For some time I've wanted to write a series of posts titled "The Craft Beer Bubble" that will highlight some of the basic elements of beer drinking culture that my peers forget.
These were prompted in part by
somebody, wrongly in my opinion, exhalting that the "Beer Bubble had burst
and that Beer is mainstream now." This was aided by this excellent post atThe Snap and the Hiss about drinking culture misunderstandings.
Whilst
this was always going to be one of the topics covered in these posts, the
events of a certain AGM from last weekend have pushed it to the front of the
queue. There is an element of beer drinking that is easily missed or forgotten
amongst the interior squabbling about the relevance of Europe's largest
consumer group CAMRA. (I won't be covering the events so for those a little
behind, this Boak and Bailey piece nicely rounds
things up.)
People
like cask beer.
People prefer cask
beer.
There are
a large number of people that are still drawn to pubs that serve a good pint of
ale. For them, the fonts (or wickets, oh yeah) are where the eyes are pulled.
The choices are singled out based on colour, strength, familiarity. They know
what they like and they know what is good. They don't always agree upon
bitterness, haziness, adjunct flavourings or even silly names but they could
pick out off flavours better than most without knowing their names.
And those
people have never heard of Colin
Valentine. They've never heard of Lynn
Attack or Bradley Cummings.
They've never heard of Beer Compurgation
or Boak and Bailey or Pete Brown or The Beer O'Clock Show. They will make up a large part of that
missing 90% who didn't vote; heck a lot won't make up any part of the 180,000+
team. Some will like a discount or a voucher. Most won't give two hoots whether
a large macro business is involved in their beer or online
shop. The passing of any motion at the weekend will make no difference to their
drinking experience this Monday morning or for many a morning to come.
It won't,
by the way. For all the talk of the impact of who is a National Executive and
what CAMRA policy has changed, that after work pint for the cask drinking folk
outside of that bubble will not change, despite suggestions otherwise.
That
sector of cask beer drinkers is much greater than our squabbling online
bubble.
I like
cask beer. It still makes up the majority of my annual beer drinking. Most of
the time I am looking forward to that after work or last orders pint. And I
want it to be cask. I want that texture and mouthfeel more than a gassy,
heartburn inducing, coldness on the majority of days. Does that surprise you?
Does that sound prehistoric? Perhaps not every drinker ranting on the internet
makes their point coherently but the point remains the same: people prefer
cask. It isn't always for stubborn, argumentative reasons.
Having
said that...
I may as
well give my thoughts on the weekend's events and the discussions that have
followed.
When I
awoke Sunday morning and caught up on the news breaking from Saturday I'll
admit to skimming through tweets and headlines to get a feel for the room's
mood. Many were threatening to leave CAMRA and I actively encouraged them to do so. Empty threats are exactly that. There is little point in trying to change
an organisation's mind or at least let them know what you think if you
aren't going to follow through with this. The number that may leave is unlikely
to register against the sheer numbers that will stay but it is still a stance
worth making. Maybe the recruitment drivers will notice a little 2018
drop.
That
isn't to say that I have decided either way. It is hard to see what my CAMRA
membership achieves more than the odd moan on social media about what they are
not doing. That leads to being told to go and make an active difference myself
but the truth is the tales from other war-weary adventurers who have tried the
same has sapped my enthusiasm. Everybody else has hit a brick wall - what makes
anybody think I'm the demolition ball waiting to swing?
No, the
wrecking ball was the Revitalisation Project and the decisions have been made.
There will be changes but not on the scale most of my peers wanted. CAMRA will
remain the same and so it is a time to evaluate whether I stand by the core
values.
It is questionable as to whether I gain benefit
from my membership. I’ve never used one of the ‘Spoons vouchers. I have zero
interest in ABInbev owned website discount codes. I would estimate though
that I save close to £200 a year in the local pub with my card – however all of
that goes in the tip jar rather than my bank account.
The group has become like the Leeds United Supporters Club – something that exists but doesn’t do
so for my benefit. I wouldn’t join the Leeds United Supporters Club and try and
turn them into Huddersfield Town fans; though a better analogy may be that I
wouldn’t join and insist they represent all Yorkshire football clubs.
It relates back to the term Real Ale over Cask Beer.
If CAMRA would just champion cask beer and nothing else then I'm with them all
the way. It wouldn't stop me drinking other dispenses but I know I would be
aiding in the protection of my favourite sale point. But the discussion over
what is deemed Real Ale, added to bottle conditioned beers and keykeg, increases
ambiguity.
It is the ambiguity that I wanted to
see changed. CAMRA can't have it both ways. If non-cask is a threat then
Belgian and/or German beer - long championed - must be dismissed. Otherwise it
contradicts itself. If these remain then that craft keg they
fear needs embracing. It is one or the other.
It is the ambiguity that I wanted to
see changed. Cask is good but only when kept well. But bad cask is okay if
it's cheap. Expensive cask is inferior to cheap cask regardless of condition.
And keg is bad in all forms unless it is real-ale-craft-key-keg. All other
types of keg are evil.... unless they are from certain countries.
It is the ambiguity that I wanted to
see changed. All lager is bad. But we can support Pilsners or Helles or Kolsch
or similar styles if we have been doing so for a number of years.
Nobody else can brew it. And don't call it lager.
CAMRA Culture
The culture that arose from some of
those that were mentioned at the beginning of this post was around discounts
and strange terminology. I've been in the pub where somebody around my age has
asked for a CAMRA discount only to be rebuked.
"But you advertise yourself as a
CAMRA pub."
Sat at the bar at the time, I didn't
stay quiet. "What does that mean - a CAMRA pub?"
"No they do, they say they are a
CAMRA pub."
"Where does it say
that?"
... "It sells real ale."
"And?"
...."It sells real ale. It would just be nice to
recognise my card with a discount."
Active members of CAMRA have a
defensive line about the organisation that stems from years of false
accusations or sweeping generalisations made from a few encounters -
something I've done myself in the past. They are also quick to deny the
discount culture which is, I'm afraid to say, undeniable. It was also brought
up at the AGM but...
A CAMRA pub is
not a thing. A Real Ale pub is not a thing. They are terms and pigeon-holing
brought on by CAMRA culture. If you have to make a policy relating to the
endless whimpering and hounding of staff then a revitalisation is certainly
needed.
The future
CAMRA will thrive regardless of what
is written here or in other posts. None of the 90% will leave based on the
weekend's motions. Some of the 10% might. It is within their right to do so.
There are other causes that may better represent you for £26 a year, they just
might not be beer related.
I don't think the Revitalisation
Project has done much to change my perceived problems within the group. Cider,
Wetherspoons, Supermarket price increases and Robinson's Dizzy Blonde will
still remain in their promotional material proving their continual
contradictory existence to the complainants. But for those who just want to
drink a pint of cask beer at the end of a long day, whether you or I support
any of those ideals matters not. The bubble still often forgets those that just like beer served in their chosen way.
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