I am happy that this week's CAMRA and BrewDog discussion has given the opportunity for we who are not familiar with the workings of the organization some insights. This morning there have been a load of Twitter activity (oxymoron alert!!) about the Great British Beer Festival including more than a few good observations from Steve Lamond in exchanges with he who is called Young Dredge - like these:
@gareths121 @markdredge maybe as Germany is a country that "doesn't have a tradition of cask conditioned beers" they are exempt...#
@markdredge maybe 10% of attendees are at GBBF to seek exotic
beers, the remainder just want a day out drinking with friends...#
@markdredge and that's because the majority of people at the beer
festival will stick to what they're familiar with...#
Today's flurry of commentary arose from a good summary of events written by Will Hawkes in The Independent this morning, "British beer: a storm in a pint glass." I liked the article - even as others seem to circle wagons... again - especially this curt accusation from James Watt of BrewDog about the nature of the festival: "...There are beers across a massive flavour spectrum, rather than everything being a 3.5 to 4.5 per cent bitter.”
Such a clever lad, Mr. Watt. A wag. Yet, when you look at the comments from Lamond above, I think you may see something that I am getting from this distance perhaps for the first time. While the first comment falls into the stereotype of overly persnickety rules hugging and seems to miss the dual points that there are plenty of locales within Germany with a tradition of cask conditioned beers while few actually give a rat's ass about exporting an English club's ideas of traditions of cask conditioned beers into other countries, the other two comments confirm something not much discussed. Maybe the GBBF is more about a gathering of the like minded enjoying a hobby about product than it is a festival of the product itself. The idea of celebrating "a day out drinking with friends" at a large scale as well as, no doubt, the success of CAMRA in being able to leverage an event of this newsworthy scale through organized volunteer effort is a very separate thing from the just question of what's on the menu. Something between a convention's trade show floor and an agricultural fair. A gathering of hobbyists.
If that makes it a fest about 3.5 to 4.5 per cent bitter, so what? It doesn't make it a festival about the best beer, for sure. But it is about the favorites of those involved. Is that so bad?
Comments
Pivní Filosof - July 22, 2011 11:31 AM
If there are so many people who have an issue with CAMRA's stubbornly reactionary position vis-a-vis Cask Ale and with the organisation's refusal of allowing anything that is not Cask Ale served at the events THEY organise, why don't they just organise a "Craft Keg" festival then?
Alan - July 22, 2011 11:43 AM
I may have been partially persuaded to that point of view by those tweets. Not due to the strictness of the rules (I am a lawyer who understands equity so a rule will never be ultimately compelling) but the clubbiness of it all. I do think it is silly to call it the Champion Beer of Britain but as long as they lack authority, who cares?
dansmallbeer - July 22, 2011 4:20 PM
Regardless of your stance on the issues (and they are unfortunately construed in simplistic terms by many of the debaters — not your fine self of course) I think one valid complaint against CAMRA's fest is that, like it or not, to most people who don't obsess about these things, the GBBF represents British beer in a particular way while seeming to represent it in a general way. It's the biggest fest, its name makes it look like it's a national venture, and any "neutral" attendees there for a good beer would be completely reasonable to assume that what is on offer is a cross section of the best British beers — which it isn't. I think that CAMRA's festival is a great thing, and cask beer is a great thing, but I do have sympathy with people who feel that the exercise does a modicum of what Bourdieu might call "symbolic violence."
Ron Pattinson - July 23, 2011 9:40 AM
Not all the beers at GBBF are 3.5 to 4.5% Bitters by any means. Anyone who says that is an idiot.
I don't see anyone rushing to establish a rival festival on a similar scale. It takes a huge amount of effort and organisation. People should be grateful for CAMRA volunteers basically doing it for free. Instead you get the fan boys whinging about some irrelevant shit.
I haven't been for a few years and am really looking forward to the event. Especially Cask-conditioned Devil's Backbone Dark Lager.
Steve Lamond - July 23, 2011 12:05 PM
@Alan, yes I think Champion Beer of Britain probably needs updating so that all beers are eligible. This is another thing that has to be passed by members at an AGM though
Dan, the scope of the festival is fairly clear in that the campaign for real ale organise it. Whether people know what real ale is is another matter entirely.
You can call me Steve by the way Alan McLeod (not sure id you're the same Alan...)
Alan - July 23, 2011 2:16 PM
Hey Steve! That is me. I did tweet this post but it got lost in the shuffle as I posted abut 6 am N.Am. time as I was up with the baby. Thanks for the dialogue on the GBBF. It has really helped me understand the importance of the collective act of volunteering that is at the heart of it all.
Steve Lamond - July 23, 2011 2:43 PM
Yeah its a great day out to attend the festival but its much more rewarding to work at it, even if only for a session or two because you get a better understanding of how it all comes together, a chance to get people to try new things (especially on BSF!) and make loads of friends within CAMRA. Its also handy as you get accommodation and meals too plus the staff bar. Maybe you can head across one year to see it?
dave - July 27, 2011 12:27 PM
"the Champion Beer of Britain" seems to be similar in nature to rate beer's "the best beers in the world" yearly 'competition'. Where it is a silly name, that pisses people off, but the 'namers' don't have any 'authority' (as Alan said above).
The GBBF is certainly enticing to me, and one of these days I hope to hop the pond and attend, but I find it strange people stick with the familiar. I've always had the mindset that fests are for trying new things.