By George! CAMRA names Great Missenden pub 'Champion of the Year'

By George! CAMRA has named a Great Missenden watering hole as its 'Champion Pub of the Year' for 2023.

The Mid-Chilterns Campaign for Real Ale has announced its Pub of the Year awards, recognising brilliant pubs across Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

The George Ale House in Great Missenden took top spot as ‘Overall Champion Pub of the Year’, with the local CAMRA branch singing its praises for cask beer cellaring and live music efforts.

Landlord and manager Steve How and landlady Debbie were commended for their offer of locally-sourced beer and music, both enjoyed in the backdrop of the pub’s ‘gorgeous, old-school aesthetic’.

Visitors are spoilt with local ales from Tring Brewery, Rebellion (Marlowe), Malt Brewery (Prestwood), Chiltern Brewery (Terrick) and Hook Norton, cellared alongside national treasures such as Timothy Taylors, Harvey’s and Bass. The George’s complete beer range has been regarded for its’ ‘stunning condition’ and ‘expert cellaring’.

Other awards included ‘Best Improved Pub’ given to the Boot & Slipper in Amersham and a ‘recognition of long service and dedication’, commended to Ciprian ‘Chippy’ Chelsau. Chippy was nominated for his brilliant hospitality and management at the Chequers Inn in Amersham, spanning twenty years behind the bar in Buckinghamshire.

Monks Inn in Hemel Hempstead, took a sweep in the commendations, with Clint (landlord) and his team taking half of the awards up for grabs. Monks Inn has been named the Mid-Chilterns ‘Community Pub of the Year’ for 2023, the local CAMRA branch citing Clint and his teams’ efforts in fundraising and further community outreach.

Monks Inn have also been commended as ‘Runner-Up Pub of the Year’ and ‘Runner-Up Cider Pub of the Year’, adding to an already burgeoning awards wall which has been built over their modest four-year timeline.

The Rising Sun in Berkhamsted was named ‘Champion Cider Pub’ for it’s incredible offering of close to 20 real ciders and perries.

Jared Ward, CAMRA branch chairman, said: "Congratulations to our overall winner, The George Ale House in Great Missenden. Steve and Debbie have been praised branch-wide for their consistency in the cellaring and dispensing of fresh, cask-conditioned ale.

"Ale alone does not make a great pub; the team’s hospitality and music offering are noted in high regard too.

“An enticing schedule of live music is one cornerstone of The George’s award-winning offering. Musicians sourced both locally and nationally are championed at The George, electrifying the pub’s traditional ‘old-school’ interior.

“Reopened in 2018, The George’s brilliant interior is a hark back to simpler times in pub aesthetics, featuring beamed ceilings, tiled floors, roaring fires and robust wooden furnishings, including a collection of large oak casks which serve as a novel surface to rest pint-after-pint of delicious cask ale.”

Steve How, landlord and manager at The George Ale House, said: “Myself, Debbie and the team are proud to have won CAMRA pub of the year, and would like to thank CAMRA for this brilliant recognition.”

On the awards, Jared Ward, CAMRA branch chairman, added: “Drinkers may not realise that cask beer is a fresh product (hence the phrase ‘real ale’), and even once it has left the brewery, requires constant attention across a myriad of areas to serve a perfect pint.”