With around one hundred venues in Cheltenham eligible for just eight places in The Good Beer Guide it is important that a robust and transparent selection process is put in place to ensure that only the best make it into the guide. The venues which are recommended for inclusion in the guide should be ones that we are proud to recommend, and are included primarily due to the high quality of the real ale served. It is vital that all Cheltenham CAMRA members are given the opportunity to help in the selection process.

Following feedback from branch members we have made some revisions to the process that we are using to select the entries for the 2021 Good Beer Guide and also determine the branch Pub and Club of the Year.  The main change has been to bring the start of the process forward by a month this will allow time between the selection of the GBG enteries and the decisions on POTY and COTY.

We have now revised the process and it can be found in THIS DOCUMENT. It details how Cheltenham Branch members can be involved at every stage of the selection process, from beginning to end. For Phase One, which last’s until the end of October, you can get involved in two ways:

1. By recommending a venue that you believe is a strong candidate for inclusion in the Good Beer Guide. In order to qualify the venue must meet the ‘Candidate Venues’ criteria as listed in the linked document.

2. Fill in beer scores on WhatPub website each time you drink real ale at a Cheltenham pub/club.

At the end of Phase One, a short list will be compiled and distributed to members for Phase Two to commence. Details will be available in early November.

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