CAMRA sticks by cask ale ban

Group defends decision to oust Greene King brews from festival

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has been attacked for banning two of the country's favourite beers from this year's Great British Beer Festival.

Suffolk brewer Greene King is furious that its Ruddles County and Old Speckled Hen beers were prohibited from the festival, claiming the decision did not support CAMRA's campaign to improve sales of cask ale.

But CAMRA said the ban was necessary to protect Britain's brewing heritage. It explained it had banned the beers because production had been moved to a different site, changing the "natural ingredients" and "local taste" of the beer.

The decision to ban the beers came in the same week that CAMRA launched its raunchy new poster campaign, featuring naked models in an attempt to give real ale an up-to-date image.

Festival organisers told Greene King, which acquired Oxfordshire-brewer Morland along with the two beers two years ago, that they could not be displayed because CAMRA "doesn't approve of companies that buy breweries for a brand name and then close a brewery and move production to another site".

But Greene King slammed the decision and said the public wanted to see these beers "celebrated, not banned".

Since acquiring the two ales which were in serious decline, Greene King has boosted sales of Old Speckled Hen by 31 per cent and Ruddles by 50 per cent.

Brewing and distribution director at Greene King John Redman (pictured)​ said: "The majority of real ale drinkers support the survival of beers like Ruddles and Old Speckled Hen, and are only too pleased to find them increasingly available."

CAMRA's decision has been criticised by beer experts. John Roberts, beer and brands director at London brewer Fuller's, said: "Starting to nit-pick in this way is a bit unnecessary. There are bigger issues out there for the cask ale industry to address. From the consumers' point of view, does it really matter where Old Speckled Hen is made?"

Chris Holmes, managing director of Nottingham brewer Tynemill and a former national chairman of CAMRA, said the decision was inconsistent because other products which it supported had shifted their production to another site.

"The winner of this year's Gold Award Oakham's JHB was originally brewed in Oakham, but is now brewed in Peterborough," he said.

Paul Nunny, director of Cask Marque, said: "You've got to take your hat off to Greene King. It's building a loyal following for those beers and there's a lot to be learned there.

"I think CAMRA is shooting itself in the foot."

But Iain Loe, CAMRA's research and information manager, said the group stood by its decision.

"Promoting these beers as Ruddles County and Old Speckled Hen is like pretending a wine comes from Bordeaux when it comes from Cleethorpes," he said.

He said CAMRA was not out of touch but rather the brewers were at fault because they did not make the origins of a beer clear to consumers.

"The average person on the street does not understand what cask ale is because the brewers have deliberately sent out confusing messages," Mr Loe said.

"There is more to a beer than just a brand name."

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