I haven't been to The Baum but I've heard lots of good things about it from other CAMRA members and it's definitely on my "pubs I really must go to" list.
BBC North West sent a film crew along to the pub last night with the reporter mentioning the number of handpumps, as does the CAMRA press release. I'm sure The Baum has more than enough trade to have seven or eight handpumps dispensing beer in top condition but it got me thinking: how few beers could a pub have on and still pick up the Pub of the Year award? I can think of a couple of Holt's houses in Eccles that serve cracking pints of bitter and mild and also have the atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, value for money and customer mix that CAMRA looks for when making the award.
I think the Nursery only had four beers on when it won National Pub of the Year in 2002. As far as I can recall it was the only example of a brewery-owned tied house ever winning the award.
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