Harrogate and Ripon Campaign for Real Ale
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We hold monthly branch meetings and social events in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon and beyond.
BRANCH DIARY
Beer festivals and events
Find out about upcoming beer festivals and beer related events in our area.
EVENTS
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Latest branch news
Harrogate
Congratulations to The Office Ale House, Bilton on being awarded our 'Best Newcomer 2026'. Great to see new places opening in these difficult times for hospitality.
Photo shows Manager Anne Marshall receiving the certificate on behalf of the team at The Office from branch Secretary Allan Gauld.
Harrogate Brewing – Royal Parade is now open from noon daily. Six changing beers from Harrogate Brewing.
Knaresborough
At the Knaresborough Business Awards Blind Jack’s won ‘Favourite Place to Drink’ and ‘Favourite Shop Frontage’ while The Half Moon won ‘Highly Commended’ in the ‘Favourite Place to Drink’ category. Well done to both teams, very well deserved.
The Mitre (Brew York) now accepts cash payments. Six ales including Calmer Chameleon, Maris the Otter, Hop Cat and Tonkoko plus two others usually also from Brew York. Micklegate Dark Mild is just £3.50/pint for the month of August.
Mother Shipton Inn (Admiral Taverns) which closed for roof maintenance and refurbishment in July has now been taken on by new tenants who have made a point of distancing themselves from the previous incumbents perhaps in the hopes of winning back lost customers. Expected to re-open by the end of August.
Ripon
The Golden Lion (Greene King) remains up for sale, with the asking price now reduced to £225k.
The Portly Pig now opens from 12pm Wednesday through Sunday for the remainder of the summer. This is our current Pub of the Year, serving three cask ales, mostly from local breweries.
Other towns and villages
At The Bay Horse in Masham the tenancy is again being advertised, though the pub remains open.
The Black Lion at Skelton on Ure is now open Thursday to Sunday, opening hours are: Thurs & Fri 5-10pm; Sat 3-10pm; Sun 1-8pm. The Thursday night quiz is very popular. The cafe is open Friday to Sunday between 10am and 2pm. A new licensee is still being sought.
The George Country Inn at Wath is for sale, either freehold £495k or leasehold £95k.
Club news
The Pateley Club in Pateley Bridge, is to hold its first ever beer festival from 21st to 23rd August,12-8pm daily, with 12 real ales from Yorkshire breweries together with ciders. Tickets £10/day includes free pint and a sausage snack.
https://www.yourharrogate.co.uk/local-news/harrogate/pateley-club-to-launch-first-ever-beer-festival
Join our social on Saturday 22nd August, 24 bus from Harrogate at 11.55am.
Plan a local pub crawl...
KNARESBOROUGH
This small market town boasts a diverse selection of great real ale pubs.
HARROGATE
RIPON
The spa town with victorian inns, modern bars and micropubs.
From one-eyed rats to pigs and unicorns, this cathedral city has a variety of real ale watering holes.
Branch boundary map
You may be surprised by how large an area Harrogate and Ripon Camra covers, from Thornton Watlass, near Bedale in the north, to Pool in Wharfedale on the edge of Otley in the south. The map below shows the branch boundary.
Branch diary
MEETINGS
SOCIAL EVENTS
PRESENTATIONS
Sunday 27 September 2026
Branch meeting
Hunters Inn
TBC
October 2026
Branch meeting
HBCo Royal Parade.
TBC
November 2026
AGM
Winter Gardens.
TBC
Saturday 22nd August
Pateley Bridge
Visit to pubs and beer festival at Pateley club. No 24 bus from Harrogate at 11:55, or Killinghall at 12:07.
Bank Holiday Monday 31 August
Ale Trail final social
Starting at the Portly Pig in Ripon at approximately noon. NB Ripon Races are on that afternoon, first race 1:55, last 5:20
Sunday 13th September
GBG distribution meeting Harrogate Tap 11:30 (TBC) possibly followed by a wander round High Harrogate and Bilton.
Beer festivals and events
Beer scoring and the Good Beer Guide
You are probably aware of the ‘Good Beer Guide’, National CAMRA’s flagship publication which lists the best real ale pubs in the UK. But what you may not know is how those pubs are selected to appear in the Guide. The answer is that it is largely via beer scores submitted by CAMRA members from all over the country. If you are a CAMRA member you can send in beer scores. If you’ve ever wondered why your favourite pub isn’t in the Guide, this may well be because you, and others, haven’t entered scores rating the quality of beer there. By beer scoring, you can contribute to the process of selection of pubs that go in the Good Beer Guide. Here's how...
So how do I score the quality of the beer?
It's really simple. Go to any pub on https://camra.org.uk/pubs then click or tap on ‘Beer Score’. You just pick a rating that best describes the quality of your beer. We've also given some potential reactions (see below) to help you pick the best rating for your beer. You'll enter the date and rate the quality of the beer served, and add the price if you want. It's a great way to share your experiences and guide fellow beer lovers.
An added bonus is that a record of your scores is kept so you can look back to see the beers you’ve had and how and when you rated them. Find out more about beer scoring at https://camra.org.uk/nbss
How do I edit my scores?
If you submit an incorrect score by mistake or decide you want to change a score, you can edit them here
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For more information about CAMRA, or to become a member visit camra.org.uk