What is Beer Scooping / Beer Ticking?
How do I record beers that I have had?
What information should I record about beers that I have had?
Where are the best places to find new beers?
Where are the best pubs for scooping?
Is scooping restricted to beers brewed in the UK?
How much beer do I have to drink to count it as a scoop?
Who is the top beer scooper?
Where can I find more information about scooping?
Where can I find more information about all the different UK breweries

Q - What is Beer Scooping / Beer Ticking?

A - It is the wonderful hobby of finding, drinking and then recording new draught beers. People who indulge in this hobby are referred to as "Beer Scoopers" or "Beer Tickers".

A - Most scoopers record their beer scoops / beer ticks in a notebook (pen and paper) or on a smartphone and then update a spreadsheet or database with their "winners" once they get home. It is useful to refer to the spreadsheet / database (or a printout from it) whilst out and about, in order to check if a beer is "required". Specialist Social Media platforms such as Untappd are also very useful.

A - All scoopers record the brewery, beer name, ABV% but many will also record their rating of the beer and some tasting notes / comments

A - Beer festivals (usually organised by CAMRA - The Campaign for Real Ale) as well as some pubs.

A - The best national pub chain for scooping is probably Wetherspoons but the Craft Beer Co pubs (in London and Brighton) are also very good. There are lots of excellent independent pubs, many of which are featured in the Good Beer Guide published by CAMRA, which is also available as an app.

A - No, many scoopers have ventured to other countries in search of new scoops. For example: Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany and the USA.

A - Most beer scoopers take this as being a third of a pint, which is the minimum measure of draught beer that can be legally sold in the UK.

A - Brian Moore (70,000+ scoops) who features in a documentary film called Beertickers: Beyond The Ale

A - Take a look at Gazza Prescott's scoopergen page, which contains more background on scooping as well as details of the best scooping pubs.

A - The excellent Quaffale site is regularly updated with details and locations of new breweries as well as changes and closures. There are currently over 2000 breweries in the UK.

A good selection of ales on offer at this place!

Beer Tickers - A documentary film about beer scooping / beer ticking

A selection of different ales just waiting to be scooped!   

This cartoon appeared in Private Eye following the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) in 2016