12 West Berkshire pubs celebrate entries in CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2021

'Only the best get in'

West Berkshire CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) chairman Andy Pinkard dropped by CAMRA Pub of the Year The Bell in Aldworth on Tuesday with the latest edition of the Good Beer Guide, hot off the press, for landlord Hugh Macaulay.

The annual independent guidebook lists good pubs, evaluated by CAMRA members, that serve real ale across the UK. The new edition has a remarkable 12 West Berkshire entries, including regulars The Bell and neighbours The Old Boot Stanford Dingley, which is in for the first time.

Mr Pinkard said: “You can’t get in unless you sell good beer. The Bell does it year after year.

“Whatever Hugh does, he’s got the magic.”

CAMRA members visit the pubs and score the beer on quality and the condition it is kept in. The scores form a long list from which the pubs are revisited and evaluated.

“Only the best get through,” said Mr Pinkard.

It has been a tough year for campaigning group CAMRA, as beer festivals – its major source of revenue with more than 180 run each year – have been cancelled due to the pandemic. The Good Beer Guide is another revenue earner, so sales are crucial to the organisation. Copies of the Good Beer Guide 2021, price £15.99, are available from the CAMRA website www.camra.org.uk or from the CAMRA app.

See next Thursday’s Newbury Weekly News for coverage on West Berkshire’s 11 town and rural pubs, in this latest guide.