Camra
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An Ankoù
Landlord.
BWUWSWUWDWUWLLUW is a bit more difficult to pronounce than CAMRA. That's why they caught on and BWUWSWUWDWUWLLUW didn't. Basically, we're lazy, but any Welsh speaker would be able to pronounce that, and it doesn't sound too bad at all.
I'm well on the way. Having a clearout of anything more than 2 years past its BBF date.
It would appear the Y and O keys on your keyboard are working intermittently please rectify as soon as possible.
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ChrisRedWills
Regular.
********
Well the O seems to be working again. 
the_quick
Landlord.
Camra member here and now we do promote keg beers, as it still can be real ale. And Wetherspoon vouchers will be discontinued soon, new scheme is on the way and not limited just to one chain.
Drunkula
Landlord.
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Please don't be O'Neill's, please don't be O'Neill's, please don't be O'Neill's, please don't be O'Neill's....
the_quick
Landlord.
Official launch next month, so not sure which chains as yet
Long-term CAMRA member here.
I no longer agree with their policies as I've had some rubbish cask beer and great keg beer in recent years, but I'll continue to be a member as I believe in good beer and they changed things around in the UK for the better, so I will forever be grateful. I started drinking in the early 80s when the majority of pubs around here served faceless bland kegged beer (Toby Bitter, Double Diamond etc).
I no longer agree with their policies as I've had some rubbish cask beer and great keg beer in recent years, but I'll continue to be a member as I believe in good beer and they changed things around in the UK for the better, so I will forever be grateful. I started drinking in the early 80s when the majority of pubs around here served faceless bland kegged beer (Toby Bitter, Double Diamond etc).
stz
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I used to be a member and am not any more. We heavily sponsor the local festival with the stipulation that we can bring our own bar and that they will buy a certain amount of our beer. The beer is pretty much at cost because they expect things like buy two get one free and stuff, but it somewhat helps subsidise the sponsorship and we write it off as promotional activity. Last year we did 16 cask gravity, 8 cask on hand pull and 10 keg lines, key keg beer in bag, naturally conditioned through secondary fermentation and dispensed by compressed air. This was the first year the chapter has allowed keg apart from usual small 'world beer' area so I was excited for some arguments. Most didn't even raise an eyebrow though a tiny minority just weren't interested in the slightest.
I thoroughly enjoy them even though I end up working about 60-70 hours that week and in the week leading up to it invariably have to find time alongside a 40-50 hour week to manufacture a 'show piece' bar. I find there is a lot of good in the organisation and wish it was possible to reform it. It is at heart however a narrow minded and single issue campaign without far to go. I would like to see cask beer held up as part of British beer history and carried into the future held in as high regard as ... french wine, cheese, italian olive oil ... any regional curiosity/delicacy as I'm sure a lot of the good volunteers and members would too, but this requires a holistic vision which separates from the ideology of real ale is served from a cask allowed to draw and interact with oxygen.
Oxygen is universally awful for beer. The only 'good' thing it does is allow a regular drinker who will drink a few pints in the same pub every night to experience the dubious pleasure of it slowly changing character and going off. I laugh about it, but it is like that little English pleasure when the beer is just right that makes up for it the rest of the time when it isn't very good. Cask styles yes, packaged with yeast yes, secondary fermentation yes, cellar skills yes, cask technology and history yes. Use a damn cask breather.
Also the discount, the wetherspoons vouchers, absolutely not. I can understand people wanting a bargain, but to show 'support' by demanding a discount? It probably explains the mentality of some of the less than salubrious members I've encountered because it'll be what attracts them. A simple cause, to be part of something and cheaper beer.
I remember trying to order a can beer from a volunteer at the world bar who refused to serve it because beer doesn't come out of cans. He just acted like he didn't understand me. I remember another asking to check my female friends genitals because he refused to believe that a lassie would drink the beer she'd chosen. I remember another guy stamping his foot and throwing a literal hitler salute in response to something I said, I don't know what it was over, I could barely hear him anyway. Obviously a few bad apples, but these are volunteers!
I thoroughly enjoy them even though I end up working about 60-70 hours that week and in the week leading up to it invariably have to find time alongside a 40-50 hour week to manufacture a 'show piece' bar. I find there is a lot of good in the organisation and wish it was possible to reform it. It is at heart however a narrow minded and single issue campaign without far to go. I would like to see cask beer held up as part of British beer history and carried into the future held in as high regard as ... french wine, cheese, italian olive oil ... any regional curiosity/delicacy as I'm sure a lot of the good volunteers and members would too, but this requires a holistic vision which separates from the ideology of real ale is served from a cask allowed to draw and interact with oxygen.
Oxygen is universally awful for beer. The only 'good' thing it does is allow a regular drinker who will drink a few pints in the same pub every night to experience the dubious pleasure of it slowly changing character and going off. I laugh about it, but it is like that little English pleasure when the beer is just right that makes up for it the rest of the time when it isn't very good. Cask styles yes, packaged with yeast yes, secondary fermentation yes, cellar skills yes, cask technology and history yes. Use a damn cask breather.
Also the discount, the wetherspoons vouchers, absolutely not. I can understand people wanting a bargain, but to show 'support' by demanding a discount? It probably explains the mentality of some of the less than salubrious members I've encountered because it'll be what attracts them. A simple cause, to be part of something and cheaper beer.
I remember trying to order a can beer from a volunteer at the world bar who refused to serve it because beer doesn't come out of cans. He just acted like he didn't understand me. I remember another asking to check my female friends genitals because he refused to believe that a lassie would drink the beer she'd chosen. I remember another guy stamping his foot and throwing a literal hitler salute in response to something I said, I don't know what it was over, I could barely hear him anyway. Obviously a few bad apples, but these are volunteers!
I think you will find the words 'Free' and 'Bought from' in my original post provide the reason for their decision!
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They are changing, the latest beer festival is now accepting keg beers.
There's the problem
An Ankoù
Landlord.
I think that must depend on the skill and experience of the festival committee as I've never been to a bad CAMRA festival from my very first one at the TAVR centre in Southampton to my most recent (nearly 4 years ago now) in Poole. The very first Bournemouth festival in association with CAMRA was a cracking success which quickly went down-hill as CAMRA were nudged out. Beer festivals have become something of a cash cow these days and they are not all of the same quality and not all run by CAMRA. Not saying they don't do some crpa ones, just that all the **** ones I've been to have been non-CAMRA. One of the very best independents is at the Ex-Serviceman's Club in Poole. Highly recommended and (used to be, I don't think anything's changed) open to all.
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Not a CAMRA member (less useful if you're not a Briton) but I have several of their books (Graham Wheeler) and wish we here had something alike. It's been too long too much pig swill, and even though there are plenty of micros nowadays, the quality is mediocre and they put too much effort in looking creative/different/artisan than in producing a sturdy reliable classic both-feet-on-the-ground quick-down-the-hatch bitter.
An Ankoù
Landlord.
That's my experience, too.
I'm a member but I believe they're wrong on the CO2 policy. Back in the 70s they needed a definition of what it was they were campaigning for and what they came up with did the job and they won the battle. Beer is infinitely better now than it was then and Camra's main focus these days is saving pubs from closing and being sold off to developers.
As generations move on Camra's membership will also change to those that have grown up surrounded by the excellent quality keg beer that we get these days and their policies will change accordingly. It'll be slow, but it has to happen because you can't cheat time.
I used to be a cask-only guy but now I look first at the kegs in a pub to see if they've got anything interesting on because I know it'll be as bright and fresh as the day it was put on whereas the cask may range from fresh and bright to oxidised and bland. I'll let someone else buy that and if it's any good I'll buy one next round!
As generations move on Camra's membership will also change to those that have grown up surrounded by the excellent quality keg beer that we get these days and their policies will change accordingly. It'll be slow, but it has to happen because you can't cheat time.
I used to be a cask-only guy but now I look first at the kegs in a pub to see if they've got anything interesting on because I know it'll be as bright and fresh as the day it was put on whereas the cask may range from fresh and bright to oxidised and bland. I'll let someone else buy that and if it's any good I'll buy one next round!
