MORE than 1,400 pints of some of the country's finest beer will be on tap at a North-East pub this weekend.

The Beamish Mary Inn, at No Place, near Stanley, County Durham, will be serving 21 brews such as Radgie Gadgie, Love Muscle and Yellow Belly.

For years the pub has been a focal point for discerning beer drinkers - in the mid-1990s it was voted the country's best real ale hostelry - and now it is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its annual beer festival.

Graham Ford, who took over the Mary Inn from John Taylor, who launched the festivals, said: "What we are doing is having all nine winners of the previous festivals and pitting them against 12 other brews, to see which one is the best.

"We have got a new one that has been specially brewed, a 4.6 per cent mild by Rudgate, of York.

"Last year, we tested Westoe XXXX, which the Durham Brewery at Bowburn made from a 100-year-old recipe. That proved so popular they have been brewing it ever since.

"Last year, we ran out of beer on the Sunday.

"It is a popular event and hopefully we will have another good one."

The event starts on Friday, at 7pm, and continues all day Saturday and Sunday.

A quiz will be held on Friday night, there will be acoustic music at other times during the weekend and No Place For Jazz will be playing on Sunday night. For details, call 0191-370 0237.