CAMRA - bought and sold for Spoonsie gold?

[Soup Dragon]

Is it me, or is there a substantial amount of Spoons places in the GBG 2013? I find this, for want of a better phrase, gobsmacking.

To me, the quality of Spoons beer is up and down, to the point that i would rather have two half pints of different beers that a pint of a single one. Flatness, turning beer, and the inability of staff to pour or understand the product seem to be common accusations. One asks, is this due to the 50p vouchers - and a membership more interested in using them than going to pubs that offer a better product, but costs a little more?

I stopped at Ross-on-Wye on my way back from Wales - for which the only pub in the GBG is the Spoons. I visited 4 places and the Spoons beer was the worst kept, even coming behind a place that did one real ale and which seemed a little out of place on the bar! The King's Head Hotel blew it out of the water, as far as beer goes and there was no chips on the floor either. While down there, the Caradoc in Port Talbot had turning beer.

Your thoughts are most welcome.

[gillhalfpint]

I agree that not all GBG Spoons are as good as a lot of the other pubs around. Vouchers may have a lot to do with that, but not being involved on a higher level, wouldn't really know. I have noticed a lot of them getting in the guide though.

[Aqualung]

I stopped at Ross-on-Wye on my way back from Wales - for which the only pub in the GBG is the Spoons. I visited 4 places and the Spoons beer was the worst kept, even coming behind a place that did one real ale and which seemed a little out of place on the bar! The King's Head Hotel blew it out of the water, as far as beer goes and there was no chips on the floor either. While down there, the Caradoc in Port Talbot had turning beer.

Your thoughts are most welcome.

I can't comment on Ross-On-Wye as I've never been there. There are two problems, the entries are compiled at least six months before the guide is published and then Spoons managers regularily get turned round.

A local example for me, the GBG Coronet in Holloway Road was excellent a year ago but is now rubbish. The GBG Walnut Tree in Leytonstone has declined, but the non-GBG George in Wanstead has gone from avarage to excellent, apart from the fact that some idiot thinks it's a good idea to sell Doombar and Pride. Out of interest, what beer(s) did the King's Head Hotel sell?
"Boring" beers may be a factor or maybe they don't sell the stuff all year round in a tourist area. I had three beers in the GBG listed Drum in E10 last week and only one of them was very good. I put it down to the thundery weather.

Of course some parts of the country, Romford for example don't really have much other than Spoons.

[Soup Dragon]

I can't comment on Ross-On-Wye as I've never been there. There are two problems, the entries are compiled at least six months before the guide is published and then Spoons managers regularily get turned round.

A local example for me, the GBG Coronet in Holloway Road was excellent a year ago but is now rubbish. The GBG Walnut Tree in Leytonstone has declined, but the non-GBG George in Wanstead has gone from avarage to excellent, apart from the fact that some idiot thinks it's a good idea to sell Doombar and Pride. Out of interest, what beer(s) did the King's Head Hotel sell?
"Boring" beers may be a factor or maybe they don't sell the stuff all year round in a tourist area. I had three beers in the GBG listed Drum in E10 last week and only one of them was very good. I put it down to the thundery weather.

Of course some parts of the country, Romford for example don't really have much other than Spoons.

Sorry for swift response - Doombar and Wye Valley Bitter and Butty Bach. Otter Amber in Crown & S and Pride, Youngs London Gold and Butcombe Gold in Eagle. I do get your point.... it isn't about not seeing any at all, but about seeing so many in the GBG that i can't understand!

One day will shall have to have a PG meet-up doing just Spoons - or was that Reading?

[Quinno]

Sorry for swift response - Doombar and Wye Valley Bitter and Butty Bach. Otter Amber in Crown & S and Pride, Youngs London Gold and Butcombe Gold in Eagle. I do get your point.... it isn't about not seeing any at all, but about seeing so many in the GBG that i can't understand!

Simple to understand really. Each CAMRA branch selects their GBG allocation.

In theory, it should be based almost exclusively on beer quality (submitted beer scores from all CAMRA members) over the preceding 12 months (and yes, some of us are arguing for the time lag to be reduced even going so far as to draft a motion for the AGM before last which we've kept in the cupboard for various reasons - one being that you can't submit the same or similar motion within X years if it fails).

Anyway, it should be a thorough and impartial process. I know it is with my branch, but I can't vouch for others. Our JDW entries are in simply because they were both in the Top 18 pubs out of 150 beer-scoring wise in 2011 (or 2012 when the new Guide comes out - only one JDW features this time).

Incidentally, we have introduced a specific JDW clause into our GBG rulebook regarding tenure of management/cellar staff. The Baron Cadogan (JD Wetherspoon) has had a very slow turnover of staff and the guy who 'does' the beer has been there for a few years and is left to get on with the job, usually. Hence it has been in the last five GBG's or so.

I can say hand-on-heart the 50p vouchers make no difference to us as a branch. It's the "Murderer's Arms" argument (RATs in Viz) - eg if the roughest pub in Reading started doing ale and it was clearly good enough for GBG would we put it in? Yes we would.

I agree though that the 50p vouchers can look, to an outsider, as an inducement to treat JDW more favourably.

One day will shall have to have a PG meet-up doing just Spoons - or was that Reading?

You are a cheeky b@stard!

[Mobyduck]

One day will shall have to have a PG meet-up doing just Spoons - or was that Reading?

Please don't do this.

[gillhalfpint]

I know pubs can come out of GBG if they change hands as the new person has to prove themselves. If Spoons managers change so often I would have thought this in itself would mean a GBG entry for consistently kept good beer would be suspect.

[Quinno]

I know pubs can come out of GBG if they change hands as the new person has to prove themselves. If Spoons managers change so often I would have thought this in itself would mean a GBG entry for consistently kept good beer would be suspect.

Depends if they have a dedicated cellarman or not. Most don't, but some do.

[Mobyduck]

Is it me, or is there a substantial amount of Spoons places in the GBG 2013? I find this, for want of a better phrase, gobsmacking.

To me, the quality of Spoons beer is up and down, to the point that i would rather have two half pints of different beers that a pint of a single one. Flatness, turning beer, and the inability of staff to pour or understand the product seem to be common accusations. One asks, is this due to the 50p vouchers - and a membership more interested in using them than going to pubs that offer a better product, but costs a little more?

I stopped at Ross-on-Wye on my way back from Wales - for which the only pub in the GBG is the Spoons. I visited 4 places and the Spoons beer was the worst kept, even coming behind a place that did one real ale and which seemed a little out of place on the bar! The King's Head Hotel blew it out of the water, as far as beer goes and there was no chips on the floor either. While down there, the Caradoc in Port Talbot had turning beer.

Your thoughts are most welcome.

I think my feelings on spoons pubs in general are by now well known and in the past have questioned ,in my view an over enthusiastic inclusion in the GBG, If its just down to beer quality I don't think they are consistent enough, of course this is a generalisation but all the same it smacks of back scratching to me.

[Quinno]

I think my feelings on spoons pubs in general are by now well known and in the past have questioned ,in my view an over enthusiastic inclusion in the GBG, If its just down to beer quality I don't think they are consistent enough, of course this is a generalisation but all the same it smacks of back scratching to me.

Well all you need to do is core beer as you find it and assume:

a) everyone else is doing likewise
b) the local CAMRA branch are straight