Beer Scoring: Your Questions Answered (part 2)

Q: So CAMRA have changed their beer scoring system… A: That’s not a question, but yes. (I talked about the old system in the previous post.) The National Beer Scoring System (NBSS), to give it its slightly grandiose official title, until recently used a numerical scale running from 1 to 5; half points could also be used. The point of the score was to rate the quality of cask beers as served in particular venues, and by extension to rate those venues – a pub whose beers consistently scored 3.5, say, would come out better than one mostly serving 2s with the odd 4. A score of zero could also be recorded if a venue didn’t serve cask beer; in this case, obviously, the score would apply directly to the venue. Q: That all seems more complicated than it needs to be. A: Still not a question, but never mind. Yes, and one of the changes made in the new scoring system is to separate out “this venue doesn’t have any cask ale (so I’m giving it a zero)” from “this cask ale is good/bad/indifferent…