Drinkers at a popular East Yorkshire pub are raising their glasses to celebrate after it won a real ale award.

Cask ale enthusiasts Bill and Lou Cowen, of the Tiger Inn in Market Place, Driffield, have been honoured for serving up the perfect pint.

The couple have won a major accolade for their excellent ales from the Hull and East Yorkshire branch for the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra).

Real ale fans flocked to the old coaching inn to present Bill and Lou with Camra’s prestigious Committed To Cask Award 2008.

The special honour celebrates a licensee’s commitment to serving up the finest pints.

Alan Canvess, Camra branch chairman, said: “This award is a big thing for us because it is a celebration of the quality of the ale in the glass.

“We are recognising Bill and Lou’s personal commitment to the ale they serve at The Tiger and also acknowledging their specialist art of cellermanship.

“Real ale requires expertise to prepare and maintain it in good condition, compared with keg beer, which needs only to be connected to a gas cylinder before selling.

“The accolade is given at a time when licensees are under pressure to remove distinctive, tasty real ale and replace it with easily-kept keg beers.”

The honour has delighted Bill and Lou, who moved to the pub from North Yorkshire just over three years ago.

Bill, 55, said: “The award has marked a double celebration because we have just got married after being together for 12 years.

“We are thrilled to bits with the award. The Tiger is a small pub, but we have an amazing clientele from all walks of life.

“We don’t do food and we don’t play loud music. Our aim is to serve up quality real ale for our customers and it is great to be appreciated.”