Most pubs serving real ale in the Wirral Branch area serve their beers in good condition but CAMRA’s annual Good Beer Guide aims to recognise only the very best – so many pubs serving good beer will miss out. Each Branch has a limited allocation of entries which depends on a number of factors set nationally.

Wirral Branch selects its entries for the Good Beer Guide based on beer scores submitted by CAMRA members Beer Scoring . For the pub to qualify, it must have been serving real ale in consistently good condition and under the same management for at least 6 months at the time of selection, there must have been a minimum number of visits by a minimum number of members with an insignificant number of poor scores. The pub must also be welcoming to all and not cause offence to any sector of the public. And the pub must not be for sale because there is likely to be a change in management before the Guide is published.

Clearly to receive sufficient beer scores, the pub must be attractive to real ale drinkers and serve beer in great condition. A pub which continues to serve beer after it has reached the end of the cask with bar staff either not noticing or not caring is unlikely to gain a good reputation and will receive poor scores; neither is a pub which serves beer too soon before it has had time to settle, clear and condition in the pub cellar. Similarly, a beer which has not sold well and been left in an opened cask for more than a few days will lose condition or even worse turn to vinegar, will receive very poor scores.

A pub which serves a limited fixed range of real ales from a single brewery will stand as much chance of inclusion as a pub serving many changing beers from several breweries. It is only the beer scores which matter. However, a pub serving only beers which are national brands (for instance Doom Bar or Greene King IPA) is not likely to be attractive to many CAMRA members so is unlikely to receive many scores no matter how much care is given to the beer in the pub cellar. We receive several thousand scores every year and almost every real ale outlet is visited at some time.

Scores are accepted only for real ale so scores for keg beers, cider and other drinks are not accepted. Unrealistic scores are also excluded; for instance, where someone always gives a maximum or very high score every time they visit their favourite local. We also exclude scores from anyone who may have a potential conflict of interest so pub licensees, managers, bar staff and anyone else connected with a Wirral pub should not submit beer scores.

Competition for places in the Good Beer Guide is fierce and where beer scores are very close, some discussion may be needed by Wirral Branch members to decide which pubs are selected. Final decisions are usually made in March for the Guide being published in September but we can make some changes to entries as late as June if circumstances change.