Beer scores and the Good Beer Guide

We are making these changes for several reasons: 

• To make scoring beers as simple as possible. 
• To increase the number of members submitting scores. 
• To increase the overall number of scores being submitted. 
• To help branches promote scoring to members.  
• To make Good Beer Guide selections easier for branches. 

We expect many benefits, including: 

• It should be easier for members to choose a rating that matches what they think of the quality of a beer. 
• More participation by members and more information for branches when selecting entries for the Good Beer Guide. 
• Increasing the number of less active members involved in scoring beers, helping them take steps to get more involved in the Campaign.  

Beer Scoring Advisory Group (BSAG) conducted the review exercise that recommended these changes. BSAG exists to encourage beer scoring and support volunteers to promote scoring.   

BSAG was tasked to review beer scores by Pub and Club Campaigns Committee. 

The approved changes are the result of consultation that has already taken place with people who score beers, and branches using beer scores. We will review progress as changes are implemented and adjust or make further recommendations as needed. 

BSAG exists to encourage beer scoring and support branches to do it, so this is part of our ongoing work.

The new ratings involve some simple IT changes and will be scheduled and tested in the usual way. We won’t launch the new ratings until the changes are completed. 

We’ve done this after listening carefully to feedback.  

Some people simply don’t remember the definitions that correspond to the numbers or still struggle to pick a numerical score using the current definitions. The new ratings are intuitive and supported by the descriptions and reactions.  

We have all become used to rating things and services, usually on a 5-point scale, such as by using ‘grumpy’ and ‘smiley’ faces. It’s quick, easy, and it provides enough information to identify what is bad, good and outstanding.  

To test our changes, we took real sets of whole scores and converted them to the new system. The average scores were very similar (within 2 decimal places) and the order of venues in the analysis spreadsheet hardly changed. 

‘No cask’ scores will not be recorded as ratings for analysis purposes.  

Instead, an email will be sent to the branch Pub Data Co-ordinator to let them know there has been a change, and the reason for that. 

This is already possible, by using the ‘enter beer manually’ option, and we aren’t making any changes to how that works right now.  

Ideally, a score should reflect the beer’s condition, which means how well it has been kept. However, it can be hard to tell whether a beer is in poor condition, badly made, or simply a style that doesn’t suit your taste. 

If you’re unsure, score the beer based on how it honestly tastes to you. Even if you don’t enjoy something like a carrot and coriander beer, other people might and may score it higher. 

Remind yourself of the descriptions and think about how you would describe the condition of your beer to a friend.  

Once you’ve scored a few different beers, comparing the ratings you have given to different beers will help you apply beer scores in a consistent way.  

The more beer scores you submit, the more you’ll become familiar with the ratings and how to apply them. Don’t forget, you can also edit your beer scores. 

To edit your scores, go to pubzilla.camra.org.uk/beerscoring/. 

Once beer ratings have been submitted online, CAMRA branches analyse them to help in their Good Beer Guide selection process. 

For more information, please visit the Pub Data and GBG resources page (CAMRA login required). 

They will stay in the ‘back end’ of the system and be analysed as normal. 

Branches should be using beer scores as a significant factor in their Good Beer Guide selection process.  

In 2025, Conference passed a motion to confirm that branches must give beer scores significant weight as part of their Good Beer Guide selection process.  

To help with this BSAG have produced an example process that you can use. You can find that, and more support with analysing scores here.

Each rating still has a numerical ‘back end’ value attached to it for analysis purposes, so the data can be downloaded and processed by the analysis spread sheet in the same way as always. 

A small number of members try this but it’s not common. Branches can void their scores already and will be able to continue doing so. The NBSS analysis sheet has graphs that make it easier for branches to spot members that are scoring in unusual ways. 

At the moment, the ratings should only be used to score cask beers.  

The new system has been designed to allow the scoring of non-cask beer in future.  

Beer Scoring Advisory Group will work with other CAMRA committees to implement this. 

Not currently, as we don’t have a database equivalent to Pilgrim that stores cider and perry information. This is something that could be looked at in the future when we have the right systems in place.