: Anne Benson's Fine Foods.

Byline: Anne Benson

IN the midst of a host of bars in St Helens desperately attempting to be trendy there is one called Beechams serving real ales. It is actually part of St Helens College and Beechams is in one of the few colleges to have its own brewery. But it is not simply somewhere for students to concoct cheap homebrew or make mistakes on their brewery courses. Brews made here sell in the bar and across the country and, by all accounts, they go down very well. The bitter may have been too much for me but the Crystal Wheat was smooth, creamy and almost honey tasting.

The brewery is in a listed building, part of those SmithKline Beecham donated to the college. It was the idea of the then chief executive, Joe West, who was fed up with not being able to get a decent drink of beer, to set up the brewery. A bar, which could be used to train other students in bar-keeping skills, was the logical follow on.

Mike Hitchen, in charge of the brewery, comes from many years experience with big breweries such as Fullers and Holts and came to the college because he wanted to get more involved in teaching. He alsorealised that the brewing industry was declining but that microbreweries were becoming more common.

Beechams produces a range of regular beers including mild, stout and bitter but it also experiments. Epiphany, created by the students with the help of Mike, won an award and Humdinger, flavoured with ginger and honey, has proved popular, By George celebrated St George's Day and it can't make enough of Seasons Greetings at Christmas.

But this is not a typical student pub. Mike reckons the clientele is mature with many CAMRA members seeking them out on recommendation. He said there were great regional differences to people's beer tastes.

``People in St Helens like their dark beers - stout and mild - and they do like their bitter. Their tastes are similar to those of people in South Wales where there is predominantly heavy industry. After work people wanted a drink that would get carbohydrates into them quickly so they liked it weak and very sweet,'' he said.

Beechams Bar and Brewery St Helens College St Helens Tel: [phone] Opening hours: 12pm to 11pm Monday to Saturday. Not open bank holidays. Beechams also runs tours of the brewery which include two pints and a buffet.

Food bites: The North West Food Lovers Festival: Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9, at the Westmorland County Showground, Crooklands, Milnthorpe..

www.foodloversfestival.co.ukWirral Farmers Market is marking its first birthday: Saturday, June 8 at the Village Hall, Grove Street, New Ferry, from 9am to 3pm.