Category: News

A host of content produced by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has been shortlisted for the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards 2023. The content includes output from its educational Learn & Discover platform, articles written for the Campaign’s dynamic news website What’s Brewing and books published by the consumer organisation this year.

CAMRA regularly publishes ground-breaking books about pubs, beer, brewing, cider and perry.  Publications from CAMRA Books have been nominated and received multiple awards from the British Guild of Beer Writers, as well as Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards and the Gourmand Awards.

Collaborating with esteemed writers, influencers and film makers, the award-winning Learn & Discover site hosts an abundance of educational articles, videos and audio material.

Alex Metcalfe, CAMRA’s Learning & Discovery Manager, said: “I am ecstatic to learn that so much content from CAMRA has been shortlisted for the prestigious British Guild of Beer Writers awards. There is a wealth of quality material from both our publishing arm and on our Learn & Discover website. I cannot wait for the award ceremony later this month.

“Both our shortlisted authors, David Jesudason and Des de Moor, deserve all the plaudits they are receiving (and will continue to do so) with their latest stellar titles. Putting it simply, your bookshelf isn’t complete without their books!

“I am so happy to see collaborators from the Learn and Discover website rightly being shortlisted too. The new content on the online platform continues to entertain, educate and enthral.”

Commenting on this year’s finalists, Guild Director Jonathan Garrett said: “It’s said every year, but the quality of this year’s entries was exceptional, and in some categories we wanted to give gold to everyone on the shortlist. What was really pleasing to see, on top of the extraordinary storytelling and beautiful writing, was the breadth of topics covered both by individual authors and across the board. It made the judging extremely difficult, but all the more joyous.”

See below for CAMRA’s and its collaborators’ award nominations.

Best Book About Beer or Pubs

• Desi Pubs (published by CAMRA) – Written by award-winning journalist and beer writer David Jesudason, the ground-breaking book Desi Pubs is a fascinating guide to British-Indian pubs, food and culture, taking the reader on a journey to parts of Britain that are seldom visited. The book is a celebration of 21st-century Britain and the forgotten people who created our modern, multicultural country.
• CASK (published by CAMRA) – Discover the origins and history of cask ale with author Des de Moor and how the drink has developed and changed over time. CASK takes you behind the scenes to learn about the brewing process, from malting to conditioning. Gain a deeper understanding of the craftsmanship behind every pint.

Best Corporate Beer Communication 

CAMRA submitted the following pieces from its Learn & Discover platform:

• Ukrainian Golden Ale – Filmed by Kyiv writer, translator and educator Lana Svitankova, the first Certified Cicerone in Ukraine, this immersive documentary shines a light on the unusual beer style. Lana’s short film unveils the history of Ukrainian golden ale and its flavour profiles. The video is also available to watch on CAMRA’s YouTube channel here.
• Ukrainian Social Clubs – Award-winning author of 50 Years of CAMRA, Laura Hadland, puts a spotlight on the proud heritage and history of Ukrainian social clubs in the UK. Founded by displaced persons forced to flee Ukraine after WWII, they have been fortified and strengthened by new generations of migrants, refugees and British-born Ukrainians who work together to protect and share their culture, language and traditions.
• Grodziskie: Everything You Need to Know About ‘Polish Champagne’ – Beer writer Ruvani de Silva introduces readers to this little-known style of beer. Illustrated by Christine Jopling, the article details the Polish smoked wheat beer’s beginnings, long and interesting history, eventual decline and contemporary revival.
• Community Ownership of Working Men’s Clubs – Drinks writer Rachel Hendry explores the revolutionary way Social & Working Men’s Clubs are owned and managed, noting what differentiates a social club to a pub.

Best Communication about Pubs

CAMRA submitted the following pieces from its Learn & Discover platform:

• Meaning of Pubs – A heartfelt short film by Jessica Mason celebrating the importance of the humble local pub. Filmed and produced by Emma Inch, it is based on Jessica’s contribution to the first ever edition of CAMRA’s Good Beer Yearbook.
• Community Ownership of Working Men’s Clubs – Rachel Hendry.

Best Video Beer Communication

CAMRA submitted the following pieces from its Learn & Discover platform:

• Meaning of Pubs – Jessica Mason and Emma Inch
• Ukrainian Golden Ale – Lana Svitankova
• Introduction to Belgian Beers – Curious about Belgian beer? Join author of CAMRA’s Beer Breaks – the essential pocket guide to European beer travel – Tim Webb as he explores eight classic Belgian beer styles. Filmed by Bill Bradshaw in association with Visit Flanders, the short film is also available to view on YouTube here.

Best Communication about Cider

CAMRA submitted the following pieces from its Learn & Discover platform:

• World of cider: Hardanger – The second instalment of CAMRA’s World of Cider video series, renown cider expert Gabe Cook, otherwise known as The Ciderologist, meets Norwegian cider producers in Hardanger. Attending the Hardanger Cider Festival, Gabe learns of the history of Norwegian cidermaking, the practicalities of producing cider in Norway and the country’s ever growing cider tourism scene. Filmed by Haritz Rodriguez, the documentary boasts of breath-taking shots of fjords and the stunning Norwegian landscape. The trailer for the film is free to view on CAMRA’s YouTube channel here.
• Intro to sparkling cider – The first in a cider series by Rachel Hendry exploring why some ciders are still while others are sparkling. Rachel details the science and processes involved in making different styles of cider, from the importance of fermentation to the multiple methods of carbonation.
• A day in the life of a harvester – Harvest is the busiest time of the year for anyone involved in apple growing and cider making, with long hours and lots of hard work. Rachel asks what actually is involved in the harvesting of apples?
• What makes a good harvest – Agricultural workers’ labour is tied so closely with that of their orchards, the run up to harvest can be an anxious time. Without apples to harvest there would be no cider to drink or sell and Rachel explores what really makes a good harvest.

Laura Hadland is also a regular columnist for CAMRA’s online news platform, What’s Brewing, and was shortlisted in both the Best Business Beer Communicator and Best Communication about Diversity in Beer awards.

Martin arrived in Sheffield in 1976, as an art student with no particular interest to secure work. He became a founding member of The Leadmill, producing their promotional posters from 1980-92 including Pulp, . In fact he went on to supply the artwork for most of the bands, venues and promoters in the city. This expanded to Europe and the USA, where his artwork was sought after by the legendary punk poetess, Patti Smith. The early Leadmill days established him as an “house artist,” producing the shouty style posters, reminiscent of the USA B-movie film promotional material. He even set-up a silk screen printer to aid his art. He was even proficient with a camera, producing shots of The Damned, The Adverts, Roy Harper and Nils Lofgren.  

His artwork has prompted quotes from legendary Sheffield musicians on his inspiration:

Richard Hawley who said ” When Martin did posters for The Leadmill, I would look for them on the walls of our city. I have loved this man and his work for many years.” 

Pete McKee, renowned Sheffield artist was quoted as saying ” It was Martins Leadmill posters that inspired me to be an artist. I was very fortunate to have him as a tutor on my art foundation course.” 

Martin then branched out to managing bands and promoting gigs, by founding the Honey Bee Blues Club in 2014, in venues like The Leadmill, Dorothy Pax, The Greystones and smaller pubs across the city. His legacy, Honey Bee Blues Club currently holds around 6-8 gigs a month around Sheffield. Bands such as Fargo Railroad Company, Ash Gray, 20ft Squid band and Banjo Jen owe a lot of their success to Martin and his tenacity in hosting gigs whatever the attendances.

His last event was to bring the young rock ‘n; roll band The Molotovs to The Clubhouse in October. I am sure the Honey Bees Blues Club collective will carry on his work and assist local bands in their quest for fame. 

Martin will be sadly missed by the art, music and licenced trade community which he served so well.  

Reference credit:  http://www.martinfbedford.com

Kevin Thompson and Paul Crofts

Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) condemns Government over lack of action to support publicans and boost consumer choice at the bar 

Laws governing the relationship between pub owning businesses and the tied tenants who run those pubs won’t be changed or improved, the Government announced yesterday. 

It comes as the Department for Business and Trade published its response to a statutory review of the Pubs Code for England and Wales – a set of rules governing the relationship between pub-owning businesses and their tied tenants. 

Consumer group CAMRA wanted to see changes to give tied pub tenants more choice over which beers they offer, including the right to a guest draught beer or cider from local and independent producers instead of having to buy a restricted range of stock at set prices from the pub-owning company.  

The Campaign for Real Ale also urged the Government to beef up the Pubs Code so that more publicans could benefit from protections and rights when it comes to the way they are treated by big pub-owning businesses. 

Without changes to make sure tied pub tenants are treated fairly and are able to turn a profit under their contracts, it is feared that more pubs will be forced to close and be lost to their communities. 

Instead of making improvements to the laws around pubs and tied tenants in response to changes to the industry in recent years, the Government decided not to act. 

“The lack of action to improve protections for pub tenants and to improve choice for consumers at the bar is deeply disappointing,” said Nick Boley, CAMRA Campaigns Director.

“Changing these laws to allow a better range of beers on offer from small, local and independent breweries would have increased choice for consumers. It’s not fair that large pub-owning businesses can restrict landlords to buying certain beers often at above-market value and prevent them from supporting small, local breweries by offering these beers on tap.  

“CAMRA is also worried that the existing Pubs Code isn’t meeting its key principles – that tied tenants should be no worse off than other publicans and that they can expect fair and lawful dealing from pub owning-businesses. Research carried out by CAMRA last year found that less than a quarter of tied tenants who responded said that they were treated fairly and lawfully, or that they were no worse off.   

“The Government needs to re-think this decision to do nothing and instead improve the Pubs Code so that we can see a thriving pub sector in England and Wales where the rights of pub tenants are protected, and consumers have a diversity of venues to choose from. Otherwise, the current corporate stranglehold will only tighten, and we risk seeing more pubs shutting their doors and being lost to our communities.”

It was recently announced that internationally recognised beer-writer, Pete Brown, is revisiting his 2016 report, ‘BEER,’ with an updated version to be launched during Sheffield Beer Week 2024 (4-10 March). The original report stated that ‘Sheffield is the real ale capital of the world – and can also stake a claim to being the birthplace of the UK craft beer revolution.’

At the time, I wrote: ‘I read the Report while en route for a few days in LambicLand (Belgium). It generated considerable discussion with both colleagues and also a number of local Brewers. At Itterbeek, we had a long beer-related conversation with the Flanders Region Minister of Culture. He expressed more interest in the Sheffield beer scene than seems to emanate from Sheffield Town Hall…… The Sheffield region needs to up its game regarding exports. The Sheffield Beer Report suggests that a local canning/bottling plant is an essential.’ (Beer Matters, 464, June 2016, 6-7).

Since then, the world has changed: Brexit, Covid, lockdowns, international uncertainty and continued inept UK government. However, almost eight years on, does Sheffield continue to justify the claim of the best real ale city in the world? My answer would be an undoubted ‘yes.’

The local beer range has grown dramatically over the last decade with several innovative new cask brewers coming on stream, for example: Grizzly Grains, Loxley and Triple Point. Innovative collaborations occur several times/week and several long-established brewers, including Abbeydale, Lost Industry and Steel City have taken-up barrel ageing with the Abbeydale, ‘Funk Dungeon’ project of particular note. Heist, despite their focus on Keykeg, recently won the gold award at the 47^th Sheffield Steel City Beer Festival for their cask hazy session IPA, ‘The Bad Part of Gnome Town’ (4.6% abv) while, last year, Triple Point were winners of the World’s Best Gluten-free Beer at the World Beer Awards, for their Trivergence DIPA (8.5%). In addition, Fuggle Bunny, Stancil, Tapped and Toolmakers are celebrating a decade of brewing while brewSocial have recently completed their first year in operation.

Sheffield is also attracting, well-respected brewers from elsewhere. For example, after seven successful years managing the ‘Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project,’ in Boston, Massachusetts (established 2008), Dann Paquette and Martha Holley spent two years travelling. In 2018, they relocated to Sheffield, and, in deepest Attercliffe, established St.Mars of the desert (SMOD). Their aim is to ‘brew adventurous beers for interesting people.’ In this, they have succeeded: their ‘Secret World,’ is hidden behind old industrial units in a currently unfashionable part of the city. Here an exciting range of beers are produced and may be sampled in their taproom. On RateBeer, in 2020, they were named as amongst the top ten new breweries in the world. A second example is Mike Pomranz. Mike moved from Brooklyn, New York, to Sheffield in 2016 continuing his interest in cidermaking. In September 2021, he opened The Cider Hole – an urban microcidery, bar, and bottle shop – where he made, and served, his own Exemption Ciderhouse cider. Having become the 2023 Sheffield and District CAMRA ‘Cider Pub of the Year,’ the Cider Hole closed in June, Exemption relocating to become part of the Old Shoe, a new bar located in the city centre.

My suggestion regarding export has happened. Stimulated by lockdown, there has also been an almost exponential increase in the range, and variety, of small-package products: beers from many Sheffield breweries are now widely available in both bottle and can. For example, Abbeydale, Bradfield, Little Critters, Neepsend and Triple Point can be found nationwide. It’s also worth noting that the beer of ‘Sheffield Home of Football’ is brewed at Meadowhead by Little Mesters. There has also been a growth in high quality bottle-shops, for example, long- established favourites, the Dram Shop and Small Beer have been joined by the likes of Beer Central and Hop Hideout, both of whom recently celebrated their 10^th anniversary.

As for pubs: Sheffield does not seem to have experienced the dramatic pub-loss suffered by many other parts of the UK. There have been closures but also many openings, especially of micropubs: we seem to have more micropubs than any other UK city of a comparable size. Local beers continue to be seen across the city with cask-only brewer, Blue Bee, a particular favourite. Beer tourism continues to provide massively more income to the city than the annual World Snooker Championship. This was recently illustrated when CAMRA held their annual Member’s Weekend, Conference and AGM at the University of Sheffield. Apart from one negative comment regarding the hills, almost 1000 attendees gave very positive feedback on local beers, pubs and importantly, their friendly welcome.

Sheffield also continues to be the only UK city with its own detailed Pub Heritage publication. Originally produced in 2018, this 120- page book is now in its 5^th edition and is available as both a paper copy and a free download.

In short, since 2016, the Sheffield beer scene has vastly improved: more innovation, more choice, more venues and more information – it remains the undoubted beer capital of the world.

Mark, who sadly passed away on 22 October aged 82, was the landlord of the Grouse Inn at Froggatt Edge near Longshaw, a pub he had been at for 58 years with his father being the previous landlord!

This rural pub is owned by the family and is quite traditional and unspoilt – it has a cosy lounge with open fire, conservatory area suitable for walkers with muddy boots and a dining room serving home cooked food. Regulars are treated like family or friends!

The dates have been announced for the 2024 edition of Sheffield Beer Week, which will be taking place from 4 to 10 March. This will be the 10th anniversary of this initiative that celebrates the Sheffield beer scene including the people in it with themes of beer, food, community and heritage.

The event started its life when SIBA’s annual conference and BeerX was held in Sheffield in order to show off what we have in Sheffield to all those trade people visiting the city and has evolved over the last decade into what it is today.

You can look forward to many different events independently organised across the city in pubs, bars, restaurants and breweries – possibly even shops and galleries too based on past experience! It is all coordinated by Jules Gray of Hop Hideout who also organises the annual Indie Beer Feast – a festival showcasing independent brewers with most of the bars hosted by the brewers themselves – which usually takes place the weekend prior to beer week.

For the latest news on the beer week, keep an eye on the website – sheffieldbeerweek.co.uk – or their socials.

Richard Ryan, or Ricko to friends, passed away in hospital on the morning of 20 September.

For many years Ricko was actively involved in the Sheffield & District CAMRA branch holding various committee roles including chairman, however I think most people remember him as social secretary, organising some excellent minibus trips to various pubs and breweries, Christmas dinner parties and an annual day out at the Thornbridge Hall charity garden party – which was one of our branch’s few family orientated events.

Ricko was involved in brewery related socials well before my drinking career began and Chris Pearce, who now volunteers as cellar manager at our beer festival, recalls first meeting him on a coach trip from the Cocked Hat Attercliffe to Marstons Brewery in the late 1980s. “The coach stopped on the way back for more beer (as if we needed more!) and then on joining the M1 for one junction, we hit a jam. An eternity later we left at junction 29 and stopped at the first lay-by for us to empty aching bladders. The whole coach was lined up against the hedge and we all roared with laughter. We next met when I did my first festival circa 2002 and amazingly he remembered me. Since then we’ve always had a good chat at festivals. And that coach trip was remembered in our last conversation in the Northern General”.

Ricko was also clubs officer, championing the traditional working mens clubs and keen to find ones with real ale, an interest that was down to growing up in a family that had been involved with running clubs.

He was also involved in our beer festival organising committee and for a number of years was responsible for booking the bands. This was generally a huge success although one year a rock covers band was asked to turn the volume down due to the venue having a wedding party booked in next door to the festival with the result being the band stormed off stage and left! Ricko had to be consoled on the night as he felt he had let everyone down, however since has laughed about it with the rest of us!

For a number of years Ricko also organised an awards night for the beers that had been judged the best of the festival. He was keen to make it a special – but affordable – occasion and managed to persuade Thornbridge to provide us with a high class venue free of charge and the winning brewers to provide free beer – so we were able to sell affordable tickets that just had to cover the cost of a coach to Thornbridge Hall and a buffet! Whilst the support of those businesses was something we were most grateful for, it was really Ricko’s warm and easy going character and personality that helped make the organisation of such events possible.

Ricko loved his real ale – and also stronger Belgian beers (I wonder thinking back now if that is why bottles often appeared at our beer festival!) He was also a fan of Laurel & Hardy and was a member of Sons of the Desert, an appreciation society, which did see some cross over with his CAMRA membership with film screenings in pubs and joint brewery trips organised!

In more recent years Ricko’s health and mobility wasn’t so great, however he did still make the effort to come and help at the beer festival doing a desk job in the cashiers office (aka “counting house”), a volunteer role he’d held for quite a few years. Dr Tim Stillman recalls them working together in some strange places – An artiste’s dressing room with lights around the mirrors, behind a curtain at the back of a stage and even a dingy broom cupboard with no ventilation. At an outdoor festival in Cemetery Park, the counting house was our friends caravan parked behind the marquee. It rained constantly and as the festival went on the mud got deeper and deeper in and out of the caravan. As we were counting one afternoon I noticed Richard’s neat piles of ten pence’s were taking on the appearance of the leaning tower of Pisa. Also our pens seemed to be rolling across the table towards us. He looked at me and said “I think we best sit on the other side of the table” 

Meanwhile in Handsworth, where he lived most of his life, he did continue to make the occasional appearance at the Chantry Inn, which is where a get-together was held following his well attended funeral.

For those that couldn’t make the funeral or wake another chance to raise a toast to Ricko was provided at this years beer festival with a special beer on the bar brewed in tribute by Bradfield Brewery called Counting House Stout.

First bus made some changes to their timetables on 3 September, much of this was adjustments to journey times to reflect traffic congestion and there have also been some changes to evening services. This does include some bits of good news including a later last bus to Totley on weekdays.

Coming up on 29 October is much more significant change. This will see reductions in evening and Sunday services on routes that are operated with subsidy under contract to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, additionally there will be some changes for buses run under contract to Derbyshire County Council. At the time of writing the majority of the planned changes hadn’t been announced so keep an eye on travelsouthyorkshire.com for Sheffield buses and derbysbus.info for Derbyshire buses.

From CAMRA’s point of view having buses available to get you to and from pubs, particularly at the most popular times for socialising and leisure activities which is evenings and weekends, is important and we are concerned at the prospect of more cuts to services in South Yorkshire. There are already parts of the city with no buses at these times and not being able to get to the pub and enjoy socialising is bad for mental health as well as potentially leading to pubs going out of business from lack of custom if they are relying on customers travelling from further afield than their local neighbourhood – not everyone can afford regular use of taxis!

There are some further positive developments included in the 29 October changes we are aware of however, including the introduction of a later evening service on the X17 between Sheffield and Chesterfield and also the extension of evening and Sunday services on route 44 through to Chesterfield. The recently introduced improvements to evening services on the 218 and 257 to Bakewell and 272 to Castleton are also to continue. Many of these improvements are being supported by Derbyshire County Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) package funded by the government.

The previously reported Peak Sightseer open top bus tour between Chatsworth, Baslow, Calver and Bakewell ends its daily summer service at the end of September but will continue running at weekends until Christmas eve if you still want to give it a go!

The 1 November sees some changes to fares with the government subsidised bus fare cap increasing from £2 to £2.50 and the end of the South Yorkshire Mayor’s Zoom Beyond card trial, which offered 18-21 year olds travel at 80p per ride. It may also sees the £2 fare on trams funded by the South Yorkshire Mayor end – details here are not yet announced. If you are taking more than one ride a day or travelling regularly check if one of the unlimited travel passes will save you money.

CAMRA has announced the upcoming release of its groundbreaking new perry book from writer Adam Wells, which will be the first consumer guide to one of the UK’s most traditional drinks. 

Despite being largely unknown outside of the UK, perry – a drink like cider but produced from pears rather than apples – has for centuries been compared to fine wine and champagne in countries all around the world. Although it fell out of fashion in recent years, it’s making a comeback with producers creating both new and traditional perries to great acclaim.  

CAMRA’s championing of cider and perry at its festivals over the last 50 years has been credited with playing a significant role in keeping perry alive and now the Campaign is going further to promote and support this traditional drink. 

A new consumer focused guide to perry is slated for publication by CAMRA Books in 2024, penned by drinks writer, presenter and founder-editor of the popular ‘Cider Review’ site, Adam Wells. 

Following the success of recent title Modern British Cider, which raised over £5,800 in KickStarter funding, CAMRA Books will again be offering readers the chance to be part of the whole publication journey. A new KickStarter is due to launch as part of CAMRA’s October Cider and Perry Month celebration, and will bring exclusive offers, events, tastings and perry news for those who sign up. 

“This book will for the first time shed light on a drink shrouded in so much mystery and history.  

“When made well (and it is not easy to make well!) perry is the finest beverage of any kind made on these shores. I can’t wait to read what Adam discovers about perry from the UK and beyond!” said Ciderologist Gabe Cook, author of Modern British Cider and previous winner of CAMRA’s Campaigner of the Year Award. 

Gillan Hough, Real Ale, Cider and Perry Campaigns Director for the Campaign said, “Perry is a long-underappreciated drink, so we’re thrilled to have Adam on board to do this book justice.  

“There are very few books about perry, and these are mainly technical manuals for producers. It’s nearly 50 years since CAMRA beer festivals first served cider and perry, so a consumer-focused perry book is long overdue! 

“As well as producing a delicious drink, perry pears are also of huge ecological value, with trees taking decades to mature before producing fruit for centuries. Now is a critical time as countless perry pear varieties have already been lost, and others are down to a single mature tree. The best way to keep these orchards viable is to enjoy everything perry has to offer, and I hope Adam’s book will be a catalyst for many more consumers to rediscover perry.”  

Author Adam Wells said, “The last five years or so have seen an incredible upsurge in the interest in and quality of aspirational, high juice content perry. Not only in the UK, but in its other ancient heartlands of France and Austria and in newer perrymaking countries around the world.  

“Though there are excellent pomological works written on perry pears, as curious drinkers discover this shy, secretive and often magnificent drink, the absence of a dedicated guide to perry is increasingly striking. Covering growing, making, pear varieties, styles, appreciation, history, countries and producers, I hope this book provides a contribution to a much longer conversation and a useful resource both for long-standing perry lovers and those discovering the joys of great perry for the first time.” 

images by Bill Bradshaw