Ayrshire & Wigtownshire Good Beer Guide Selection Procedures

The following information is for CAMRA members, publicans and interested members of the general public. For simplicity, the term “pub” may include public houses, hotels, and clubs.

• Each CAMRA branch has a maximum quota of pubs that may be submitted for inclusion in the GBG. Ayrshire & Wigtownshire Branch may submit up to twenty-seven entries in total. Twenty-one for Ayrshire & Arran (wholly within our branch) and six for Wigtownshire (part of Dumfries & Galloway GBG “county”).
• Ayrshire & Wigtownshire Branch uses beer scores from CAMRA members submitted via the National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) as the primary identifier for selection, but the branch may consider other factors.
• In March, our Pubs Campaigns Coordinator generates two spreadsheets, one for Ayrshire & Arran and one for Wigtownshire, displaying the average beer scores awarded to these pubs over the previous 12 months. The number of scores and scorers is also considered, and the pubs are ranked in order.
• The spreadsheets are then circulated prior to a meeting, open to all CAMRA members, when GBG selection is the only item on the agenda.
• Only current CAMRA members are allowed to attend this meeting.
• During the meeting, the relative merit of each potential selection is discussed. Factors affecting the final choice may include zero scores, recent changes in ownership/management, and recent trends in scores. However, there must be very good reasons for a pub to displace another pub further up the rank order. Entries up to the allocations are then agreed upon by the meeting, with votes if required.
• One or more reserves are selected in case of subsequent closure of, or other relevant change to, any selected pub.
• The final selection of pubs will not be made public until the publication of the GBG later in the year.