CAMRA Opinion

there has been much debate about the preponderance of 'the shaggy old guys' in CAMRA. It's a fact that a large percentage of volunteers at Festivals are, like me, retired. Many have been members for over 30 years, like me, and feel an uncontrollable desire to spread the word about the beauty of Cask Conditioned Ale. We also attract a large number of the more mature to Festivals, indeed some seem to find their way to at least one Festival every week, whilst others just support their local Festivals. But we do work hard to attract younger Festival goers, some even sign up for membership and join us behind the bar. Over the past five years or so we've seen a significant increase in under 25's coming along, the same people who are getting interested in 'craft' beer.
I haven't come across too many of Aye's acquaintances who apparently have have found that you can lose 'your personal hygiene, your waistline, your fashion sense and your self respect'. But then again you can usually find them at any inner City JDW's.
And, just to bolster my dyed in the wool CAMRA credentials, I'll be judging at SIBA North Keg Beer Competition next month.

 

Recently spent a lovely week in the UK. My responsibility was to find food and beer. The girls worried about the sites. I am a craft snob. I used the CAMRA site to choose pubs on our trip. It was a fantastic help but not being a member I couldn't post to it to say thanks. Cask ale was a new taste treat for me and was a delicious adventure in every pub. Each and every bartender (publican?) was helpful and allowed me to sample and find the right beer for the evening. Well done

 

Some well argued and balanced opinions here, I've been enjoying reading it. All I have to say is that after skipping the pub after work yesterday in favour of a bottle of beer at home, I was left missing British cask ale, even if it is the same pint of Fullers for the third time in a row. Living out in the sticks December to June meant going to a pub was rare and left you really appreciative of what camra do.

 

How about a little perspective from a Yank? The craft beer explosion, here in the States, has helped drive an interest in "cask ale." More and more micro-breweries are offering cask ales on site (cask ale, at independent bars, is still extremely rare). The two beers are not incompatible. On the contrary, both styles continue to grow (at the expense of the mega-producers).

Fun Fact: Craft brew, by volume, now accounts for 10% of the market in the US. Another fun fact: In 1980, there were 100 breweries in the US. Today, there are over 4,000!

Cheers!

 

Interesting reading alright. CAMRA definitely seem to divide opinion!

My own opinion is that CAMRA is a good thing and you'd have to admire their dedication in preserving a truly unique thing: cask ale.

They often get accused of being out of touch and not moving with the times which to an extent I would agree. However, anybody who has ever gone to the GBBF can attest to the fact that they consistently source a huge array of some of the world's best beers. The American / Belgian / Dutch bars are stellar every single year so again it's probably a little unfair to suggest they aren't progressive.

What I will say is that I am not hung up on how my beer is dispensed. Some of the best beers I have ever had were from the bottle, from cask, and from keg. Some of the worst beers too mind. It is not an obsession for me as it is for some people on here. That being said, cask is a unique thing and I really enjoy it.

 

Your terms are a little off. Cask-conditioned real ale is not a beer style, it's a method of brewing beer. There are many different styles that can be cask-conditioned, i.e. porters, pale ales, stouts, ipa's, and even some lagers.

All cask-conditioned beers are by definition craft beers, but relatively few craft beers in the US are cask. In Britain most craft beers are cask. They use the term craft a little different than we do, to refer to high quality beers that are kegged.

 

Indeed. I get very angry when the term "craft" in the UK is used to apply to expensive keg beer when in fact it's simply just the sort of beer I've been drinking for over 50 years. I've even seen the very same beer selling as cask for £3 a pint and further down the bar for £4 a pint.
The UK has the infrastructure for cask ale so there really is little need in the mainstream to introduce keg.Keg beer doesn't improve over time , it's only as good as when it left the brewery.But if they can charge silly prices for it.......

 

But there is need to introduce keg beer. Quite a significant one! Some of the most popular breweries in the world are not cask conditioning their beers and the demand for such is not diminishing. If anything it is growing at a scary rate. When you say there is little need I can only assume this is an opinion as it is not in line with reality.

Ultimately there is no gun being held to anybody's head. If the price isn't right, walk away. It's that simple and I do it on a regular basis.

Cask ale is not going anywhere any time soon. Likewise keg. They have and will coexist with plenty of people (me being one) happy to drink both.

Cheers!

 

I was referring to the tens of thousands of pubs ready equipped to serve cask beer.Of course there are other outlets where cask is not an option and keg fits the bill. We seem to have taken on so-called "craft" beer in its American sense where practically all beer is either keg, can or bottle.
The rest of the world is a different matter but with 1400 breweries of our own , imports will be only a tiny proportion of UK consumption.

 

Isn't cask gaining popularity in the US?

Anyway, traditional english cask I sadly only had a few times. It was always very,very nice.
Stupid question, but with unfiltered, unpasteurized franconian Kellerbiers served by gravity- aren't they the lager equivalent to cask ale?
Otherwise, what I see here in the discussion about the UK is somehow very similar to what I see in germany- newbies bashing the traditional styles and giving the old ways a hard time because they are cought up in the hype and don't understand the traditional beer culture in which they live...

 

Interesting read. It looks funny to see people wishing there are more people interested their beer of choice. I can't tell you how many threads I read where people seem perfectly content to complain about how hipsters or hype ruined their favorite beer/bar/music/etc.

It seems natural to want more people to support your interests because the end result would eventually be more breweries and bars serving in this manner. Everyone wins in that scenario. Just remember, you can't pick and choose who gets interested in your given beer or bar.

 

This was something that surprised me during my recent trip to the UK -- cask beer, particularly in certain places (say, a Wetherspoons pub), was noticeably cheaper than keg beer. I couldn't figure out why that might be the case. It was all gravy to me, of course, as I was focused on the cask stuff anyway. Weird phenomenon though.

 

Yes I've pondered on that one as well. Maybe one aspect is that cask beer has to be sold quickly before it goes off and is wasted, so is priced for a quick turnover.

Keg / 'craft' prices are stupid now - a pint of Thornbridge's Kill Your Darlings (lager; 5% ABV) was £5 at the Sheffield Tap, 16 miles from where it is brewed. I said no ta and had a Bernard pilsner instead, imported from Czech Republic which cost £4.20. Bargain.

On a night out though I am more than happy to mix and match keg and cask beers, depending on which ones take my fancy.

 

Sadly, £5 isn't too uncommon in major city, US bar prices - especially those geared toward the crafty stuff. Even with the exchange rate, I thought drinking in the UK was quite affordable, but I'm sure it's gotta be frustrating when you're from the area. (I've heard similar stuff from German folks -- incredible how cheap beer is there.)

 

Ouch, especially when the only thing that is bigger in the UK than the USA is ... a pint!

 

Speaking of which, I was just drinking in Washington D.C. last weekend and multiple bars had some pours of "hard to get" (but not really) craft beer for around the equivalent of £7.50 for a 350 ml pour!

Also, interesting thread. Thanks for the read so far!

 

I went in Fagan's tonight (old school Sheffield pub). Beer selection is somewhat limited, a few keg lagers and bitters, with Tetleys and Moonshine on tap. Had one of each. Anyways, a blind man comes in with his guide dog. Landlord, who must be in his 70s, takes him by the hand, sits him on his stool and gets him a pint. Guide dog makes friends with the pub dog (both Labradors). I sit there and realise, hmm, this is better than the Brew Dog bar and the Sheffield Tap with their £5 hundred varieties of beer. Dunno why I feel this story must be shared, probably that I would like more pubs like Fagan's.

 

Thanks for your post. It was heartwarming.

Cheers to you!

 

Agree completely. The pub must be preserved! I've been to Brewdog Camden and it's pants. Not that I would have expected anything different because they are beyond pretentious. Sheffield Tap is actually a really nice place but yeah I get your point.

My sister lives in a small village in Northamptonshire which was home to a lovely little local called The Crispin Arms. It's now an architect's office which is a crying shame. Full of dogs, characters and real atmosphere. People actually speaking to one another and not shouting over terrible music. Not an amazing selection by any means but always some well kept Oakham on cask.

There's always a trade off I guess!