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Pub of the Year selection
by Keith Mapstone
Keith Mapstone reveals all about how London selects its Pub of the Year....
When the North London branch of CAMRA recently chose the Duke of Hamilton in Hampstead as its 2002 Pub of the Year (see front page), it was the beginning of a process that will culminate in the National Pub of the Year being announced during next winter. All over the country, local CAMRA branches are awarding this coveted accolade according to their own criteria. The most obvious is consistent beer quality but beer range and issues such as full measure might also play a part. In some branches, the previous year's winner might be automatically excluded from consideration.
However, once these local decisions have been taken, things become a lot more formalised. The Duke of Hamilton will be entered into the regional Pub of the Year contest, where it will face stiff competition from the nominations of the other 12 branches of CAMRA that make up the London region. Over a two-month period, judges from each of the regions 13 branches will assess each contestant according to criteria that are weighted to reflect their relative importance in determining what makes a great pub.
Unsurprisingly, the greatest emphasis is placed on the quality of the beer and any real cider or perry stocked. Next in importance come community focus, style and décor, and service and welcome. Community focus will show up in pub-based sports teams, charity events and indeed anything that shows that the pub is central to the life of the local community. Style and décor attempts to determine if the interior of the pub is attractive and in keeping with the architecture of the building. Service and welcome are easy to judge - do the staff greet you on your arrival, do they serve you a full pint with a smile and say goodbye as you leave, or do they just treat you as a source of revenue?
Lastly in the pecking order of criteria come atmosphere, campaigning and value for money. Atmosphere might seem self-explanatory but apart from feeling at ease in the pub, it also includes whether the place is clean and tidy and whether the toilets are fit to use. Perhaps my single biggest gripe when I was the North London judge for the 2001 regional competition was how insanitary so many of the loos were, even in very comfortable pubs. Publicans please take note! A pub will get good marks for campaigning not only if it displays CAMRA posters and newsletters and hosts branch meetings but also if it stocks minority styles such as cask conditioned stout and real cider and perry or if it runs its own beer festivals or supports events like Mild Day. Finally, value for money is obviously relative - what is well priced for Mayfair might be exorbitant for Tottenham - but a house beer at a promotional price might be taken into account.
If this sounds dreadfully serious, well it is - after all life is too short to drink poor beer in bad pubs. But for the judges, it is an adventure and an opportunity to visit far-flung areas of the London region. The winner of the 2001 competition was the Robin Hood and Little John in Bexleyheath and it was so good that I would recommend any ale drinker to go to this Kentish corner of London just to experience it. Three of my other favourites were The Princess Royal in Croydon, the William 4th in Leyton and the Willoughby Arms in Kingston. However, all judges had tales of sumptuous beer supped in convivial surroundings whilst time slowed to a crawl and the world just seemed like a nicer place (OK, we get the picture - Ed). Enough poetry. If you want to see if North London has got it right in its own parish, visit the Duke of Hamilton on Hampstead's New End. We think you'll be assured of a good time.
Keith Mapstone is London region’s Pitfield Brewery liaison officer and indeed an expert on home brewing too!
Contact him on: helencatskeith@hotmail.com
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 16.
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