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You can now get your hands on The Good Beer Guide 2025

27 September 2024 By Jessica Mason

The Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) has released its 52nd edition of The Good Beer Guide, listing 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK.

Two covers are available for the guide this year featuring two of the UK’s favourite locals: Coronation Street’s Rovers Return Inn, and Emmerdale’s Woolpack.

Speaking about the nation’s love of pubs, the foreword, which was written by ITV’s executive producer for continuing drama Iain Macleod, described how “in 2023, the Rovers Return closed its doors. A combination of the lingering legacy of the Covid lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis meant that landlady Jenny Bradley couldn’t afford to keep it open. The characters – and the viewers – lamented the news like the loss of a loved one. If it were needed, it was a timely reminder of the central place the nation’s pubs have in our lives and in our affections”.

Giving a nod to the challenges the sector has faced of late, CAMRA highlighted how “despite a slight slowdown in the numbers of pubs lost forever to conversion or demolition in recent years… data shows worrying trends developing. More and more venues are reportedly redeveloped without the proper permissions – including the high profile case of the Crooked House, Himley in 2023, which is still awaiting an appeal decision despite the efforts of local campaigners. Licensees are also feeling the rising pressure, with over a thousand businesses shuttered in the last 12 months alone as pubs can’t afford to keep the lights on.

It also noted how The Good Beer Guide continues to be “an essential resource for ensuring the future of pubs across the UK, and a tool to show off the incredible culture of pubs and social clubs that is at risk”. To showcase how the industry has fought back during tougher times, CAMRA pointed out how “through dedication and staunch work from licensees and pub lovers in the face of a difficult economic year, the guide boasts over 900 pubs that are new to this edition” and thanked the “thousands of CAMRA volunteers who give up their time every year to promote the best of the best across the UK”.

CAMRA chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said: “The Rovers Return Inn and the Woolpack represent the UK’s love of their local, and to have them featured on the covers for this year’s Guide is very exciting. CAMRA’s mission is to ensure support from the government as well as tangible legislation to protect pubs across each nation of the UK. By next year’s edition of the guide, we want to be talking about the beer and pub trade growing with the support of communities and parliament alike.”

The Good Beer Guide 2025 is available to order now via the CAMRA webshop.