Ale enthusiasts decide spoons can’t be licked

Two hundred and seventy-eight Wetherspoon pubs have been acclaimed for the quality of their real ale – by members of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

The pubs are listed in CAMRA’s publication The Good Beer Guide 2026, the UK’s best-selling beer and pub guide.

Local branch members chose the Wetherspoon pubs for inclusion in the guide following regular visits to check on the quality of the real ales on offer.

They also took account of customer service, décor and overall atmosphere.

A CAMRA spokesman said: “The pubs deserve their place in The Good Beer Guide 2026.

“It is our belief, if a licensee serves an excellent pint of real ale, that everything else in the pub, including customer service, quality of food and atmosphere, is likely to be of an equally high standard.”

Wetherspoon’s chief executive, John Hutson, added: “We are delighted that so many of our pubs have been recognised for the quality of their real ales by CAMRA members.

“Our pubs offer customers an excellent range of real ales at all times, including those from regional brewers and microbrewers, as well as hosting individual beer festivals.

“Staff work hard to ensure that the real ale served in the company’s pubs is in first-class condition at all times.”

Newcastle University’s students’ union’s Luther’s Bar is also included in the 2026 guide, the first university franchise site to be included.

CAMRA’s publication The Good Beer Guide 2026 costs £16.99 and is available from bookshops and directly from CAMRA: shop.camra.org.uk (website discount available to CAMRA’s members).

Download the list of Wetherspoon pubs that feature in The Good Beer Guide 2026 here.