Written by Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)
In 1971, the United Kingdom was beginning to see the start of the decline of the
traditional British pub. Breweries were buying up large numbers of inns, closing some, converting others into harmonised versions of each other. Most distressingly of all for lovers of real ale, mass produced beer and lager were being pushed onto the pub drinkers by big breweries.
This was the background to the formation of the Campaign for Real Ale, or to give it it’s original name, the Campaign for the Revitalisation of Ale. Those behind the organisation were Graham Lees, Bill Mellor, Michael Hardman and Jim Makin. These gentlemen were just drinkers depressed with the direction the pubs and the brewing industry were headed.
CAMRA’s main goals were and still are the promotion of drinkers rights (for example lowering tax on beer), campaigning against the consolidation and homogenisation of the brewing industry, reform of licensing laws and the promotion of smaller breweries and pubs. CAMRA regards itself. with good reason, as the most successful single issue campaign group in Britain. Examples of its successes are the deregulation of licensing laws, the restrictions on pub ownership for the big breweries and the promotion of decreased excise duty for smaller breweries, enabling microbreweries to compete with the bigger companies on cost.
CAMRA constantly campaigns all over the country and local branches hold beer (and
Great Beer Festival
cider) festivals where members and non-members alike can sample large selections of locally produced ales. It holds one huge festival in London every year, and in recent years the number of ales available has increased to some 450 UK varieties plus another 200 from abroad. The years champion beers are also chosen at this event.
LocAle Logo
In 2007 the organisation began it’s LocAle initiative after a suggestion from a Nottingham member. The idea is that a pub can label a beer as LocAle if it is produced by a brewery within a certain number of miles of that pub, usually between 20 and 30 miles. Participating pubs must also have at least one LocAle beer available at all times.
Membership currently stands at more than 115,000 as the plight of local pubs and breweries is more widely publicised. You can read more at www.camra.org.uk .
