The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)’s Good Beer Guide 2020 surveyed 4,500 pubs across the nation and is set to be published later this week (12 September).
The guide also revealed 61% of pubs provide evening meals, 65% serve lunch and less than 40% of pubs listed are wet-led.
One quarter (26%) of pubs in the guide have a Cask Marque accreditation (1,161 pubs overall) and three quarters (76%) have a beer garden.
Comprehensive guide
Some 1,850 real ale breweries now operate in the UK, producing more than 7,500 beers, which CAMRA stated demonstrates a significant move towards diversity in flavours and styles.
CAMRA chief executive Tom Stainer said: “For nearly five decades, the Good Beer Guide has been a comprehensive guide to the UK’s breweries, their ales and the best outlets to find them in across the country.
“What makes the guide unique is all the entries are compiled and vetted by a huge volunteer team, based around the country.
“We work hard to ensure all areas of the country are covered and inclusion in this book is dependent on merit, not on payment."
Absolutely vital
He added: “The Good Beer Guide has, therefore, always played an important role in acting as a barometer of the beer and pub industry.
“Information gleaned from the guide is absolutely vital in the drive to save our pubs from closure and campaign for policies that better support the pub and beer industry.”
CAMRA is now calling on the Government to adopt its three-point plan in a bid to stop pub closures, which it said is currently at 14 a week.
The organisation is calling for beer duty relief, a business rates cut and a review into the pubs code and the adjudicator to better support licensees.
