Campaign for Real Ale

First time I'd joined and the pub finder was the thing that got me. I typed in my postcode and it showed me a little place with a cider and real ale that none of my mates had heard of. We've been back twice since and the membership card gets you a discount which is a nice bonus for a student.

I've used a few different guides over the years and this one beats the printed ones I used to buy for finding cask beer. The listings are updated more often and you can filter by what's actually on tap rather than what the place stocked years ago. The only thing I'd change is that some of the smaller brewery listings are a bit thin, but for pubs it's the best resource I know.

I've been using a different pub app for a while and it's quicker to check what's on at my local than this one. This site wants you to click through a few pages before you get to the list and the search is slow on my phone. It's fine for planning a trip, but for a quick look before heading out I'd pick the other one.

I'd been meaning to put our village pub's details on the site for ages, and when I finally got round to it the form asked for opening hours for each day which was a bit fiddly. Once it was in, though, it appeared within a few days and the landlord was pleased. Quite happy with it on the whole, though I did have to ring the office to ask about one field.

I've bought the membership and the guide for years and nothing else comes close for cask beer. I used the brewery listings to find a few small producers I'd never heard of and the tasting notes are honest and useful. The guide is solid and I'd happily pay for it again.

I bought tickets for the beer festival through the members' page as I've done for years. This time the confirmation took a few days to come through and I had to email to check it had gone through. They sorted it out in the end but it was more fuss than I'd like.

I needed to renew my membership this year because my local pub had asked me to help with their beer festival listings and I wanted to be properly registered before the deadline. The renewal page was clear and I had it done in about ten minutes, the card and magazine arrived within the fortnight. Very pleased with it, and the guide to local breweries is worth every penny.

The guide is helpful for anyone who likes a traditional pint and wants to know where it's served properly. I took it on a weekend trip and found a couple of lovely village pubs I'd have walked past otherwise. It's not the cheapest thing in the world but the information is well worth having.

I needed to show proof of membership at the gate of a festival and wanted to be sure the digital card would be accepted. The card came through to my email quickly and the staff at the entrance scanned it without any bother. The magazine arrived a few days later, and it's a sensible read for a retired man with a fondness for a pint.

Excellent value for a membership that gets you discounts at festivals and a magazine that's always interesting. I've been a member for many years and it's never disappointed me. Well worth keeping up.