GBG 2006 says "avoid like the plague"

I've not seen it yet myself, but according to the BBC at , the new Guide tells us this:

"Beer lovers are tired of over-hyped national brands and avoid like the plague the bland apologies for lager and the cold tasteless keg beers produced by the national giants".

Can't argue with that myself. I suppose the lawyers' advice is that this is an observation rather than an exhortation this time round.

(For younger readers: those words, in a slightly different context, got the Campaign into a lot of bother in its early days.)

Reply to
N. J. Worthington
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Actually the legal advice was that it might well get the campaign into a lot of bother. As it was, the leak of the original text (and I know someone who has an original copy) which was a bit inflammatory did the campaign a lot of good because people knew what our opinions were and knew what the legal bods opinions were. :-)

Let's be a bit more explicit. The advice listed against Watneys as a "brewery" was that their pubs and products were so bad that it was best to "avoid like the plague"

These days most of the big brewers have saved us the effort of repeating the advice by ceasing brewing and the rest tend not to brew stuff recognisable as beer. Meanwhile thousands of small start up breweries are producing very nice products and turning a good profit. Doesn't your heart just bleed for all those pennies lost to the big brewers? No? Didn't think so.

Reply to
Steven Pampling

We've had some extraordinarily characterful real ales from various microbreweries recently. All of them are _vastly_ superior to the likes of Tetley, John Smiths and the like. All you have to do is look around a bit. But then I am spoilt, living in North East Cheshire.

Brian

Reply to
BrianW
[Snip]

These days even Warwickshire has numbers where you are worried about running out of fingers 20 years ago the county was a blank spot. I suppose I ought to go back to my home county which the press release Neil was referring to points out is very well endowed - but then "Gods Own County" and all that so it's quite understandable.

Reply to
Steven Pampling

Steven Pampling wrote: [...]

It does depend on which bit of Warwickshire you're in. I'm in Studley, which has exactly one pub in the 2005 Guide. It has three completely unmemorable regular beers, and one guest which can be excellent or it can be astonishingly foul.

When a visit to Wetherspoons feels like a treat, you know something's not quite right. (I can strongly recommend the Thatchers Perry in the current 'spoon promotion, but please leave me some!)

Reply to
Peter

The first question is do you let the licensee know the beer is off? A polite query about whether it is the end of the cask or similar usually makes a good starting point.

Indeed. Although in some cases the cellarman actually knows what he is doing and the beer really is better than most other pubs for a good reason. That isn't often the case though.

Reply to
Steven Pampling

I'm always a bit doubtful about pubs branches put in the GBG purely on their guest beers, and which have an unmemorable choice of regular beers. If the guest beer is off, or is much stronger than you want to drink, or whatever, then your visit may seem a waste of time.

Reply to
PeterE

Ha!

You got an unfortunate name for this kind of work.

No offence.

I
Reply to
IanR
Reply to
Steve Pickthall

As this is one of the pubs in our branch area, I'd be interested in knowing why you haven't let our branch know? If you are a CAMRA why haven't you completed some NBSS cards or as you are on-line, not visited our website where you can submit scores directly to us -

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Checking the records for the Little Lark (which is the pub to which you are referring), the place has been surveyed 90 times by 21 different surveyors (who clearly feel differently to you) times this year with the average score being 3.7. It scored a 2 once but nothing any lower.

Reply to
Brett...

I'd also recommend taking a look at the Throckmorton Arms down the road in Coughton which often features Cornish ales.

Reply to
Brett...
Reply to
Steve Pickthall

In message , Brett... writes

...that average would prevent it even being shortlisted in many branches. Sounds like a bit of a beer desert.

Reply to
Paul Shirley

Or that you give higher ratings than us?

The clue is in the word "Good". An average of 3.7 means that the pub has scored by an large a mixture of 3s and 4s. I've not found any pub that consistently scores 4 and/or above. Our branch have been using NBSS for some time now and we have noticed that we score more harshly than when first implemented it.

What is your cut off?

Reply to
Brett...

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