Local beer experts are meeting in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, on February 15, 2026, to decide which pubs will be featured in a prestigious national guide. Members of the West Kent CAMRA branch will review a year’s worth of scores to select the best locations for the 2027 edition of the Good Beer Guide. This meeting is a key moment for local landlords, as being included in the book is seen as a top mark of quality.
The selection is based on individual scores submitted by members throughout 2025 via CAMRA’s National Beer Scoring System (NBSS) and recorded through the WhatPub database. These scores track how well beer is kept and served over a long period, rather than just how popular a pub is. For many businesses in the town centre and the historic Pantiles area, making the list can lead to more customers and a boost in local tourism.
Competition is expected to be high this year as experts look at a mix of traditional back-street alehouses and newer micro-pubs. Only a certain number of pubs can be included for the region, meaning the branch must choose the very best performers from the last twelve months. The group will also check for any recent changes in ownership that might affect whether a pub is ready for the 2027 list.
The meeting will start at 2:00 PM and is open to branch members wishing to attend to ratify the results. For residents and visitors, the final guide serves as a trusted manual for finding the best-kept pints in the community.
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