What is CAMRA?
The Campaign for Real Ale is an independent, voluntary, consumer organisation. Membership is open to all individuals, but corporate entities such as breweries and pubs are not members.
CAMRA is governed by a voluntary unpaid national executive, elected by the membership. There is a dozen or so employed staff responsible for central campaigning, research, administration of membership, sales and so forth.
It is no exaggeration to say that CAMRA saved real ale in the U.K. and as a result saved many independent breweries. No new ale breweries were set up in the UK for the fifty years before we were founded. There are now around 300 new brewers producing real ale, part of a massive real ale revival.
Our membership has increased by 30,000 since 1989 to 90,000 in 2008. The two growth areas in the beer market are for premium lagers and real ales, as we see a more discerning drinker.
What are the benefits of CAMRA Membership?
Benefits of being a member of CAMRA include receiving the monthly What’s Brewing? newspaper, which is always full of interesting articles, and reduced admission charges to most CAMRA beer festivals.
CAMRA produces several books and guides each year that are available to members at reduced prices.
Campaigns and Pub/Club of the Year
There are national and local campaigns as CAMRA maintains its efforts to ensure the availability of traditional real ales. It is campaigning to ensure that every pint of beer bought actually contains a full pint: far too many do not. CAMRA campaigns for reduced tax on beer and assistance for smaller brewers.
Locally, branches campaign to keep breweries open and to protect the heritage of grand heritage pubs.
National Beer Scoring System
Once you are a member, you can contribute to the national beer scoring system. If you enter scores for pubs in our area, we will take these into account when deciding who will be included in our area in future Good Beer Guides.
The link to the scoring site is given below. The first time you enter the site you will be required to register. Have your CAMRA membership number handy.
I’d like to join CAMRA! How do I do that?
You can apply to join CAMRA at camra.org.uk/membership.
Alternatively postal details for CAMRA – Campaign for Real Ale – are as follows:
230 Hatfield Road
St. Albans
Herts
AL1 4LW
tel: +44 (0) 1727 867201
email: camra@camra.org.uk