be there but we'll certainly try," said Mr Bottomley.

So far, more than 170 ales and 65 ciders and perries are expected at this year's festival which runs between Thursday and Saturday August 14 and 16.