RAMSBOTTOM'S first beer festival will also see the launch of an original 'special' brew at the Hare and Hounds.

The Scottish and Newcastle managed pub, in Bolton Road North, Holcombe Brook, is the venue for the festival, which runs from March 11 to 17.

The Hare and Hounds landlord Andy Grant, has spent a tidy sum to install a temporary bar in the pub and a mini-cellar within the bar to store the barrels.

Andy said: "Brendan Leyden, from Leyden's Nangreaves brewery, is brewing us a special beer with will be a light, hoppy session beer which will be nice easy drinking.

"We will use the beer festival to launch our own beer, which we will then put on tap permanently.

"The special beer will be rolled into the pub after being delivered here on March 5 by a horse-drawn dray.

"During the week, the pub will have more than 50 beers on tap, with a choice of 24 each day."

Andy has run the pub with wife, Lynn, for three-and-a-half years and began installing real ale to see how it would go down with customers.

He advertises in the Campaign For Real Ale magazine and his hoping the beer festival might finally get his pub a mention in CAMRA's handbook.

The pub has six ales on at any time and guest beers.