Category: Awards

Lincoln CAMRA Pub of the Year 2026

Each year all Lincoln branch members have their chance to nominate two pubs for this annual competition. One pub within the city boundary and one outside the city but within the branch boundary. The top 3* voted pubs in each category then are judged by a group chosen at our AGM in November. Whilst beer quality is a high scoring factor, other aspects of the pub are also assessed in this competition, such as community focus, service and welcome, and style/atmosphere to name a few. The categories are the same that the pubs will be judged by when the overall winner is judged in the Lincolnshire round.
As ever this year the scores were very close which is only to be expected when people are choosing the best pubs we have to offer within the branch.

So the pubs chosen in each category this year were:

City Pub of the Year Nominations

  • Joiners Arms, Victoria Street.
  • Strugglers Inn, Westgate.
  • Tiny Tavern, High Street

Country Pub of the Year Nominations (*due to a tie in number of votes for this category, the committee agreed to allow four finalists in this category.)

  • Anglers, Saxilby.
  • Dambusters, Scampton.
  • Ripon Arms, Nocton .
  • Three Horseshoes, Waddington. 

Lincoln Winner = Joiners Arms
Country Winner = Three Horseshoes, Waddington. 

So for the Lincolnshire round we can only submit one pub for the competition, so our entry for the overall Lincoln Branch Pub of the Year 2026 is;

Joiners Arms, Lincoln! Well done to Paul and the Joiners team for this fantastic result! 

Well done to all our finalists, you all did really well, the scores were so close, which is to be expected for such great candidates! 

Big Win for the Tiny Tavern

The Lincoln Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has chosen Lincoln’s Tiny Tavern as their overall Pub of the Year for 2024. The micropub is located on the Lower High Street in what was originally two of the 17th century cottages in the Grade II listed St Andrew’s Row.

Emma Chapman and her daughter, Steph, opened the Tiny Tavern in March 2020, just one week before the first COVID lockdown. However, since re-opening, they have built a strong following and a reputation for serving some of the best real ale in the city. This is hardly surprising, as Emma ran the Jolly Brewer on Broadgate from 2004 until 2013, while Steph worked there from 2004 until 2018.

The cosy lounge at the front of one of the cottages that comprise the Tiny Tavern has a window seat and fireplace. Towards the rear is a bar area with a dartboard. The other, linked cottage has the cellar room, plus an extra room which is available for community activities. There is a large garden to the rear. On the bar, the six handpumps feature beers from microbreweries near and far. They also serve traditional cider and perry.

Lincoln CAMRA chairman, Aaron Joyce, said, “It’s a tough job for our judges picking a top pub out of such a great set of contenders. Emma and Steph have shown how hard work and enthusiasm through trying times such as a world-wide pandemic pays off. They have taken a vacant building and turned it into the great micropub we see today, and this award shows how much that work is appreciated, not just by our members but by all that cross the threshold. So ‘Cheers!’ to the Tiny Tavern team, and well done to all the finalists.”

The Lincoln CAMRA Branch area covers a large part of the county which includes Market Rasen, Woodhall Spa and Leadenham, as well as Lincoln itself. It contains over 200 pubs. The Pub of the Year competition was divided into two categories, with CAMRA members voting for their favourite city pub and their favourite from the rest of the Branch area. Four judges then visited the top three city and top three country pubs to assess the quality of the beer, the atmosphere, the service and community focus.

The runner-up in the overall Pub of the Year competition is Lincoln’s Joiners Arms. The Dambusters Inn at Scampton and the Three Horseshoes, Waddington are joint winners of the Country Pub of the Year title. The other pubs in the final were Lincoln’s Strugglers Inn and the Ripon Arms at Nocton.

The Tiny Tavern now goes forward to the Lincolnshire round of the competition, where it will be up against the winners from the Gainsborough, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Louth, Grantham, Fenland and Peterborough CAMRA Branches.

Strugglers Inn is still Lincoln CAMRA’s top pub

The Lincoln Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has chosen Lincoln’s Strugglers Inn as their top pub for the second successive year. This is a notable achievement, given that long-term landlady, Anna, retired last year and Emma Blacklock has taken over.

The Lincoln Branch area covers a large part of the county which includes Market Rasen, Woodhall Spa and Leadenham, as well as Lincoln itself. It contains over 200 pubs.

The Pub of the Year competition was divided into two categories, with CAMRA members voting for their favourite city pub and their favourite from the rest of the Branch area. Five judges then visited the top three city and top three country pubs to assess the quality of the beer, the atmosphere, the service and community focus.

Standing in the shadow of Lincoln Castle, the Strugglers Inn is popular with locals and visitors alike. The walls of the two rooms are festooned with old photographs and the ceilings are covered with pump clips. The sunken garden is a sun trap. The numerous guest beers offer a range of styles and strengths, and local brews always feature.

One of the judges described the Strugglers as, “Very near perfect. A great range of ale and staff with the knowledge and enthusiasm to promote it.”

Lincoln CAMRA chairman, Aaron Joyce, said, “It’s a real tribute to Emma and the staff that the change of management has happened so seamlessly.”

The runner-up in the overall Pub of the Year competition is Lincoln’s Joiners Arms, and the Country Pub of the Year is the Dambusters Inn at Scampton. The other pubs in the final were Lincoln’s Tiny Tavern, the Anglers in Saxilby and the Butcher & Beast in Heighington.

The Strugglers Inn now goes forward to the Lincolnshire round of the competition, where it will be up against the winners from the Gainsborough, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Louth, Grantham and Fenland CAMRA Branches.

Strugglers Inn is Lincoln CAMRA’s top pub

The Lincoln Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has chosen Lincoln’s Strugglers Inn as their Pub of the Year for 2022.

The competition was divided into two categories, with CAMRA members voting for their favourite city pub and their favourite from the villages in the Branch area. Four judges then visited the top five pubs to assess the quality of the beer, the atmosphere, service and community focus.

Standing in the shadow of Lincoln Castle, the Strugglers Inn is big on character and conversation, and a warm welcome from the staff is assured. The ceilings of the main bar and snug are adorned with pumpclips of beers that have appeared on the bar. There is regular live music on Sunday teatimes. The sunken garden is a hidden gem that came into its own during the Covid restrictions.

This is the latest in a string of awards won by the pub since Anna took over as landlady in 2008. Anna is due to retire at the end of April.

Lincoln CAMRA chairman, Aaron Joyce, said, “The Struggs is a classic community local. And with ten handpumps on the bar, it’s a magnet for real-ale drinkers from near and far. This award is a fitting tribute to all of Anna’s hard work, as she prepares to step away from the pub.”

The Lincoln CAMRA Country Pub of the Year is the Dambusters Inn in Scampton. The other pubs in the final were Lincoln’s Joiners Arms and Tiny Tavern, and the Ripon Arms in Nocton.

The Strugglers Inn now goes forward to the Lincolnshire round of the competition, where it will be up against the winners from the Gainsborough, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Louth, Grantham and Fenland CAMRA Branches.

Lincolnshire Pub of the Year presentation

The presentation of the  CAMRA Lincolnshire Pub of the Year certificate took place recently and here’s the landlady, Anna and pub team with the CAMRA Area Organiser who presented the award on behalf of the Lincolnshire CAMRA branches.

Details of the Pub of the Year judging criteria can be found here.

 

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