A SPECIAL new beer has been brewed to launch the annual beer festival at the Wheatsheaf at Burn, near Selby.

Sue Simpson, who runs the Brown Cow Brewery at nearby Barlow, has brewed a real ale called Old Prosser, and punters will get their first taste at the festival, which starts on Thursday, May 1. Dubbed the Election Festival because its launch is on the day of the local elections, it will boast some exclusive beers, including some from Loch Fyne, in Scotland. Wheatsheaf landlord Ian Murray hopes to have about 20 real ales available from different parts of the UK and for the first time the festival will last five days, finishing on May Day, May 5.

Ian said: "The festival has been a big success from day one and is growing every year. The Wheatsheaf is an institution - one of the few real pubs left." All beers will cost £1.60 a pint and food will be available.

Updated: 11:15 Friday, April 25, 2003