SWINDON pubs are toasting listings in the Campaign for Real Ale’s coveted Good Beer Guide.

The Glue Pot, The Hop Inn, The Weighbridge Brewhouse and The Wheatsheaf all feature in the 2014 edition, which contains entries for 4,500 venues across the country based on the recommendations of thousands of members.

The Hop Inn, which opened a year ago in Devizes Road, has landed its first-ever listing.

Landlord Jason Putt, 59, said: “I’m very pleased obviously because we haven’t been here that long and it is a bit of a stretch. I was more than pleased that we had pleased the writers from CAMRA.

“It will be a year next Friday and it’s really nice that we’ve made the Good Beer Guide before our first year anniversary. It’s also quite an accolade because it’s all done on merit. It’s meritocratic and it’s chosen by CAMRA members.

“By the anniversary we would have had 500 different cask ales which work out as ten a week.

“We have been quite pleased considering that it was such a small premises and we don’t have a beer garden.

Meanwhile, the Glue Pot’s landlord Jonathan Crisp was off to a flying start with the Railway Village’s pub’s sixth listing after taking over for good earlier this month following previous spells in charge.

He said: “We have been in for six years running and it brings a lot of trade because the first place real ale drinkers look for when they visit Swindon is the Glue Pot. We’re just a good, proper pub with good beer, good cider and good food. You can be a stranger and talk to anybody or enjoy the privacy of one of the booths.”

Jonathan, 52, has made one notable change by dropping the price of a pint of real ale by 20p and a pint of cider by 50p. The former Royal Tank Regiment sergeant has also installed a plaque bearing his unit’s insignia.

He said: “Running a pub is not a job, it’s a way of life and you either like that way of life or you don’t.”

The Glue Pot’s listing says the historic pub is ‘well worth a visit’ for its selection of ales and ciders.

The Wheatsheaf in Newport Street, Old Town, landed its first mention under the present owners Tina Prendiville and Don Keen.

The Wheatsheaf’s listing reads: “The pub underwent a major refurbishment in 2011 and is now more inviting with plenty of traditional features such as mirrors, wood fixtures and open brickwork.”

The entry praises the ‘genuine free house’ for its ‘eclectic style’ and selection of beers and ciders.

The Weighbridge Brewhouse in Penzance Drive in West Swindon also features despite its reputation for top-notch dining. The guide said: “The focus is on dining with a modern open-plan dining space serving freshly-prepared quality food made with locally sourced ingredients. However the long and shiny bar has five handpumps dispensing excellent beers crafted on the premises.”

The Good Beer Guide 2014, edited by Roger Protz, is available in shops and from www.camra.org.uk