Real ale drinkers across Shropshire are drinking a toast to their favourite tipple after the launch of the latest edition of a national beer guide in the county.

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) Good Beer Guide 2010 was launched simultaneously at three beer festivals in the region, including the Bridgnorth Beer Festival, which runs until Sunday at the Severn Valley Railway.

The guide, which was also launched in Birmingham and Tamworth yesterday, lists 4,500 pubs in Britain, including 51 in Shropshire. There are also 16 county breweries listed, including the Rowton Brewery in Ellerdine Heath, Telford, which makes its debut in the guide for its Best Bitter and Meteorite strong ale.

Jon Howard, a spokesman for Camra, said Shropshire provided the cream of the crop for real ale with some of the country’s best pubs and small breweries in the county.

Included in the Good Beer Guide are hostelries spread across Shropshire from Oswestry in the north to Ludlow in the south.

Bridgnorth’s six entrants makes it the town with the most inclusions in the guide, which is the bible for real ale enthusiasts.

David Jones, of the Shropshire branch of Camra, said the inclusion in the national good beer guide was a tremendous boost for every outlet in the county, especially a newcomer like Rowtons. He said: “It’s fantastic for such a small brewery to get national recognition.”

Rowton’s head brewer Jim Preston said he tried to produce his ales from sustainable products and would mainly supply beers to pubs in a 10-mile radius.

“Eventually I want to grow all the ingredients that I use to produce the beer, but at the moment I am just glad to be recognised for the work I have done,” said Mr Preston.