What inspired the foundation of CAMRA was the huge shift in public taste that occurred in the 1960s, as a new generation of drinkers turned away from traditional British beers, such as bitter, mild and stout, and discovered a fondness for the light, undemanding flavour of continental lager. As the big breweries moved to supply this taste, traditional ales – the kind that are cask-conditioned in the pub cellar and served via a handpump – began to look like endangered species.

Through promotions such as local beer festivals, the publication of books and leaflets, and a nationwide branch system that encourages organisation in local communities, CAMRA has re-educated the British palate to a liking for traditional beers.

Pub preservation

Beer itself isn’t the sole focus of the campaigning, though. The group also seeks to preserve the character of old inns and taverns throughout the land, particularly where they are at risk of being redeveloped by the breweries. In the 1970s, especially, there was a move to tear out all the old fittings of many of the ancient public houses, and replace them with reproduction décor, often modelled on the very style that was officially being superseded.

Campaigns to save pubs from closure (and an average of around two dozen pubs close around the country every month) typically recruit local MPs, councillors and trade unions, as well as consumers, and have achieved many reversals of brewery policy.

Poster for The Great British Beer Festival, 2001
© TopFoto.co.uk

CAMRA has a keen sense of the pub not just as somewhere that beer is drunk, but as a hub of the community, just as it was in centuries gone by, when people met there to socialise, exchange news and support each other in times of crisis. The hostile takeover of breweries is always resisted, as the group claims it invariably leads to loss of diversity among products, and higher prices for those that do continue to be made.

Spreading the word

The high point of the serious beer aficionado’s annual calendar is the Great British Beer Festival. More than 450 real ales are available to taste, and there are tutored tastings, live music and entertainment for children.