Licensee testimonials

Gold award winners

Louise Clough

Swan Hotel, Whalley, Lancashire

"It's been a year since we achieved our Beautiful Beer Award. We made quite a big fuss of it at the time, inviting a local councillor to present the plaque, so that it achieved good local PR. Having the award tells people that we care about our beers, and that's really important for a pub, as it means people can trust our standards across the board. We've achieved stars for our accommodation, so it was good to get something similar for our beer."

Chris Mossop

Doctor Duncans, Liverpool

"For us, achieving the gold award was fairly straightforward as we were already meeting most of the criteria, though we did have to tighten up on some record keeping.

"We've found the award a really good talking point with customers — we keep it on the bar and get a lot of questions about it, so it's helped to position Doctor Duncans as a great beer pub. And we've used it in PR. In fact the award was mentioned in a recent article about the pub in the Daily Telegraph. All in all, it's definitely worth having."

David Bone

The Trumpet, Northampton

"We invited the mayor of Northampton to present us with our plaque and that gave us some seriously good PR. It has really helped to put the Trumpet on the map and given us a name for

great beer. We now have six cask ales on the bar, whereas before the award we only had three.

"Our staff are more knowledgeable and interested in beer, as I've sent them on beer quality and appreciation training courses. And it's not just my beer sales that have grown — obviously, as the pub has attracted more customers, food income has grown as well. We're preparing for the platinum award now, which we hope to achieve later this year."

John Mitchell

Town Hall Tavern, Leeds

"We were encouraged to apply for the Beautiful Beer Award as we're known for serving a great pint and keeping a good cellar. I was very impressed by the standards that we had to meet to pass this award; the assessment was extremely thorough, so you really have to know what you're doing with beer to get through. Winning this

award was an achievement, and

it's good to have a plaque that communicates this to customers."

Neil MacMahon

The Gate Hangs Well, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire

"The pub already had Cask Marque and Campaign for Real Ale awards, but we wanted the Beautiful Beer gold award as well because it recognises that we care about all our beers: cask, draught and bottled.

"We persuaded our local MP to present the plaque and that secured us valuable local press coverage and brought new customers into the pub. I calculated that our beer sales grew by around 7% in volume in the first couple of months after we achieved the award."

Platinum award winners

Valerie Graham

Café Royal, Edinburgh

"The platinum award was a great goal for the pub. We've always been proud of the way we keep our beers, and going for the platinum award made us focus on how we present beers to our customers.

"We produced a beer menu that gives tasting notes and food matching suggestions and this definitely encourages customers to order beer. We expanded our beer range to include some more unusual styles, including more Scottish beers, which have been very popular, especially with our tourist customers.

"We updated our glassware, using branded glasses where possible, to create a better presentation. And all staff have been trained so they can talk knowledgeably about our beers. Achieving the platinum award was also

a great marketing opportunity, as we were the first in Scotland to

win it, so we secured excellent media coverage around it."

Jas Teensa, right,

The Salisbury, Covent Garden

"Preparing for the platinum assessment made us rethink our approach to beer in the pub,

from the range of styles through

to the glassware and how we communicated our beer offer to customers — we now have a beer menu with tasting notes and recommendations for food matching.

"We are all now more knowledgeable, confident and enthusiastic about beer, and that's having a positive effect on customers' perception of the pub. It's been a great experience."

Going for gold

The Gold Award goes to those pubs that can demonstrate best practice in cellar management, beer dispense, bar presentation and beer quality.

1. Read before you apply

All the details required to pass an assessment is available on the following website:

http://www.beautifulbeer.com/awardsApply.aspx. This will give applicants a detailed list of everything that is checked during an assessment. It is recommended that you read this before applying, as it will highlight any training or equipment needs.

2. Complete an application

The application form is also on the website. Return it with a cheque to the address on the form. On receipt, the Beautiful Beer team will phone to arrange a date and time for an assessment, usually within two to three weeks.

3. Prepare for assessment

Use the check list to make sure your pub is ready. The assessor will look in the cellar, check equipment behind the bar, and sample a selection of your beers.

4. Congratulations!

You will be told immediately whether or not you have passed. The award plaque will follow within two weeks, and we recommend it is displayed outside the pub. Successful pubs also receive a certificate and a local marketing pack.