Join us
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
Ale Trail
last year's event may be over, but you can still plan your own trail using the information on our Ale Trail page.
ALE TRAIL
Latest branch news
Harrogate news
Banyan Bar & Kitchen (Arc Inspirations, no real ale) has closed its doors after 20 years.
Shepherd’s Dog (Mitchells & Butlers) is rumoured to be re-opening with a new tenant soon.
The Stone Beck at Jennyfields (Punch, no real ale) re-opened with a new tenant in December but has since closed again with the doors sealed.
A change of use planning application by the owners of Husk and Paradise for a ‘drinking establishment with enhanced food provision’ at 1-5 Omega Street, off Ripon Road, has been refused by North Yorkshire Council (25/02363/COU). These premises are in a dry area close to where The Little Wonder (latterly New Park) stood until demolished 10 years ago.
Knaresborough news
1858 (Appetite For Life, no real ale) closed in November, then re-opened for Christmas / New Year, but reportedly will be closing again soon for refurbishment.
At The Board Inn (closed 2018, formerly Enterprise) where development under a 2021 planning consent has paused, a new planning application by owners, Amado Developments, for conversion, extension and alteration of the former public house to form a public house, three dwelling houses and five flats has been approved by North Yorkshire Council (25/02088/FUL).
Mother Shipton Inn (Admiral Taverns), under a new tenant since last summer, now serves up to five varied real ales, from Carlsberg eg. Hobgoblin Amber/Gold/IPA, and Greene King, but also beers from local breweries eg. Bosun’s, Daleside, Rooster’s and Timothy Taylor, sometimes including a dark.
Ripon
The Portly Pig now has a small covered and heated courtyard to the rear of the pub, giving some more space at ground level. Three well-kept cask ales are served. Note that the pub is closed Mondays, and also Tuesdays during January and February.
Other towns and villages news
The Malt Shovel at Brearton has announced that its current management team will be leaving at the end of February or early March, with new tenants taking over at that time.
https://www.yourharrogate.co.uk/local-news/harrogate/the-malt-shovel-announces-change-in-management
The Bay Horse Inn at Goldsborough (Stonegate) reopened with new tenants last October. Three local real ales are served – Theakston Best, TT Landlord and Ossett Blonde. Food is served daily, though note that the pub is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
The Lime Tree Inn at Great Ouseburn reopened with new tenants in November.
At The Star & Garter in Kirkby Overblow (Punch, closed 2018) a planning application by Kirkby Overblow Community Hub for change of use to ‘community use’ with letting bedrooms has been approved by North Yorkshire Council (25/04165/FUL). https://kirkbyoverblowcommunityhub.com
The Anchor Inn at Langthorpe (Red Oak Taverns) is closed again with the pubco seeking a new tenant.
The Punch Bowl Inn at Marton cum Grafton (Provenance Inns & Hotels) is up for sale at £695k.
https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/170910395
The Bruce Arms in Masham (Stonegate) has a new tenant as of December.
The Wild Swan at Minskip closed suddenly in early January.
The Black Lion in Skelton on Ure (closed 2019, formerly Admiral Taverns) reopened in November following completion of its renovation by the local community. Three local cask ales are served – Theakston Best Bitter, Timothy Taylor and a guest, sometimes Rudgate. Sunday roasts are served and light snacks on other days. The café continues to operate Friday to Sunday, and a shop will be opening soon selling bottles, cans, etc. Note that the pub is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. May we welcome the new tenants Tadgh and Mary, and wish them every success going forward.
Club news
At The Oatlands, Tetley Bitter has been permanently dropped due to ‘quality issues at source’ and replaced with another Carlsberg beer, Wainwright Amber (cask version). Two local beers, Rooster’s Yankee and (Kirkstall) Leeds Pale continue to be served.
Brewery news
Black Sheep Brewery has filed its fourth Notice of Intention to appoint administrators, but continues to trade, with its parent, Keystone Brewing, also having filed a second similar notice.
Very well done to Harrogate Brewing Co whose Best Bitter won ‘Best Beer’ at the Deliciously Yorkshire Taste Awards last November whilst Baby Iris picked up Gold in the Lo and No alcohol category at the North East Indie Beer Awards; this will now go through to the nationals in March.
Rooster’s Brewing Co are holding their Suds with Buds beer festival again this year on 4th July. Tickets go on sale from 6th February at https://www.roosters.co.uk/pages/suds-with-buds-info
If you have any pub, club or brewery news that we are not reporting here please email harcamra@hotmail.co.uk
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 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
Tuesday 17 February 2026
Branch meeting
The Winter Gardens, Harrogate
(Good Beer Guide 2027 selection meeting. Camra members only).
7:30pm
Tuesday 17 March 2026
Branch meeting
Blind Jack's, Knaresborough
TBC
Saturday 21 February 2026
Harrogate joint social with York CAMRA
Meeting at Harrogate Tap from 1:30pm.
All welcome.
Saturday 14 March 2026
Wetherby Walkabout
No.7 bus at 11:08 from Harrogate bus station. Arrives Wetherby at 11:35, or No. 8 bus from Knaresborough at 11:21. Arrives 11:49.
Meet at The Angel (Wetherspoons).
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?
You don’t have to be an ‘expert’ to begin scoring your beer. However, it is not about your personal favourite beer receiving the highest scores! You may try a beer that isn’t to your normal taste but what you need to consider is the quality of that beer, how well the pub has kept it and served it, and score it according to the general guide below. It is a simple 0 to 5 point system, with half points being used if your opinion of the beer falls between two categories:
How do I submit my scores?
In order to submit your scores you need to go to CAMRA’s online pub guide at https://camra.org.uk/pubs on a desktop computer or a smartphone where you will find over 30,000 real ale pubs from all over the UK; these are not all Good Beer Guide pubs, though as a member, you can, if you choose, filter only the ‘Good Beer Guide’ pubs. In order to start submitting scores you need to:-
1. Log in to the CAMRA website using your membership number and password.
2. You can then search for your pub by name. Be careful here as there are many pubs in the country which share the same name. Try searching the pub name and the town or postcode, or search for ‘Pubs & Clubs Nearby’, very useful if you are in an unfamiliar town.
3. Once you have found your pub, click or tap on ‘Beer Score’, or if the beer is a regular beer (or recently ‘spotted’) at the pub, find it under ‘Current beers’ further down the page and tap it, or click the ‘+’ symbol on a desktop, and then ‘Score this beer’, to open the beer scoring dialogue.
4. Score your beer as follows:-
- Accept the default date (or change it if the score is for an earlier date) and give your beer a score.
- Complete ‘What did you drink?’ as follows: click or tap ‘Search for a beer’ and you will be offered the regular beers listed for that pub and other beers recently scored or spotted. If your beer appears in that list, then select it, otherwise start typing the name of the beer you are drinking and other beers will appear in the list based on what you are typing. If your beer does not appear, then go to the bottom of the list and click or tap ‘Enter the beer manually’. Type the brewery name and the brewery name should appear below (if it doesn’t appear, check the spelling and also that there are no trailing spaces at the end of the brewery name). Select the brewery, then click or tap in the box below and a list of that brewery’s core beers will appear. Either select from the list or start typing the name of the beer until it appears and then select it. If the beer you are drinking is not a core beer, then type the name of the beer in the box instead.
- Leave a comment if appropriate, eg. ‘Served too warm/cold’.
- Enter the pint price (before any discount)
- Select ‘Submit and score again’ if scoring more than one beer for that pub, or ‘Submit and close’ to finish. Your score will then be entered into the database.
It’s as simple as that. 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, here is a link to step by step instructions on how to edit your submission. EDIT MY SCORES
0
No cask ale available
1
Poor
Beer is anything from barely drinkable to drinkable with considerable resentment
2
Average Competently kept, drinkable pint but doesn’t inspire in any way, not worth moving to another pub but you drink the beer without really noticing
3
Good
Good beer in good form. You may cancel plans to move to the next pub. You want to stay for another pint and may seek out the beer again
4
Very Good
Excellent beer in excellent condition.
You stay put!
5
Perfect
Probably the best you are ever likely to find. A seasoned drinker will award this score very rarely
How we select Pub of the Year and Good Beer Guide entries
Pub Of The Year (POTY)
Our pubs of the year are selected in March / April at our branch meeting. There is a town and a country pub of the year, however the pub considered to better meet the terms of the National Criteria will be be put forward to the Regional round. Nominations can be made prior to this meeting by any member of Camra in person, in writing or electronically. A list is publicised, usually at the February branch meeting and in the report of that meeting sent to all members signed up to receive emails from the branch. At the meeting the pub is selected on a simple majority vote of members present or who have voted in writing or by email. Only members of the branch are eligible to vote, each member has a single vote. The NBSS co-ordinator will advise the meeting of any listed pubs that do not have an average score of 3 or more and are therefore ineligible. In the event of a tied vote further voting will take place after due discussion and consideration of the National criteria.
Other awards determined by the branch follow the same basic procedure.
Good Beer Guide (GBG)
Throughout the year Camra members visit, assess and submit beer scores for as many pubs and clubsin the branch as they are able to. All pubs and clubs within the branch area are eligible for consideration. Prior to the February branch meeting the NBSS co-ordinator will prepare a long list of pubs based on average NBSS scores, but above a minimum of 3. Members are encouraged to visit as many listed pubs as possible before the March / April meeting and provide updates and further beer scores.
At the selection meeting the NBSS co-ordinator will provide an updated list of pubs and clubs with the highest NBSS scores, i.e. above 3, with a breakdown of the number of scorers, number of visits, average score, quarterly breakdown and confidence rating as produced by the NBSS analysis tool.
The minimum number of scores, scorers, different days visited and the required average score will vary from year to year as decided by the branch. These figures are currently:-
Scores 9
Scorers 6
Days visited 7
Required average score 3.15
Pubs and clubs where it is known that closure or a change of licensee is likely should not be considered. Pubs and clubs where the licensee or in some cases the person overseeing the cellar, have been in that role for less than six months should not be considered. National CAMRA policies regarding inclusivity, dispense etc will apply.
Pubs and clubs not meeting these minimum requirements will not be considered however country pubs may be considered on lower scores, or numbers of scorers or days visited if the branch so decides. Country pubs are those not located within Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Masham or Boroughbridge.
Pubs and clubs in the previous year’s GBG will automatically be considered for inclusion but they must meet the minimum requirements. Any pubs nominated by members in person, in writing or electronically, will also be considered but must meet the minimum requirements.
Each pub and club will be discussed and a first decision made as to if the venue is “yes”, “no” or “maybe”. Further voting rounds then take place until the branch allocation (currently 24 plus 2 reserves) is filled.
Brewery Tap rooms are not normally considered by us for a place in the Good Beer Guide for the following reasons:-
1. Breweries are already listed in the GBG both in the brewery section and on the main county map.
2. Breweries tend to have marketing budgets and are more able to promote themselves than a pub.
3. Our breweries with taprooms are mainly concentrated in two areas and their inclusion would over represent those places, this is particularly noticeable in Masham.
4. We could not include one brewery in a town without including the others as brewery tap rooms tend to serve excellent quality beer and may lead to accusations of favouritism or victimisation.
5. Brewery taps tend to have limited opening hours.
Want to know more?
Email:
All content © copyright 2025 Harrogate and Ripon CAMRA
For more information about CAMRA, or to become a member visit camra.org.uk
