What is the National Beer Scoring System?

The National Beer Scoring Scheme (NBSS) is a 0-5 point scale for judging beer quality in pubs. It is an easy to use system that has been designed by CAMRA to assist CAMRA branches in selecting pubs for the CAMRA Good Beer Guide and to monitor beer quality. It encourages CAMRA members to report beer quality on any pub they have visited in the UK.

What‘s this about prizes?

In Keighley and Craven branch, we need more members to submit NBSS scores. To encourage our own branch members to take part we are offer rewards for scores submitted. Each month, the branch member who has entered the most scores for the widest range of pubs will receive a pint of beer at a future branch event (or during COVID restictions to enjoy within current legal restrictions as Fred Baker is seen doing here with his August prize of Orkney Dark Island in The Brown Cow). At the end of the “scoring year” in February, we will be awarding prizes to the top three scorers. (A detailed description of how we work out who gets the prizes follows below.)

How does the prize system work?

Whenever you submit a score, you are awarded points. One point is awarded for each score submitted. Ten points are awarded for each different pub visited. For example, if you visited three pubs and submitted two scores for each one, you would get 6 points for the scores (1 for each score) and 30 points for the pubs (10 for each pub). At the end of each calendar month, the member who has achieved the highest number of points in that month will get a free pint*. At the end of the scoring year (the end of January), we will re-total the points for the previous 13 months (the previous year plus January). The top three scorers will receive prizes as follows: first - 4 pints*; second - 3 pints*; third - 2 pints*. (*NOTE: Because the price of a pint varies between pubs, the winners will receive the cash equivalent of a nominal pint. For the scoring year to January 2018, we have set this at £3.50.) Within a scoring year, any one member can only win the monthly prize once.

Bonus Points

We need more scores for our less-visited pubs. From March 2018, we have brought in a Bonus Points system. Each month, up to 10 pubs are specified by the pubs officer as Bonus Pubs. If you visit one of the Bonus Pubs in that month, you get an extra 10 points for your first visit, effectively doubling your “pub” points. Bonus Points could towards both that month‘s prize and the annual prize. The pubs qualifying for Bonus Points are shown on the Home Page of the Branch website at the foot of the 'Headlines' column.

Where can I see the results?

The results for the current month, previous month and scoring year so far are shown in the Members‘ Area of the branch web-site. To view the results, log into the Members' Area, select 'NBSS Cards' from the menu. This will show you the scores you have entered so far this year. To view the top scorers‘ table, click the link which reads “To check the branch NBSS League Table, click here”. To view your own points summary, click the link which reads “To view a statistical summary of your cards, click here”.

Please note the following additional rules:

• Duplicate scores (i.e. same pub, same beer, same date, same score) only count once. You can submit more than one score for a particular pub on a particular day if they are for different beers, but you must enter the beer name for these to count.
• Scores entered late do not count towards the points system (but will be used for Good Beer Guide purposes).
• Points are only awarded for scores submitted by Keighley and Craven branch members. CAMRA members from other branches cannot win prizes. A branch member is any CAMRA member who is registered as a Keighley and Craven branch member as shown on their membership record for any part of the relevant period.
• Points are only awarded for scores received for pubs in the Keighley and Craven area. Members can/should score pubs in other areas, but those scores are not included in our prize system.
• Scores entered via WhatPub do not appear immediately in your points tally as these have to be manually downloaded from a central CAMRA server by the branch Pub Campaigns Co-ordinator. Such scores will be downloaded at least once a month, immediately prior to the monthly branch meeting.

How do I submit NBSS Scores?

Scores are submitted on-line, either via the CAMRA National Pub Database (WhatPub - https://whatpub.com) or via the Keighley and Craven branch website. Recording a score via either route is very quick and easy.

To submit scores via WhatPub, you need to be logged in as a CAMRA member. First find the entry for the pub. Then, if using your mobile, select the “Submit Beer Scores” tab. If using a standard computer, use the “Submit Beer Scores” panel at the right hand side of the screen. Follow the instructions.

To submit scores via the Keighley and Craven website, click the “K & C NBSS Card” option on the left-hand menu. Select the town and pub from the drop-down and then enter your score. You will also need to enter your CAMRA membership number and password on the first card submitted in any session. Alternatively log into the Members‘ Area (using your membership number and standard CAMRA password) and select the 'NBSS Cards' option from the menu.

How do I score the beers?

Beers are scored on a scale of zero to five. Half-scores (for example 1.5) are acceptable. The scores are as follows:

• 0. No cask ale available.
• 0.5 Undrinkable. Beer quality so poor you have to take it back or can't finish it.
• 1 Poor. Beer that is anything from barely drinkable to drinkable with considerable resentment.
• 2 Average. Competently kept, drinkable pint but doesn't inspire in any way, not worth moving to another pub but you drink the beer without really noticing.
• 3 Good. Good beer in good form. You may cancel plans to move to the next pub. You want to stay for another pint and may seek out the beer again.
• 4 Very Good. Excellent beer in excellent condition.
• 5 Perfect. Probably the best you are ever likely to find. You should award this score very rarely - only a handful of times in a year at most.

Which beers and which pubs should I score?

Scores should only be submitted for cask-conditioned beer. We do not want scores for keg beer, bottled beer, cider or spirits. Please record scores for any pub you visit, whether it is in Keighley and Craven or another branch area. (To submit a score for a pub outside Keighley and Craven, you have to submit via WhatPub.) Only scores for pubs within the Keighley and Craven area will count towards your prize. The Keighley and Craven area covers the towns of Haworth, Keighley, Skipton, Settle and Grassington and much of the surrounding countryside. It includes the Worth Valley and a large part of the southern Yorkshire Dales. Click here, for a map of the branch area.

What next?

We are awarding prizes from August 2017, so start scoring pubs now. Remember, the best scorer each month, gets a prize, but if you haven't been scoring pubs so far this year, you may have some catching up to do to get one of the bigger prizes at the end of the season!