F.A.Q

What is Worth a Butchers?

Worth a Butchers is an annual competition which ranks all the pubs in Maidstone. Whilst we take the marking process serious, it’s designed as a bit of fun for participants and the pubs and no pub will ever receive negative publicity by being part of the competition.

Where does it take place?

W.A.B takes place in Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom. Every pub is visited within one mile of the centre of Maidstone. The centre of Maidstone is defined as 1 mile as the crow flies from the Queens Monument (What3words: ///back.pops.tribal).

When does it take place?

The competition takes place every year. Whilst it normally takes place in the summer months, there is no fixed rule for when the competition must take place by. We will usually advertise the date around 3 months before the competition takes place.

How are pubs ranked?

Pubs are ranked in five categories – Atmosphere, Staff Friendliness, Value for Money, Real Ale, and Facilities. 100 points is available within each category giving each pub the chance to score a maximum of 500 points. A guide on how each category is available in the rules section here.

What is a pub?

W.A.B defines a pub as being a designated building dedicated to the primary consumption of serving alcohol and drinks and registered as a Public House. A pub may serve food, and have a function room but this should not be at the expense or prevent people from having a drink.

W.A.B does not visit bars (including sports bars), hotels, clubs (private or public), restaurants, theatres, breweries and distilleries (unless they have a dedicated tap room), night clubs, coffee shops (including those who serve alcohol) or cafés (including those who serve alcohol).

A venue which has previously been included in the competition and has since been renovated may be included in the competition on legacy grounds.  

Why are some pubs included when I don't think they are  a pub?

 A venue which has previously been included in the competition and has since been renovated may be included in the competition on legacy grounds.  An example is the Ashes Sports Bar which was initially registered as a Public House.

Why are some pubs included some years but not others?

We will try to visit all pubs meeting the minimum requirements every year. There are exceptions when a pub can't be visited due to closure refurbishment, opening times etc. 

What if a pub has no real ale?

A pub with real ale will always score more points, however it’s recognised that in recent years a lot of pubs struggle to get through enough pints before the barrel goes off. Therefore we now recognise drink selection on offer giving higher scores for pubs which have real ale. Marking of pubs has always taken brewery ties into consideration.  More information on marking is available on the rules page..

Can a pub not take part?

Yes, but this has only ever happened once before when a pub asked to not be included in the competition. The pub has since closed.

Can I be a judge?

Yes of course! Anyone can be a judge, and you just need to meet the following criteria:

• A judge must have visited a minimum of 60% of the pubs on the day of the competition.
  
  

• There is no requirement for alcohol to be consumed to be a judge, however the judge must have consumed a drink (soft or alcohol) in a minimum of 40% of the pubs visited.

• A judge must have purchased a minimum of two drinks throughout the competition. This can include purchasing rounds.

Do I need to drink alcohol in every pub?

Of course not! The competition normally visits between 23-26 pubs with a day so of course we highly recommend that you don’t drink in every pub. There is no requirement to drink alcohol whilst visiting the pubs and some people who don’t drink alcohol at all regularly attend.

What time do you start?

To visit every pub the competition normally starts around 9-10am and concludes around 10pm.

How long is spent in every pub?

There is no set time criteria however we usually aim to spend at least 20-30 minutes within every pub to make sure they all get a fair chance.

How is the Ben Clark Highly Commended award decided?

Each judge nominates a pub which they beleive should be awarded for going above and beyond. This may mean that they are not the highest scoring in an individual category but they have done something which stands out. The W.A.B committee will then look at all the nomninations and vote on the winner of the award. More information on this is available within the rules page. 

Is Worth a Butchers the same as CAMRA?

No – Whilst some members are CAMRA members, we are not endorsed or run by CAMRA, we are completely separate and independent.