REGIONAL SOCIAL
To celebrate the lifting of restrictions, CAMRA’s 50th Anniversary and GBBF at your Local, there will be a regional social at the Bricklayer’s Arms in Putney on Saturday 7 August from 3pm. It will be hosted by regional director Geoff Strawbridge, whose birthday it will be. It will also be the centenary of the birth of John Young, although given the news on page 13, I’m not sure if he would be in the mood to celebrate. The full address of the pub is 32 Waterman Street, Putney, SW15 1DD.
The Good Beer Guide: the 2022 edition of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide is scheduled for publication on 28 October 2021. It will not simply be a rehash of the 2021 edition. CAMRA branches are currently re-checking their original entries for the 2022 Guide and sufficient time has been built into the process for changes to be made in light of the events of the last year. The Guide is still valuable for promoting pubs and breweries, especially at a time when they need it more than ever. We will review it in full in the next edition.
Cider and Perry – new definition: in May, CAMRA released its revised definition of what constitutes traditional cider and perry. The principle is that CAMRA defines real cider or perry as being fermented from the whole juice of fresh pressed apples or pears, without the use of concentrated or chaptalised juices. Chaptalisation is the process whereby the alcohol level in a cider or perry is increased by the addition of sugar to an unnatural level for storage, before it is diluted with water to the desired alcohol content for sale. A similar method is used in high gravity brewing. If you wish to read the full definition, go here.
CAMRA’s Pomona Award: the deadline for nominations for this year’s award is 1 August so, sadly, there may not be time for readers to make nominations but branches were notified in good time in early July. I mention it so that readers know that the award is being made this year despite everything. There was a London winner last year. To recap on its purpose, the Pomona Award, named after the goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards, is presented by CAMRA to a person, group, organisation, idea or concept (where a recipient can be identified) that has made an outstanding achievement, commitment, or contribution to the promotion of real cider or perry over the previous twelve months. Pubs.
Pints. People. podcast: I’m pleased to report that CAMRA’s podcast has been nominated for the Listeners’ Choice Award in the British Podcast Awards. Voting closed in early July and the winner should be announced in time for inclusion in the News Extra column (provided that they win!). A new season of the podcasts will begin in the autumn.
Beer Day Britain: Britain’s national beer day was held this year on 15 June. It was marked with the now traditional national ‘Cheers To Beer’ toast at 7pm that day. CAMRA, as usual, gave its support. The celebration was even more important this year because of the hardships faced by the pub trade and brewing industry and the effect that the various lockdowns have had on people’s social lives. There is still a lot to look at on the Beer Day Britain website https://www.beerdaybritain.co.uk/.
Changes to membership eligibility: CAMRA’s National Executive has decided that, in order not to be seen promoting alcohol consumption by those under age and thereby risking a ‘reasonable prospect of a legal or other material challenge that could result in reputational or other damage to the Campaign’, a minimum age of 18 for membership will be introduced. Existing members who are aged under 18 will have certain limitations placed on their activities and they will be contacted individually to explain what these limitations will be.
CAMRA and its anniversaries: John Cryne has asked me to point out that the cassette tape mentioned in his article in the last edition is correctly called The Story So Far 1971-1996 (not 1976).