NORTH-EAST real ale enthusiasts yesterday raised a glass to the success of the new edition of a beer bible.

The 2004 Good Beer Guide, produced by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), was given its launch at The Victoria, Durham City, the local Camra branch's pub of the year.

The guide lists 4,500 real ale pubs, including 257 in the region of which 50 have been listed for the first time.

The newcomers include The Bridge, in Durham, The Plough, High Flatts, near Chester-le-Street, The Moorings, Pelton Fell, The Cowshill Hotel, Weardale, The Dun Cow, Witton-le-Wear and The Grey Bull, Stanhope.

The guide, which costs £12.99 and is available at bookshops, also lists the region's real ale breweries, including Durham's Hill Island Brewery and the Durham Brewery.

Durham Camra branch chairman Ken Weaver said: "I think that overall we are seeing an increase in cask ale.

"The problem is we don't always know of the pubs selling it," he said.

"Each year it is getting more difficult to narrow down the pubs to go in the guide because there are a lot of real ale pubs."