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THE NATIONAL BEER SCORING SCHEME

What is it?

The National Beer Scoring Scheme (NBSS) is a 6 (0-5) point scale for judging beer quality in pubs. It is an easy to use Scheme that has been designed to assist branches in selecting pubs for the Good Beer Guide and also monitor beer quality by encouraging CAMRA members from any part of the world to report beer quality on any pub in the UK.

Rationale

The NBSS was drawn up following a survey in 2001 which found that branches who had implemented a beer-scoring Scheme valued the information it provided.

What is being recorded?

• Surveyor & Membership No.
• Date of survey
• Pub
• Location & County
• Score out of 5
• Beer name

What do the scores mean?

	0	Undrinkable. No cask ale available or so poor you have to take it back or can’t finish it.
	1	Poor. Beer that is anything from barely drinkable to drinkable with considerable resentment.
	2	Average. 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.
	3	Good. Good beer in good form. You may cancel plans to move to the next pub. You want to stay for another pint and may seek out the beer again.
	4	Very Good. Excellent beer in excellent condition.
	5	Perfect. Probably the best you are ever likely to find. A seasoned drinker will award this score very rarely.

How often do I score my beer?

This is down to personal preference. You may choose to score per pub, per beer, or average your beer score for each pub visit. In the latter case, the beer name (unless you’ve only been drinking a single beer) can be left blank. It is very important that you score all of the beers you try - not just the good ones. If we only receive the good ones then the overall results will be meaningless.

How is the information being collated?

There are two ways to send in scores...

1. Complete score cards and send them to NBSS, CAMRA HQ, 230 Hatfield Road, St Albans, AL1 4LW. They will then be forwarded to the South Bedfordshire branch, or give them to a local branch committee member. Download some 'print your own' scorecards.

2. Use the NBSS Online system - this is very easy to do - just follow the guidance on the NBSS website.

A final word of advice, we do not intend to use the scheme to slate the quality of beer in certain pubs, nor do we want you to only report the finest examples of beer that you come across. If you have a problem with the quality of a beer that you’ve been served, we encourage you to return the beer asking for it to be exchanged, if necessary. If the bar staff are unwilling to listen to your problem then the beer should be scored with a 0 or 1, as appropriate.

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