Not all members enjoy real ale admits CAMRA

I received my new CAMRA membership card today complete with the Wetherspoons vouchers that will no doubt rot away in a drawer for the next year. There was a letter from CAMRA thanking me for my support etc. but one paragraph caught my eye and I needed to read it again because I thought I must have mis-read it. I quote:

'We understand that not all members enjoy real ale (my capitals) but love real cider. We are continuing to work with JD Wetherspoon on this matter however all of their locations sell real cider. This could lead to confusion with Managers/Staff offering discounts on ciders such as Strongbow, Magners or some Westons products that do not fit with CAMRA's definition of real cider. We can only advise that in the interim you speak to the manager at your local JD Wetherspoon.'

I was astounded to read this. I thought that CAMRA existed to promote and protect real ale but I'm obviously wrong. My first thought was that the cider drinkers don't appreciate the voucher scheme then tough, they are in the wrong consumer group. However, on reflection what is more ridiculous that CAMRA happily accommodates members who don't like real ale, but when those who do suggest that CAMRA recognises craft beers which are a lot more similar to cask beer than any cider they are cast as traitors.

Cains Brewery in Last Chance Saloon

So Cains are pulling out of the supermarket canned beer market and are hoping to develop a 'Brewery Village' with a hotel, cinema, supermarket and apartments. The brewery tap will be extended to allow increased number of brewery tours and the brewery itself will be modernised and re-positioned as a 'craft brewery'.

I have to say that I'm not a big fan of Cains. As part of the CAMRA Members' Investment Club I saw a large sum of our money go down the drain when Cains went into administration not that long after offering a share issue. Surprise, surprise the owners purchased the company for a knock-down price and started up again. Nothing illegal, it happens all the time, but it cost me money. Also, their beers are pretty rubbish in my opinion. Bland throughout the range the Mild was the one beer of theirs that I liked so they promptly scrapped it. They were the obvious future beneficiary in Liverpool of the Locale campaign but took their eye off the ball and the likes of Liverpool Organic stepped in. You'd be hard pressed to find their beers in any of Liverpool's better real ale ale pubs.

Their real problem is the size of the brewery. It is a huge site and operates at a fraction of capacity. I doubt if it was fully utilised when its predecessor Higsons was at the height of its powers. I very much doubt that Cains will ever be successful in the cask or craft market.

Holiday season

My first holiday of the year starts tomorrow. Where better for the beer lover than Belgium, where the appendage 'brewer' is highly respected by everyone and the alcohol police are yet to hold sway.

I'm staying with my family in Sunparks,in the quaint, slightly up-market resort of De Haan on the coast. Sunparks is a sort of League 2 version of Center Parcs. It's under the same ownership as Center Parcs and bizarrely was re-branded as such last year only to revert to its former name again this year. It isn't in the middle of nowhere  - the only partly true strap line is 'In the Middle of Everywhere' - but that's a plus point for me. A semi-detached house, tropical pool complex and excellent transport routes including a bus to Bruges and the the wonderful coastal tram which runs every 15 minutes from the French border in the east to the Dutch coast in the east.

'De Torre' in De Haan. A stylish Art Nouveau bar, typical of the architecture of the town, just 18 steps from the tram stop.

There's a couple of very good bars in De Haan, and plenty of others along the coast and my day out in Bruges will be especially beery. Op uw gezondheid!

Beer Duty Escalator scrapped

I'll drink to that!

Minimum Pricing latest

So David Cameron climbs down on minimum pricing for alcohol. A battle may have been won but certainly not the war.

We know that the health lobby don't just want to tackle binge drinkers but won't be happy until all drinkers are cajoled into paying more and drinking less.

A newespaper advert from my local 'health provider' last week even inferred that reducing alcohol consumption can help people find a better job.

Global Burden of Disease Study 2010

Many of you will no doubt seen headlines today proclaiming Britain as one of the unhealthiest developed countries in the world with lower life expectancy than many of those countries. As you would expect, alcohol was identified as one of the problems.

I spent some time examining the report and discovered some interesting facts. There is no denying that liver disease has become more prevalent in the UK over the last 20 years and that certain sections of society do not treat alcohol with the respect that it demands. However, looking at the statistics the UK now ranks 11th of the 19 countries surveyed for deaths from cirrhosis of the liver. Despite Belgium's multitude of extra-strong beers their level of cirrhosis is lower than the UK. We have less deaths than France, Germany or USA. The level of deaths in the UK is statistically indistinguishable from the mean for all the countries.

While I don't deny that there is a problem with some people binge drinking in the UK, to say that the problem is unique to the UK is wide of the mark. That won't stop the health lobby making life difficult for the vast majority who drink responsibly

Watering the beer

Anhheuser-Busch InBev (such a catchy moniker) is being sued in the US for allegedly watering down it's Budweiser and Michelob beers. The lawsuits claim consumers have been cheated out of the alcohol content stated on labels.

I presume their defense is that they were trying to improve the taste.

More on Chester

It's worth noting that Sam Smith's 'Boot' is selling an excellent pint of Old Brewery Bitter for £1.80. The majority of beers in Brunning & Price outlets 'Old Harkers Arms' and the sumptious new 'Architect' are £3.60/pint. You pays your money..........