Drinkers in North Yorkshire should toast their good fortune today - they have more than 150 top pubs to choose from.

The 26th edition of the pub-goers' Bible, the Good Beer Guide 1999, was published today, listing 5,000 pubs with great beer and a good atmosphere.

Compiled by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the guide recommends ten York pubs, down from 13 pubs last year.

But it is better news for the rest of the county: 140 pubs make it in, a total of three more than were included in the 1998 edition.

In York, The Ackhorne, St Martin's Lane, the Golden Ball, Cromwell Road, the Rose & Crown, Lawrence Street, and theTap & Spile, Monkgate, are new.

Out go the Golden Lion, Church Street, Lendal Cellars, Lendal, the Lighthorseman, Fulford Road, the Mason's Arms, Fishergate, the Spread Eagle, Walmgate, the Sun Inn, Acomb, and the Swan Inn, Clementhorpe.

The Blue Bell, Fossgate, the Maltings, Tanners Moat, the Minster Inn, Marygate, the Royal Oak, Goodramgate, the Saddle Inn, Fulford, the Wellington, Alma Terrace and the York Beer Shop, Sandringham Street, all retain their place.

Sean Lithgow has only been landlord at the Rose & Crown for three months, and he is delighted with the honour of a Good Beer Guide mention.

He is in the middle of hosting a beer festival, which runs until Sunday, and put the pub's inclusion is down to "the range and quality of the beers we serve".

Tony Featherstone, landlord of the Ackhorne - included for the first time since 1996 - said: "It will please my customers."

Brewing town Tadcaster, which embarrassingly did not boast a single Good Beer Guide entry last year, is now represented by the Britannia Inn.

In Selby, the guide's editors have ditched the Unicorn, Bondgate, but brought in the Royal Oak, Ousegate.

The Evening Press Pub of the Year 1996, the Duke of York, Gate Helmsley, has also been dropped from the guide.

CAMRA head of campaigns Mike Benner said there was a move away from so-called 'theme' pubs.

"Most pubs in the guide make a refreshing change to town centre circuit pubs and their only theme is that they are decent British locals."

Meanwhile, ales from North Yorkshire breweries are among the guide's beers of the year.

Rooster Special and Rooster Scorcher, from Rooster's Brewery in Harrogate, are honoured in the bitters section.

And Morocco Ale, from Daleside also in Harrogate, is one of the speciality beers of the year.

The Good Beer Guide 1999, published by CAMRA, costs £10.99

Pubs new in the guide include: Ship Inn, Acaster Malbis; Crown, Askrigg; Station, Birstwith; Eskdale Hotel, Castleton; Plough, Fadmoor; Blacksmiths Arms, Flaxton; Old Swan Inn, Gargrave; Tap & Spile, Guisborough; Pump Rooms, Harrogate; Myton House Farm, Ingleby Barwick; Half Moon, Lazenby; Fox, Little Smeaton; White Horse, Loftus; Hare & Hounds, Lothersdale; Runswick Bay Hotel; Greyhound, Saxton; Angel Inn and Cellars, Scarborough; Queen of T'Owd Thatch, South Milford; Stainton Inn, Stainton; Swan, Topcliffe; Rockingham Arms, Towton; Olde Forge Valley inn, West Ayton; Fox & Hounds, West Witton.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.