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The consumer campaign that will begin in early 2027 will encourage beer drinkers to check a pub’s rating online – at the Beer & Cellar Hygiene Rating Pub Directory – before their visit.
Cask Marque will also raise consumer awareness of star ratings displayed outside pubs while the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is also including pubs’ hygiene ratings on its pub search website.
About 7,000 UK pubs currently have a four-star or five-star Beer & Cellar Hygiene rating, which measures 11 key markers from the cellar to the beer glass, awarding one to five stars, similarly to food hygiene ratings. Industry accreditation body Cask Marque, which oversees the scheme, aims to have at least 30,000 4* or 5* rated pubs by the end of the decade.
Sit up and take notice
Paul Nunny, director of Cask Marque, says: “Beer quality should be at the heart of every pub’s offer but that’s not always the reality.
“The initial trial for our ‘Perfect Pint Promise’ beer quality scheme showed that almost half of pints served in UK pubs fail to meet basic standards and that customers who are disappointed either switch brands or switch pubs.
“That, in itself, should make both pub operators and brewers sit up and take notice. However, as well as customers voting with their feet after a disappointing pint, high cellar and dispense standards have a direct impact on yields and beer quality.
“Our analysis shows that improved cellar practices increase beer yields by 10%. With the Budget adding more cost on pubs, including the minimum wage increase, this is a way that pubs can directly improve the bottom line. Quite simply, pubs with a four or five-star cellar rating are making more profit from beer sales.
Immediate, demonstrable impact
“Just as many customers wouldn’t go out for a pizza or burger without checking the business’s food hygiene, once the consumer awareness campaign get under way, many will make similar decisions based on the Beer & Cellar Hygiene rating.”
Cask Marque said the four main area where pubs fall short of the standards required are:
• Cellar temperature
• Glassware condition and cleanliness
• Line and coupler cleanliness
• Cleanliness of glasswashers
Cask Marque claimed its support has “an immediate, demonstrable impact” citing statistics that showed in the 12 months to September 2026, 71% of outlets scored a five-star rating during their initial inspection with 79% rated four to five stars. This increased to 86% of outlets achieving a five-star rating and 95% four to five stars after Cask Marque’s intervention.
