From: Rob Nicholson <rob.nicholson@...>
Subject: RE: [camrabranches] POTY
To: camrabranches@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, 24 June, 2009, 5:24 PM

The problem is partially starting before the judging actually takes place. It must be partially the pubs the branches are putting forward. There are no guidelines for this process and possibly quite rightly so – branches should have a free hand to decide their own POTY.

 

This is the key paragraph in the judging notes is as follows:

 

2.1 Quality of Beer etc This obviously has to be the most important

single factor in judging a pub for a CAMRA award; if it doesn’t sell

excellent quality beer etc, then we should not want to be associated

with it. Please note that the pub doesn’t need to sell a wide range of

beers to score highly. A pub selling a couple of ales in tip-top

condition is infinitely preferable to one selling seven or eight of

variable quality. Also the fact that a pub is a tied house mustn’t be

held against it in any way.

 

However, if the only pubs that branches are nominating are the multi-pump free houses, then the 1-2 pump tied houses are never going to actually appear. So it’s kind of moot what the judging form says in these instances.

 

Stepping back:

 

1.      Most active members in our branch like choice, lots of it

2.      From comments hereabouts, I’d suggest that many branches are similar

3.      Active members propose and vote on branch POTY

 

Therefore, there will be a tendency towards to multi-pump pubs which by their very nature, tend to be free houses or at very least, owned by the more enlightened pubcos.

 

One of our active members said “I think our POTY should be made up from the shortlist of the pubs we all like going in”. Says a lot and actually there is disagreement in the branch on this.

 

But given I said at the start, a branch is free to choose it’s own POTY, it’s not therefore surprising that we are where we are.

 

So going full circle, it seems to me that as far as CAMRA active members are concerned is that the multi-pump free houses are the best pubs (overriding almost all other POTY categories) and therefore are destined to be their POTY. Therefore regional POTY will have a big proportion of pubs in this category.

 

Hence Kelham Island last year. Hand on heart – choice of Kelham Island or a very nice community pub around the corner selling two regional beers. Which are CAMRA members going to prefer…

 

Cheers, Rob.

 

PS. To be radical, given that all POTY pubs are bound to have excellent beer (otherwise would they be POTY??), then beer quality should be removed from judging except on the level of “Yes/No” to POTY standard.

 

From: camrabranches@ yahoogroups. com [mailto:camrabranch es@yahoogroups. com] On Behalf Of Brett Laniosh
Sent: 24 June 2009 15:28
To: camrabranches@ yahoogroups. com
Subject: RE: [camrabranches] POTY [2 Attachments]

 

[Attachment(s) from Brett Laniosh included below]

A lot of the problems mentioned would be alleviated if the attached forms and guidance we used at branch level.

 

Regards

 

Brett