GOOD BEER GUIDE 2026

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GOOD BEER GUIDE 2027

Nominations for the next Good Beer Guide (2027) are now closed and a shortlist of pubs for consideration has been created

To recap we have around 300 pubs and clubs in the branch serving Real Ale and are allowed only 35 from our branch in the guide. Competition is therefore very fierce and we must ensure only the very best get in the guide. Surveys are now underway and final selection will be made at a meeting at the Flying Horse on 14 February at 12:30

If you are interested in taking part in pub surveys for GBG contact Andy on the e mail address below and he will give you the full details and instructions - a survey form can be accessed here GBG 2027 PUB SURVEY FORM (ROB)

Please consider the following before voting for a pub or club at the meeting:

Beer Quality:

Beer should be served ideally around 12 degrees C and should be clear (except when brewed as a hazy beer). It should not taste stale or old nor have any off notes. The quality should be consistently maintained all year round. Don't dismiss pubs and clubs which sell only one real ale. If the beer is top quality, the pub/ club has more right to be in the guide than one selling 4 beers of mediocre quality. In general to get in the guide in ROB, a pub/club should be averaging 3.2 or above on the National Beer Scoring System. If you are visiting any pub or club, please beer score it.

Welcome and Inclusiveness:

A pub/club should be equally welcoming and pleasant to strangers and locals alike. It should not have anything on display or anything said which may cause offence. Remember the GBG is a Guide, and folk from all over the country visit these pubs on our recommendation. It reflects badly on the branch (and CAMRA as a whole) if a visitor is made to feel unwelcome.

Pubs and Clubs which have only opened in the last 6 months or have had a change of landlord/manager in the last 6 months (from 1st May 2025) are not eligible to be included in the guide.

Andy Cooper

Branch GBG Co-ordinator

ku.gro.armac.bor@gbg

National Beer Scoring System (NBSS)

The graphic below gives guidance on scoring beers using a mobile device.

WHY ISN'T MY FAVOURITE PUB IN THE GOOD BEER GUIDE ?

September and the publication of the latest CAMRA Good Beer Guide (GBG) always heralds this question from fans of certain pubs, landlords, or even the general public who find it surprising that the pub they are sat in doesn’t feature. This article is about explaining how a pub or club gets into the GBG in the Rochdale Oldham and Bury (ROB) branch. .

ROB is a big branch in CAMRA, and as a consequence we are allowed 35 of our pubs and clubs in the guide, but we do have circa 320 pubs/clubs in contention for those places, so the competition is fierce. First and foremost the pub/club has to serve real ale, and it is served in the optimum condition i.e. its fresh, clear (unless advertised as Hazy) and served at the right temperature – around 12/13C. The service should be welcoming and friendly, polite and prompt. The guide sells not just to CAMRA members but the general public as well, many of whom regard it as a bible for seeking out good pubs, not just good beer, and we have to be mindful of this in selection. Beer scoring plays an important part of selection and we expect our pubs and clubs to have an average national beer score (NBSS) of 3.2 or above. Pubs or clubs scoring less than this are not likely to be considered unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Selection of pubs starts literally almost as the latest guide hits the bookshelves. Late October we e mail all of our branch members to ask them to vote on a long list of pubs which are scoring over 3.2 on the NBSS. They can also nominate any pub/club not on the long list they think are worthy of inclusion in the guide and meet the criteria we set. Nominations are only open to ROB branch members. The pub/club has to have been open for at least 6 months, so no establishment that opened after 1st May 2025 will be eligible. The same applies for new landlords/managers of pubs – whilst this may seem a bit harsh particularly for pubs/clubs already in the guide, a new landlord may completely change things and may not be an experienced cellar person, given we have so many pubs eager to get in, it would be unfair to take a punt, unless the new person has a previous known history in real ale, for example has run pubs before which are in the GBG, and has a proven record of keeping a good cellar.

Pubs which receive a high percentage of votes at the nomination stage may get an automatic inclusion in the guide, subject to a satisfactory survey and ratification by the selection meeting.

We typically get 60/70 nominations and the next stage is to go out and visit them and conduct a survey. This is not as onerous as it sounds, and indeed is quite a pleasant task, but If there’s much more than 60 nominations, the committee may look at paring the number down to make surveying them all feasible, principally by considering both the number of nominations they get and what their beer score is. Surveying a pub involves filling in a form which acts as a question prompt to the pub staff – we check things like opening times, beers on sale, landlords name etc and ask you to describe the pub for its entry into the guide. The description can contain comments on the decor, history, location, beers – the floor is yours to create an interesting resume of the pub – and later see your words in print, although they may be edited by yours truly to fit in with CAMRA’s style guide! The survey may also flag up some crucial selection issues – typically where the beer quality or welcome doesn’t meet the expectations of the GBG, and these facts are essential to inform the next stage.

Once surveys are completed, we hold a selection meeting. Usually held mid February, its open to all branch members to come along and have their say. We take each borough in turn, and every pub/club on the list is discussed before being put to the vote. The discussion will also take into account its beer score, which is why it is important for members to score their beers whilst in a pub.

Members can only vote for the number of places available for that borough so if for example after automatic inclusions Rochdale has 7 places available and 12 pubs to be voted on, each member gets 7 votes, and the 7 pubs with the highest number of votes get in the guide. Each Borough has a guaranteed 11 places in the guide, the remaining two being filled with the pubs/clubs which get the highest number of votes. A further 6 reserves (2 for each borough) are taken on the next highest votes. And that’s it, 35 pubs or clubs, 6 reserves, job (almost) done until it starts again in 6 months’ time.

It’s all about transparency and fairness, with the accent being on quality of both beer and service. At the end of the day a pub or club only stands a chance of getting in the GBG if CAMRA members beer score in it. If you want your say in it, the answer is if you are a member, then beer score – if you are not, then join CAMRA and feel free to do so!

Andy Cooper

Branch GBG Co-ordinator

ku.gro.armac.bor@gbg