CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide is celebrating its 51st edition with a striking cover and a foreword supplied by Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson.

The UK’s best-selling beer and pub guide, which showcases 4,500 of the best across the UK, is the definitive source for those seeking top ale and cider.

Dickinson’s foreword shines a spotlight on the cultural tradition of pubs within the United Kingdom, the importance of protecting the heritage, charm and welcoming nature of locals, and not taking them for granted.

Pubs and clubs are a rite of passage for many bands and musicians starting out in the UK, and Iron Maiden themselves began their career almost 50 years ago playing in London locals. The conviviality of these venues creates the perfect atmosphere for burgeoning music scenes, and helps to drive footfall into pubs, especially after a challenging period for them brought on by the pandemic.

The cover of the Good Beer Guide 2024 features Eddie, Iron Maiden’s mascot and icon of the band’s range of Trooper beers, brewed by Stockport brewery Robinsons. Trooper celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and has become one of the UK’s most established ales in that period.

CAMRA national chairman Nik Antona said: “We’re honoured to have Bruce Dickinson pen the foreword for the Good Beer Guide 2024. As we enter our second half century of producing the guide, there is no one better to introduce this year’s edition and highlight what makes these institutions so worth visiting. 

“The last few years have been an incredibly difficult time for the industry and we need more support than ever before to keep our nation’s pubs open and thriving. I’d encourage everyone to use this year’s guide to visit the very best pubs across the UK and support them for generations to come.”

The guide is set to be published on 28 September with options to order the standard, alternative cover and hardback editions available on the CAMRA shop. To pre-order go to https://shop1.camra.org.uk/