England’s Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has launched an online tool that allows its 84,000 members to rate the quality of beer as it is served in pub.
The National Beer Scoring Scheme (NBSS) was designed to assist CAMRA’s local branches in selecting pubs to appear in the Good Beer Guide. In the past CAMRA members filled out cards rating beer on a six-point scale (0-5) and submitted those to CAMRA. Now they can do it online.
“Giant strides have been made by brewers and retailers to improve cask quality, but there is still work to be done to make sure every pint of cask beer is served in excellent condition,” said NBSS coordinator Brett Laniosh. “The NBSS is part of CAMRA’s continuing commitment to further improve beer quality.”
CAMRA members will be asked to examine the look, smell, and taste of each beer before offering their evaluation. The scores are:
0 = Undrinkable: No cask ale or the quality is so poor you can’t finish it.
1 = Poor: Barely drinkable.
2 = Average: Competently kept but uninspiring.
3 = Good: Good beer in good form. Worth another pint.
4 = Very Good: Excellent beer in excellent condition, another pint is a must.
5 = Perfect: Very rarely given by the seasoned drinker. Probably the best beer you are likely to find.
