CAMRA Membership?

I was for one year but I don't drink in enough pubs/beer festivals for it to be worth the cost.

 

Was a member in the 80s, local branch did f*ck all but argue each other to a standstill, fairly dull all round. The recent influx of pro-craft/keg crew arent winning me over either.

 

Life member. Joined on my 18th birthday.

 

Member for many years, active in the branch which makes things much more fun.
Still much valuable work to be done, particularly in preserving the pub.
No craft keg nonsense in our branch.Craft keg has its place but only where cask isn't possible or appropriate.We run a Mild in May trail and help out in neighbouring festivals.Biggest problem is GBG entries as we have lots and lots of cracking good pubs, although our allocation is "generous" we have to leave out many very worthy ones.

 

Probably not a novel suggestion but isnt it time that the GBG was available online or as an app? No lack of space for deserving pubs that didnt make the cut, constant updates so it's not incorrect due to recent closures/new beers policies as soon as its published?

 

I was just thinking the exact same thing yesterday

 

I'm a member for purely economic reasons. For the entry discount to Derby and Nottingham festivals, plus others I may attend. When I was a full-on scooper, membership saved me at least £100 a year.

Nowadays... I drink regularly in several pubs that discount 20p a pint for CAMRA members. Even if it's 'craft keg'.

Never been to a branch meeting. Cannot think of any reason to do so.

GBG won't appear online or as an app because it's still worth more to CAMRA as a printed publication.

 

Ahem. GBG IS available as an app. https://play.google.com/store/apps/...251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5ncmVlbml1cy5uZWFybWUiXQ..

 

Well there you go...But is it updated?

 

I guess one reason against such a move to join Camra is that it seems to just be a body full of beer snobs. I remember when I was working in London and we had 3 members from Camra to come enjoy our ales on the house in an attempt to have our pub listed in their newsletter. Well apart from being wholly ungrateful for the free beer and food, they just came across as being completely disconnected from the real and modern beer world. No wonder I have time for Brewdog and their stance on CAMRA...

 

Just like you shouldn't take Brewdog as representative of craft beer, don't take them as representative of CAMRA!

 

I'm a member, but there's no getting around this point.

The only place in a CAMRA publication where you'll read mention of how influential the US craft scene is on the current wave of British breweries is in quotes from the actual brewers themselves!

 

Their influence is a good thing?

 

That's still just the book in pixel form. AFAIK it's not updated which makes it worthless

 

Was a member circa mid/late 90's to '06/07 - got pissed off with the smoking debate in pubs and more so the support for it in some CAMRA circles (ie supporting its retention!)

Rejoined at Woking BF in '10

There are 2 local BF's to me that literally pay 75% of the membership alone if you attend, Reading and Ascot racecourse

Always get my monies worth and support the cause

 

Interesting...I always thought that real ale drinkers were less likely to smoke than average lager drinkers and so the flow on effect you would assume would be that CAMRA would be, on the whole, supportive of the change.

 

Unless you don't rate Thornbridge. Or St Austell. Or Windsor & Eton. Or Dark Star. Or Oakham. Or....