The guide, which surveys 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinker’s guide to the very best pints in the most picturesque and friendly pubs. The Three Sheets To The Wind team outside the pub in Rochester high street Whilst we experienced a boom in the brewing industry over recent years, it’s clear that the effects of Covid-19 and subsequent cost of living and cost of goods crisis has been keenly felt. I’d encourage everyone to use this Guide to seek out the very best examples of pub excellence and support these locals by visiting them." Which pubs are included in the guide? CAMRA’s national chairman Nik Antona said: “It is a huge achievement that we’re able to celebrate 50 years of publishing the Good Beer Guide, and a real testament to the hard work and dedication of our volunteers, who undertake the assessments. The content of the guide is decided upon by volunteers in CAMRA's 200-plus local branches. Throughout the preceding year CAMRA members anonymously rate the quality of the cellarmanship of beer in venues using CAMRA's National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) through either WhatPub or the Good Beer Guide app. [2] These scores are then reviewed by local volunteers in the spring who put forward those they consider to serve the best real ale. The number of entries each branch area has is decided at county level with an emphasis on ensuring that a geographically wide spread set of entries are included in each year's Guide. The 50th anniversary edition of the guide has a foreword by King Charles, who said pubs played a vital role during the pandemic, going above and beyond to supply meals to isolating households, selling necessities such as bread and milk and trying to counter loneliness through virtual events and quizzes.

Another pub to be added to the guide after only being open a short amount of time is Three Sheets to the Wind in Rochester. The Little Gem is run by Ollie Aubrey, who is also in charge at the Walnut Tree in Maidstone - another new pub to have made the guide this year. Every beer has a story to tell, and every Pub ……well…if the walls could speak- what dramas have unfolded under the oak beamed roofs? After two long stints as Editor, Roger Protz announced in autumn 2017 that the 2018 Guide would be his last. CAMRA stated that from the 2019 Guide it would carry the name of the managing editor.

The family-run pub opened in April last year on Rochester High Street, selling Austrian and Kent beers to reflect the owners’ heritage. This guide is a clarion call to get involved, to go local, to preserve humanity and courtesy in our Pubs, not have them turned into mere alcohol cash machines.’ We put theirs on and sometimes it will go in one night and the same with Oakham, it's a very popular beer for us, but they like Bristol Beer Factory and Twisted Wheel. It's giving people a choice really." It is our belief that, if a licensee serves an excellent pint of real ale, then everything else in the pub, including customer service, quality of food and atmosphere, is likely to be of an equally high standard.”

Queralt, Richard (October–November 2007). "CAMRA good beer guide" (PDF). The Oxford Drinker. p.16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012 . Retrieved 1 November 2011. The last few years have been an incredibly difficult time for the industry, and we need more support than ever before to keep our nation’s pubs open and thriving. I’d encourage everyone to use this year’s guide to visit the very best pubs across the UK and support them for generations to come.”These pubs only offered mild and bitter in draught form, although the quality in the selected pubs was exceptionally good. Nowadays the pubs listed in the guide, and many others, tend to offer a wide range of quality cask beers in numerous styles and from microbreweries near and far. Each entry contains a short description as well as details of regular beers that can be linked to the brewery section to discover local beers, as well as some treasured national favourites.

The Good Beer Guide has always had an important role in acting as a barometer of the beer and pub industry. We believe information gleaned from the Guide is absolutely vital in the drive to save our pubs from closure and campaign for policies that better support pubs, local brewers and their customers. The Good Beer Guide is the UK’s best-selling beer and pub guide and it continues to represent the best of the best in the brewing and hospitality industry. Staff at the pubs work hard to ensure that the real ales on offer are kept in first-class condition at all times – and the pubs’ inclusion in the guide highlights this.” There were also plenty of Kent pubs who kept their place in the guide for another year, along with a selection of local breweries. To celebrate the publication of the 51st edition of The Good Beer Guide on 28 September 2023 many CAMRA branches are holding special events in pubs up and down the country.

Wetherspoon’s pubs across the UK have been acclaimed for the quality of their real ale – by members of their respective Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) branches.