Banks’s famous mild Original brand has been named the best of the bunch.

In Camra’s latest guide for beer drinkers, the brew was given the highest mark out of milds tested. It scored 14 marks out of 20 for taste, as well as 6.5 out of 10 for aroma and 5.5 for appearance.

But it was not all plain sailing for the beverage, with some tasters questioning its authenticity.

Camra said: “Banks’s Original has converted most of our panel and comes out with the top score – but is it really a mild, they ask?”

The drink is created at the Marston’s brewery, Wolverhampton. Its success comes on the day it was revealed beer sales nationally fell more than eight per cent in a year. The British Beer and Pub Association said 68 million fewer pints were sold in pubs, bars and restaurants during January to March 2009.