Perfect - Exceptional. A Rarity

Some of you, CAMRA members particularly, should know about CAMRA's National Beer Scoring System whereby you rate a cask beer drunk in a pub, on a score of one to five. Rather than explain it all here in my words, here is what the Campaign has to say about it in terms of why and how.

"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
  

Right. All got it?  In our local branch we encourage its use. Of course - and many may not know this - there are, behind the scenes tools, to eliminate as much as possible, those who try and manipulate pubs into the Good Beer Guide. This may be by giving unrealistically high scores on a regular basis or whatever. Additionally in our branch, we have a hybrid system where the NBSS scores inform debate and decisions, but do not dictate the outcome.

Now over the years I probably don't score beers as much as I ought to, but I regularly do. I am probably quite a strict scorer, given that I judge beer in competitions and also that over the years, I know what its what.  So, that's a long winded way of saying, until now, I have never given a five.

So let's get to the point. It had to happen and last Friday, in an infrequent visit to our local Wetherspoons, I gave a beer a five. What was it I hear you scream? Well, perhaps not surprisingly given the quality of the brewer and the beer, it was Thornbridge Jaipur.

Why a five? Well, this was perfectly brewed, clear and untainted with no off flavours, at a perfect temperature and was bursting with condition. The body and mouthfeel were perfect. The glass was spotless. In my mind I went over everything. Could it be improved in a normal pub environment? Not as far as I could tell. It was, simply, faultless.

Now this was an ordinary Wetherspoons, albeit one which is a first time Good Beer Guide entry.  People complain - usually through snobbery in my view about Wetherspoons - but like all good pubs, if you have someone who knows what they are doing in the cellar and a pub that is well run, then you are in with a chance.

Speaking to the Manager a while ago, The Harbord Harbord in Middleton has built up a following for cask beer on the basis of offering one blond beer, one dark and one strong one, plus the usual suspects, in tip-top condition. It is working. Well done them.

Now you will see from the photograph that somewhat oddly, the Jaipur is priced cheaper than Doom Bar.  If you wonder about the low pricing of the guest beers, it applies to a few JDW outlets in this area, either where they want to build up the cask following, or where they feel the customer base needs an incentive, due to low disposable income. 

I only had three pints of the perfect beer, having only intended one while I waited on my bus home and three very nice pints of JW Lees Plum Pudding elsewhere. Needless to say, I was late for tea, bollocked by E and got an Uber home with my beer savings. Spread the wealth and all that. I was also in bed early, but boy was it worth it.