It’s that time of year again when real ale drinkers across St Helens get to decide on which is the best real ale pub in the area.
Eight local establishments in St Helens have been shortlisted – and two of them are right here in Newton-le-Willows!
The Kirkfield and The Firkin are both in contention for the annual St Helens CAMRA Pub of the Year award, and will now battle it out to become the CAMRA members’ favourite!
Also nominated are The Beer EnGin in Whiston, Cricketers Arms and The Lamb Inn, both in St Helens Town Centre, Star Inn, Rainford, The Watch Maker, Prescot, and last year’s winner, the Turks Head, also in St Helens Town Centre.
Luke, Senior Barman at The Firkin, pulls another pint of real ale.
Reacting to their nomination, Phil Cunliffe from The Firkin said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be shortlisted—it’s a real honour to be recognised by our local CAMRA branch and our amazing local community.
“It’s all thanks to our fantastic team and loyal customers who make the pub what it is. It would mean the world to us to win and represent the great beer in St Helens and surrounding areas.”
Grace Cooper-Surtees working behind the bar in The Kirkfield.
Meanwhile, Terence Southworth, co-owner of The Kirkfield said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the CAMRA St Helens pub of the year.
“Andrew Chin, who is co-owner of The Kirkfield, started taking over the management of our cask ales about 12 months ago and this is reward for all his hard work. He has changed the whole profile of our cask product and in short space of time has really put The Kirkfield on the map in terms of cask ales.”
The St Helens and Districts CAMRA Pub of the Year can be voted for by all CAMRA members registered with the branch. The pubs that made the cut were shortlisted based on ‘WhatPub’ beer scoring – which can be carried out by any CAMRA member visiting our pubs during the year.
Out of more than 80 pubs listed by St Helens CAMRA as selling real ale, the eight shortlisted are those with the best accumulated scores throughout the year – where CAMRA members visiting those pubs have scored the beer they are drinking via the WhatPub scoring system.
Ian Pye, Pubs Officer for St Helens and District CAMRA said: “The voting for Pub of the Year is open to all St Helens and District CAMRA members and I’d encourage anyone who is a member to get out there and vote.
“The only way a pub can be shortlisted for the competition is if CAMRA members who drink in the pubs score the beers regularly on ‘WhatPub’. Members can then take part in the final scoring for Pub of the Year, where they must visit and score each pub on the shortlist using the same criteria to make it a fair competition. The scores will then be added up to determine who wins Pub of the Year.
“St Helens and the surrounding districts has a thriving real ale scene and it’s vital that we keep supporting our pubs as they struggle with the pressures post-covid and the cost of living.
“Given the last few difficult years for the pub industry, it’s vital that people get out there and support our pubs and clubs to make sure they continue being a focus in the community for years to come.”
CAMRA members are asked to visit each pub on the shortlist and score it out of 10 for eight areas:
- Quality and condition of real ale
- Promotion and knowledge of real ale
- Cleanliness and staff hygiene
- Service, welcome and offering
- Style, décor and furnishings
- Community focus and atmosphere
- Sympathy with CAMRA’s aims
- Overall impression and value
The quality of ale score is weighted so that it counts as ‘double’. These are then all counted and compiled to decide the Pub of the Year and Club of the Year for St Helens and Districts CAMRA area.
The winner of the St Helens Pub of the Year competition is expected to be announced in March.
The winning pub could also find themselves put forward into the National Pub of the Year selection which will be decided later in the year.
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