Author: Ian Webster

Right from the onset CAMRA has been all about change; when the founding members Michael Hardman, Graham Lees, Jim Makin and Bill Mellor sat in Kruger’s Bar, Dunquin on the Dingle Peninsula along the Kerry coast on Tuesday 16 March 1971 they were disillusioned with the current state of British beer.

Thanks to mergers, takeovers and the subsequent closing of smaller family run breweries, the so called Big Six dominated the market and through clever advertising they had conned the public into drinking keg beer that was gassy and lacked the taste of the more traditional cask ales, and so was born the “Campaign for the Revitalisation of Ale”.

Their regular organ “What’s Brewing” first appeared in June 1972 and contained a damning statement that Hardman had given the News of the World, ‘Much of the blame for the pathetic state of beer can be put on the drinkers … who have accepted the mass introduction of the adulterated sludge that is glorified under the name of keg.’

A then recent report from consumer organisation Which? was also presented to further sharpen their point, Which? concluded that breweries preferred to produce keg beer for four reasons: it was easier for the Landlord to keep, the shelf-life was longer, it tasted pretty much the same wherever it was served and of course it was more profitable.

The early membership was invited to submit local pubs that met CAMRA’s standard for a forthcoming publication known simply as “The List”, this would appear in November 1972 as “The Good Beer Guide”, albeit more of a large newsletter than an actual book.

CAMRA’s name had changed to the more familiar “Campaign for Real Ale” by the time of the first proper publication of “The Good Beer Guide” in 1974; just over one hundred brewers were listed within, many of which were still selling predominantly keg beer. Descriptions such as ‘nearly all pressurised’, ‘a disaster’, ‘a bad bet’ and most famously ‘avoid like the plague’ (which was quickly changed to ‘avoid at all costs’ after the threat of legal action from Watney) told a sorry tale. Today “The Good Beer Guide” lists over 2,000 breweries, all of them indebted in one way or another to the pressure group that took on pressured beer and won!

As a beer drinker just shy of turning 50 I have only ever enjoyed beer in a post-CAMRA world; it is hard to imagine the lack of opportunities my father and grandfathers had to find and enjoy cask ales. I am eternally grateful to the organisation that I take it for granted that cask ale is widely available. Mind you I am hardly the typical CAMRA member; along with my membership card, my wallet also holds my Brewdog Shareholder card. I like good beer; beer that is flavoursome, made to a high standard and well presented. To me good beer is good beer, whether cask ale or, dare I say it, the other C word.

Would the craft beer revolution have occurred without CAMRA? Although to some they are in league with Satan, craft beers are incomparable to the keg so vilified by Messers Hardman, Lees, Makin and Mellor. CAMRA were originally about breaking the stronghold of the Big Six, increasing choice, flavour and quality; craft certainly ticks these boxes. Although CAMRA do not support craft ale, it developed out of the cask revolution that they brought about.

There has been a lot written in the last few days about the fallout of last weekend’s Annual General Meeting and the outcome of the Revitalisation Project which aimed to bring the campaign up to date. The only change that was defeated was to represent all pubgoers’ interests and all beer and cider drinkers, and then only by 3% of the vote. Despite this CAMRA does continue to be a progressive organisation, remember they coined the term “Real Ale” so they can do what they want with it; be this expanding their remit to real cider and perry or recognising bottle conditioned beers. With a new National Executive containing amongst others the Young Members Coordinator Ash Corbett-Collins, CAMRA will continue to change with the times as it has always done. Having served at this year’s 39th Burton Beer Festival I was encouraged with the amount of next generation beer drinkers present.

I will not be cutting up my membership card, in fact I’d like to propose a toast to the future of CAMRA and you can do it with a pint of cask ale, craft beer, real cider or perry I am not fussed, but certainly not lager; we have to maintain some bloody standards after all.