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National Beer Scoring System (NBSS)

Welcome to our straightforward guide on scoring the beer you love and discovering how pubs and clubs across the UK stack up in terms of beer quality. Whether you're a dedicated CAMRA member or a cask ale enthusiast, your journey to support and promote excellent beer starts here.

Your input helps us curate the Good Beer Guide and ensures we promote venues serving top-notch cask ale. It's also a fantastic way to connect with the community and share your passion for great beer.

These beer scores are also used to support CAMRA's Beer Quality Accreditation.

Beer scoring

How to Score Your Beer

Scoring your beer couldn't be simpler and can be done in any pub or club listed on our site. Just click to add a beer score after your visit. You'll input the date and rate the quality of the beer served. It's a great way to share your experiences and guide fellow beer lovers.

Start scoring

Scoring beer in pubs is really easy!

The National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) is a 0-5 (0 = No cask ale available) point scale for judging beer quality in pubs.

It is an easy to use system that has been designed to assist CAMRA 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.

If you are a CAMRA member, we want you to tell us about the quality of beer in the pubs you visit.

If you are not a member, why not join Europe’s most successful consumer organisation?

What Do the Scores Mean?

  • 0: No cask ale available
  • 1: Poor - Barely drinkable
  • 2: Average - Drinkable but unremarkable
  • 3: Good - Enjoyable enough to make you consider another round
  • 4: Very Good - Stands out for its excellence
  • 5: Perfect - Exceptional, a rarity
Beer scoring

FAQs?

Beer Scoring (NBSS)

What if I can't decide on a score?
The NBSS allows you to enter half scores
How do I score a beer I don't like?
Ideally a beer should be scored to reflect how it has been kept. In other words its condition. However the ability to distinguish between a beer that is in poor condition, is unpalatable to our tastes but is meant to taste like that, or has been poorly made is going to be difficult for the untrained taster. In these cases it is better to score the beer as it honestly tastes to you. After all even if you don’t like carrot and coriander ale, others may well do and therefore score it higher.
How do I ensure I am scoring appropriately?
It is important to realise that the scale is not linear. Only 0.5 and 1 indicate poor beer. This allows a wider range of scores for beer that is anything from uninspiring to perfection in a glass. Most worthy Good Beer Guide pubs tend to score either a 3 or 4 for their beers. Bland, uninspiring beers score a 2 and a 5 is something given once or twice a year. It is always worth reminding yourself of the descriptions associated with each of the numbers.
How do I edit my scores?

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

Beer Scoring Cards

The following cards can be printed and used to record your scores so that you can submit them later online. Download

How is the information being collated?

Once beer scores have been submitted online, CAMRA branches can download them and use them to help in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide selection process.

For more information, please visit the Pub Data and GBG resources page.

(You will need to login with your CAMRA membership number)

Where do CAMRA branches go for more information?
A support page exists for branch officers who have responsibility for using beer scores as part of the CAMRA Good Beer Guide selection process. It includes information on promoting beer scoring and how beer scores should be used and analysed. It includes a download to a  National Beer Scoring System Compatible Analysis System.
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