CAMRA's - Good Beer Guide

I got the App after buying the GBG so as to locate real ale pubs whilst out and about. In terms of pub finding- spot on. What is not known, are any pubs missed off? But not an issue as there are plenty of pubs to try, many of which are serendipitous experiences. With respect to the listing of beers, there are lots of gaps in the database. I suspect over time this will be resolved. it After paying the annual subscription, which due me is worth it with my travels, I was pointed to the CAMRA What Pub website. I had a look and concluded there is the same info as the App, but for out and about use I find the App so much better, as I arrive somewhere and then look rather than use advance planning.

As a user of the mobile version of the GBG for at least five years including before the huge change to the more ‘social’ version it is kind of getting better but still one of my regularly used apps that had bugs, at least in my experience. The near constant pop up request for Apple ID details when just using the app is annoying, especially as iOS doesn’t allow one to switch apps without killing the password box so if you have a complex password on your Apple ID which is saved in a password manager app it’s difficult to deal with. Yes that kind of Apple issues but no other app I use a lot prompt for Apple ID details as much as this one. The what are you drinking function when checking in is a bit pointless as it doesn’t know many ales, it’s trying to be line other social beer apps but without the data. And at least on my XS going into that area means one has to kill the app as well the back link doesn’t work as in the taskbar area of the screen. Come on camra, the iPhone X with this screen layout has been out for 18 months. As a camra member for 15+ years I so want this app to be perfect and it could be albeit like many people I use it primarily what the older non-social version was and why this is always renewed every year, it saves buying 8 carrying the paper version of the GBG around! Either fix the issues or strip out the not really working ‘social’ stuff.

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The GBG has become a trusted and essential aid to any night out, especially when travelling. The difficulty was that the hard copy was heavy and unwieldy so having it on your device made so much sense. The problem was that the programme was rushed into service with issues unresolved, for example; updates do not happen, pubs are removed from the Guide but these continue to appear online; the Google system used fails repeatedly to remember individual users so you have to log in time and again; and the memory of your previous notes on visits can partially vanish. Despite these issues, which with any other app would lead to the delete button being deployed, the content, namely the various pubs, their beers and contact details, remain highly important and the Guide retains it’s status as a valuable aid. If only the backup services were more in place, clear contact details and responses to requests for help made a higher priority, then maybe I could give it a higher rating.

Excellent way to find all pubs selling real ale. My main gripe is that some details especially on opening times are not updated and pubs that have seasonal opening times are not always highlighted. Not too bad if you are in a car but if you are hiking like me or using public transport can be catastrophic. I have now started to use pubs own web sites and google to double check times. Another gripe is that in many pubs phone signals are weak and the Good beer guide app runs very slow. Amazingly Whatpub through the Browser still works ok with the same weak signal. Love the fact we can beer score through the app now.

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This app will no longer open on my iPhone 6 Plus. I only get an unrecoverable error message appearing after a minute or so. Essentially I am paying for a subscription that is not usable. When it did work there was no location cursor, which is a pain and it is slowwwwwww to open. At least the never ending requests for a password have gone. Has the info on but a pain to use. If you use the map function there is no cursor showing your location. If you open a pub link it recentres. Really annoying if outside a city. Biggest bugbear is being asked to enter appleID every two minutes. Why? It is also very slow to load. Overall: useful info but irritating to use.