The Good Pub Guide 2019

A month or so ago, I had an Amazon voucher to spend, and after choosing a couple of CD’s plus a DVD of the classic, free Hyde Park concert, given by the Rolling Stones in 1969, there was still some credit remaining. My purchases were insufficient to qualify for free delivery, so in order to take me over the threshold, I plumped for a book, in the form of the Good Pub Guide 2019.

Some might argue that the latter is a publication to rival CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, but having flicked through the pages of my purchase, I don’t think that CAMRA has anything to worry about. For a start, the two guides are totally different from one another, with one concentrating solely on beer, and the other on the outlets selling the stuff; although to be fair neither is mutually exclusive from the other.

To be truthful, I bought the Good Pub Guide as an alternative to the GBG, primarily because the latter seemed to be morphing into the good micro-pub and micro-brewery tap guide and I wanted to see what  alternatives were on offer. However, having  parted with £8.00 for my purchase I’m extremely glad I didn’t pay the cover-price of £16.00.

Running to over 1,700 pages, and listing around 5,000 pubs the GPG, is an unwieldy publication, and definitely not one for carrying around, or even leaving in the glove-compartment of the car. Apart from some mono-chrome maps at the rear, the guide is totally devoid of illustrations, making it an extremely boring read, with about as much appeal as a telephone directory, but before dismissing it totally out of hand, let’s look at what it has to offer.

Now in its 37th edition the Good Pub Guide claims to be "Britain's bestselling travel guide", and the only truly independent guide of its kind. It also claims that its yearly updates, and reader recommendations ensure that only the best pubs make the grade.

Its publishers state that  not only will you find a “fantastic range of countryside havens, bustling inns and riverside retreats, but also a growing number of gastropubs and pubs specialising in malt whiskey and craft beers,” – all very different from what CAMRA’s guide has to offer, but do the publisher’s claims stack up, and how do they compare with what CAMRA has to say about its own guide?

For a start, CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide is also truly independent and almost certainly far better researched than its erstwhile rival. It too is updated on a yearly basis, following recommendations from local CAMRA members, who monitor and provide feedback on pubs within their local branch area, over the year.

Most branches encourage members to nominate pubs for the guide, on a yearly basis, and once a list has been drawn up, detailed inspections will be carried out, followed by a democratic selection process, in order to ensure that only the top-notch pubs go into the guide.

I’m not sure how selection for the GPG works, but according to the publishers the 2019 edition contains 1,140 fully inspected main entries plus 1,931 entries recommended by readers. Interestingly these are entries which “Have yet to be inspected”. 

Personally, I found these reader’s recommendations far more interesting, and useful, than the main entries; especially as the latter place far too much focus on what’s on the menu, to the extent  of listing the dishes available. Surely that’s what the individual pub websites are for? But on the subject of on-line viewing, the Good Pub Guide maintains its own website, listing 55,000 pubs, and what’s more it’s free to access. So why on earth would people shell out for the paper and ink version?

I envisage using the Good Pub Guide on an occasional basis, mainly as a reference to find a decent pub in an unfamiliar part of the country. But with the Good Beer Guide App on my phone, plus access to CAMRA’s WhatPub; both of which give the information I am looking for in a concise, illustrated and much more portable form, I don’t really see me making that much use of it.