A small but perfectly formed micropub in Gateshead is celebrating its first year of opening with a win at CAMRA's Pub of the Year awards.
Microbus, tucked inside one of the arches in Wellington Street at the end of the High Level Bridge, opened last March with an eye-catching theme inspired by co-owner Gary Moore and partner Suzy Isaac's love of campervans. The craft beer haven, featuring a bar created from the front of campervan, quickly became a hit with customers keen to sample a range of brews in a buzzy atmosphere of chat and live music.
And now, within a year of its launch, it has won Tyneside and Northumberland CAMRA's Pub of the Year for both Gateshead and the 'overall' title. The CAMRA members voted it in top spot and branch chairman Paul Hillhouse said: "The pub has clearly made quite a impression in its first year and quickly become a favourite with many branch members."
Microbus sits within a growing social scene in Gateshead's 'bridges quarter' which includes the adjacent Axis and, around the corner, long-standing pubs The Central and Station East which has just had a change of tenant, and Paul added of the micropub: "It has a real community feel and consistent quality and choice of beers."
Microbus will now go on to represent the branch in the regional round of the competition, alongside some of the other winners chosen by the local CAMRA branch, to face competition from Sunderland, South Tyneside, Durham, Cleveland and Stockton ahead of a national competition.
Paul also revealed other successes which include longer-established micropubs in Newcastle and Whitley Bay; two favourites for cider, and two clubs. Its winner of Newcastle Pub of the Year is the Town Mouse Ale House, which has never been outside the top three in the branch awards since it opened.
Left Luggage Room at Monkseaton Metro station, Whitley Bay, is the third big Tyneside winner, retaining its title from 2022 and helping to mark the first time that all three Pub of the Year winners have been micro pubs. The Newcastle Cider Pub of the Year award goes to The Free Trade Inn while the Northumberland title of Cider Pub of the Year is awarded to Wor Local in Prudhoe which also wins Pub of the Year for south-east Northumberland.
Heaton Stannington Football Club is voted Club of the Year and the same title for Northumberland goes to Haltwhistle Comrades Club. Other Northumberland winners for Pub of the Year are The Curfew in Berwick for north of the county and The Office in Morpeth for the south-west.
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