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• Pub Monitoring
• Beer Quality
• Good Beer Guide
• Pub of the Year

Pub Monitoring

CAMRA is passionate about traditional British beer. But the only place to truly enjoy a pint of excellent ale is in a pub (apart, of course, from a CAMRA beer festival).

For a thousand years the pub has been an essential part of the British way of life: the very centre of the community. In recent years, the traditional British pub has come under threat like never before. Most pubs are no longer owned by breweries but large pub owning companies (PubCos), which often use them as a financial asset to be bought, sold or closed as the market dictates, frequently simply for short-term profit.

We believe that an institution that has served this country so well for so long, and still gives so much pleasure to millions of people deserves more respect.

There are over 100 pubs in the SE Berkshire branch area and we like to keep an eye on what is happening. Obviously, if there is a threat of closure to a pub then we would like to hear about it, but we would also like to know about changes of ownership, new landlords, new interesting beers in a pub, or where traditional ale is now on sale or has been taken out.

Please help us by letting us know about changes in any pub you have been to by contacting the Branch Pubs Officer, Dave Goater.

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Beer Quality

The Berkshire S-E branch of CAMRA carries out a number of important, but enjoyable, tasks during the year. One of the most important jobs is the selection of entries for Britain’s best-selling pub guide, the Good Beer Guide.

Many things go into making a good pub but we believe the most important of all is for a pub to regularly serve traditional cask ales in top condition. Unlike other beers, real ale is a living, breathing, pure commodity with natural ingredients and no artificial preservatives. It needs to be stored and served in such a way so it is in prime condition when it reaches the glass. This is second nature to all good publicans.

In order to identify our best pubs (or at least, the ones who consistently serve the best beer) we run a monitoring system. The more people who take part the better.

All we ask is for YOUR view on the beer quality once you have visited a pub in our area.

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Good Beer Guide

The Good Beer Guide is a book produced by CAMRA annually listing the pubs across the country that it considers to serve the best ale. Each year the members of Berkshire S-E branch select which pubs in our area are worthy of listing in the guide.

The process is based upon the correlated results of the beer scores collected during the preceeding year. At a specially convened Branch Meeting, members review and discuss the 20 pubs with the highest average beer scores. There is then a secret ballot, with the pubs receiving the most votes going forward into the following year's Good Beer Guide.

Branch members then produce a write-up for each elected pub describing it and listing its particulars, which is ultimately published in the Good Beer Guide.

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Pub of the Year

Each year the members of Berkshire S-E branch select their Pub of the Year (POTY). The process begins early in the year and all members are encouraged to make a nomination.
At a specially convened Branch Meeting, the merits of each are discussed and a vote taken to draw up a short list of about six pubs.
Members are invited to visit each of the short-listed pubs to record their views, based on pre-determined criteria. This can either be as part of a formal branch function or simply by individuals making a visit at a time of their choosing.

Obviously, the more members who give their verdicts, the better the competition.
The judging of short-listed pubs is based on the following criteria:

1. Quality of Beer/Cider/Perry
2. Atmosphere/Style/Décor
3. Service/Welcome
4. Clientele Mix
5. Sympathy with CAMRA Aims
6. Good Value

It is not necessary to attend any meeting to take part in the judging – all branch members are welcome to take part.
Simply email a request to be sent a judging form, which will be emailed to you once the short-list has been determined. You will be given the date by which the form must be returned. Email a Request for a POTY Judging Form

The branch POTY is announced by 30th April. It then goes forward into the Regional competition against the best pubs from the other branches in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and a part of Herts. Judges from each branch visit each of the Regional entries and the winner announced after 31st July.

Each regional winner goes forward into the national competition to find Britain’s Best Pub. The winner is announced during National Pubs Week in February.