Scoring Beers in Pubs using the National Beer Scoring System

Scoring beers is one of the ways CAMRA tracks quality and prices of Real Ale in pubs around the county. The scores are used to keep an eye on pubs that are doing well, average prices, and most importantly, for choosing which pubs to include in the Good Beer Guide.

While some members are trained tasters, this is rare, and most scores are entered by CAMRA members using nothing more than their own experience of drinking in pubs.
You do not need to be some kind of 'Beer Expert' to score your pint!

Please remember though, you are scoring how well the beer has been kept, not whether you like it!
Consideration should also be made for the end of a barrel. If you point out that the beer is cloudy, or tastes off, and the landlord apologises immediately and offers a different one, you should not mark them down.

The scoring scheme is pretty straightforward:

0	No cask ale available.
0.5	Vinegar, thick sludge — undrinkable!
1	Beer that is barely drinkable. You'll probably not bother.
1.5	Drinkable with considerable resentment.
2	Competently kept, drinkable pint but doesn't inspire in any way, not worth moving to another pub but you drink the beer without really noticing.
2.5	Slightly better than a 2, but nothing you'd come back for.
3	Good beer in good form. You want to stay for another pint and may seek out the beer again.
3.5	A great pint, you may cancel plans to move to the next pub.
4	Excellent beer in excellent condition. You'll be in this pub for a while.
4.5	Cancel the rest of the evening's plans.
5	Probably the best you are ever likely to find. A seasoned drinker will award this score very rarely. Scoring a five would generally be a combination of a particularly great barrel that has been kept and served perfectly.

Entering a score

You do not need to score every pint you drink! Some people do, but it really is up to you. Don't just score bad or perfect pints nor only your local though!

That said, every score is helpful, even if is the only scoring you do all year.

To enter a score, go to CAMRA's national pub system, What Pub. Log in using the link just below the title. You'll need your membership number and password. If you have not logged in to a CAMRA website before, the password is your postcode in capital letters with any spaces removed.

Use the site's search facility to find the pub you wish to enter a score for. The best search is name, location

On the right hand side of the pub's page is a box titled Submit Beer Scores. Simply fill this in and click the Submit Score button at the bottom. Use the link marked Show Advanced Options to add a price and a comment to your score. We do take into account comments made!

Finally, if you wish to learn more about our Good Beer Guide selection process, please contact us or come along to one of our events.