2012 CAMRA Awards Results are in!

One of the legal obligations of a licensee in BC is that they must provide customers, upon request, a complete serving size/price list for every alcoholic beverage they offer. This list is not optional, as per the BC Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB) which states, in their Guide for Licensees in British Columbia, that, “you (licensee) must have a list available showing the types of liquor available, the size of each drink you sell and its price. Your price list should also include any drink specials you are currently offering. You (licensee) may post the price list as a printed list or on a board, or it can be available at all tables. At a minimum, it must be available to customers on request.”

The FUSS Campaign is focusing on persuading licensees to comply with this law so serving sizes are properly identified for the consumer, eliminating the misrepresentation of serving sizes, whether this misrepresentation is intentional or not. It is a fact that the majority of licensees do not comply with this law and the LCLB do not enforce this law, leaving the consumer at a disadvantage by not knowing what they are in fact ordering and paying for in advance. This is a basic consumer right.

Stage One of CAMRA Vancouver’s FUSS Campaign will see us writing a letter to our Corporate member licensees outlining their legal obligation to provide serving size lists and soliciting their support of the FUSS Campaign in order to set the “Gold Standard” in the hospitality industry. We hope by highlighting how not providing serving size-price lists negatively affects their customers, our Corporate members will comply, better serving CAMRA members and draft beer consumers in general. We will also be sending out similar letters to the appropriate hospitality industry associations urging them to have their members comply with the LCLB requirement of providing a serving size/price list to patrons.

To further encourage Corporate members and the hospitality industry in general to respect consumer rights, CAMRA BC is launching a “CAMRA BC Approved” decal campaign which will see local branches awarding decals to licensed establishments each year signifying the establishment meets CAMRA BC standards. One of the standards that must be met to be “CAMRA BC Approved” is to have a serving size/price list available for customers.

CAMRA Vancouver will also be providing education to members and consumers in general, about their legal rights as consumers by providing written material which will be made available on our website and at CAMRA sponsored and other craft beer events. We hope that by educating the general public about their consumer rights they will be better informed and able to insist that their rights be respected.

The second prong of Stage One of the FUSS Campaign will target the LCLB. CAMRA Vancouver will do so by sending a letter to the LCLB highlighting how the non-compliance of licensees in regards to providing serving size lists is negatively effecting consumers and urging the LCLB to enforce their laws to help eliminate the misrepresentation of draft beer serving sizes. Today we will also be starting our on-line
petition for draft beer consumers to sign.  The petition will be presented to the General Manager of the LCLB at a future date.

CAMRA Vancouver will also send out a news release to local media advising them of the FUSS campaign. Also, we will be notifying local bloggers in order to create a buzz and publicize what we are trying to achieve. It is our hope that the FUSS Campaign spreads beyond the craft beer community as it affects all consumers of draft beer, not just craft beer drinkers.

Strategies and actions for Stage Two of the FUSS Campaign depend a lot on the response we get from Step One actions. We hope there will not be a need for Step Two but be rest assured there is an action plan in place to be announced when the time is right.

To begin supporting the FUSS Campaign, please take the time to sign the on-line petition and spread the word to any and all who enjoy draft beer in BC. Let’s make our voices heard and effect some positive changes for draft beer consumers of BC!

Paddy Treavor
CAMRA Vancouver President
pres@camravancouver.ca

Executive Nominations

We are accepting nominations for all positions on the executive until 5:00pm January 13^th, 2012. Candidates will be announced on Tuesday, January 17^th, 2012. It is also possible to make a nomination at the AGM. Read more…

See you all there.

Renew you CAMRA Vancouver membership before January 6th, 2012 and we will have a pair of CAMRA Vancouver taster glasses available for you along with your new member card, ready for pick-up at our AGM in late January. Your new card will be valid for year after your current card expiry date.

To renew your membership visit our Membership renewal section and follow renewal process. It’s easy! You can renew online via PayPal.

Tasting glasses available while supplies last.

Beerthirst & CAMRA Vancouver are pleased to present the Tour de Richmond

Saturday, December 3^rd, 2011
11:45am pick up – 8pm drop off
Brighouse Skytrain Station, Richmond (look for the yellow school bus)

Come experience how Richmond is fast becoming one of the ultimate destinations for craft beer in BC! Our classic school bus will pick us up at Brighouse Skytrain Station (Canada Line) in Richmond at 11:45 sharp and whisk us off on a journey filled with fun, friends, prizes, craft beers and appetizers at each stop.

Tickets

EVENT IS SOLD OUT

Participating locations include:
Fogg N Suds
Kingswood Pub
Hog Shack Cook House
Blue Canoe Waterfront Restaurant
O’Hares Gastropub
Pumphouse Pub

Need to stock up on beer to go? Well never fear! Both O’Hares and Kingswood have beer stores!

Beerthirst would like to invite you to O’Hares during our stop for a complimentary tasting, featuring a seasonal release, a Marzen, an IPA and a Double Stout!

And just to make this event even more awesome, we’ll be supplying a Homebrew Collaboration cask courtesy of Russell Brewing and Scott Butchart of VanBrewers at our first stop!

We know you’ll be thirsty therefore each location will be offering additional pints for only $4 (+ tax & gratuity).

Follow @Beerthirst, @CAMRA_YVR & all of the participating locations on twitter and/or Facebook – @FoggBeerBar @HogShackca @bluecanoeresto @OHaresPub @PumphousePub to find out what the beer will be at each stop. #tourderichmond – keep the conversation going before and during the event.

Prizes! Because Beerthirst loves everyone so much, they’ll also be handing out extra special items on the bus, including free t-shirts! Email your size to Amanda at vp@camravancouver.ca before Nov 25^th.

The fine print: Please note that gratuity has not been included in the ticket price, so don’t forget to tip your server. We ask that you bring cash to pay for any additional drinks or food you may order.

Serving it Right rules will apply.

Questions?
Jared contactjaredwilliams@gmail.com
Amanda vp@camravancouver.ca

See you all there! And remember; what happens on the bus stays on the bus.

Beerthirst & CAMRA Vancouver
www.Beerthirst.com
www.CAMRAVancouver.ca

Please find the complete Homebrew Challenge Rules and Guidelines below. Beers entered should have a harvest/fall theme (fresh hops, pumpkin/vegetable beers, spice/herb beers etc.)

Please direct any questions regarding the challenge to Matt Anderson, our membership coordinator at membership@camravancouver.ca

Homebrew Challenge Rules and Guidelines

1. Beers entered should have a harvest/fall theme (fresh hops, pumpkin/vegetable beers, spice/herb beers etc.)

2. Fee is $5 per entry and requires 2 standard 12 oz. bottles with no label and blank or blacked out caps.

3. Each bottle must have an entry id attached to it with a rubber band: http://www.bjcp.org/docs/SCP_BottleID.pdf with the category and sub category that the beer belongs in: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php  Please also include basic information on any special ingredients on the back of the label (Brewed with pumpkin and pie spices, apricot wheat ale, etc.)

4. Entries will be accepted at Malone’s, 608 West Pender Street between Friday, October 7th and the close of business Wednesday, October 12th as well as at the September VanBrewers meeting http://www.vanbrewers.ca/

5. Winners to be announced during the Malone’s/CAMRA Oktoberfest/Harvest Fest

But the fun doesn’t stop there! We’ve also got Harvestfest taking place in the lounge hall! The focus of this room is centered on all the rich and flourishing flavours of the changing season; think pumpkins, imperials, fresh hops, earthy, seasonals and full flavoured ales. I hear chanterelle mushrooms were a big hit last year! Both rooms will feature casks and kegs.

CAMRA Vancouver and Malone’s Urban Drinkery are pleased to present

Oktoberfest & Harvestfest – 2 events, 1 day!
Malone’s Urban Drinkery, 608 Pender Street
Saturday October 15^th, 2011
12pm – 6pm

TICKETS

$25 for entry ($20 for CAMRA Members*)
Includes a 6oz tasting glass (yours to keep) & 3 *bonus* tokens upon entry. Each additional token will be $1. Tickets will be available on Tuesday, Sept 13th at 11am for online purchase and in person at Malone’s. Don’t wait! Our last event sold out well in advance!

BUY TICKETS – SOLD OUT

FOOD

Malone’s Urban Drinkery will be offering food pairings to accompany the beer styles from each room:

Handmade pretzels w/ traditional mustard cheese dipping sauce $5
Chicken schnitzel w/ mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage and chicken gravy $9
Slow cooked pork loin & sauerkraut stew $9
Veggie AND Traditional Bratwurst w/ house made mustard & fries $8
Potato pancakes w/ 3 dipping sauces $6
Pumpkin Pie $3.50
Keepers Stout floats $6

(please note, the regular menu will not be offered during this event and there won’t be an additional 20% off for CAMRA members on the above items)

SPECIAL DETAILS

Like to yodel? I bet you do! Show us what you’ve got and you could win a prize! We’ve also got prizes for best costume, so be sure to dust off your dirndl and lederhosen!

Membership has its benefits, so be sure to bring your member card. All valid card holders will receive 2 special tokens entitling them to the member’s only cask (exclusively available for members from 12-2pm). Not yet a member? Be sure to sign up here or in person at the event.

35% of all proceeds from drink tokens will be donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank

PARTICIPATING BREWERIES

Red Racer Beer – Dunkel & Pumpkin Ale
Red Truck Beer – Kolsch & German Amber Ale
Tree Brewing – Vertical Winter Ale
Storm Brewing – North German Style Pilsner & & Hop Hash CDA
Big Ridge Brewing Co. – Harvest Lager & Autumn Harvest Ale
Coal Harbour Brewing Company – Pumpkin Saison
Driftwood Brewery – Sartori IPA
Elysian Brewing – Night Owl Pumpkin Ale
Granville Island Brewing – Fresh Hopped ESB
Lighthouse Brewing Company – Keepers Stout Ice Cream Floats
Phillips Brewing Company – Imperial IPA
Russell Brewing Company – Cranberry Wheat Ale, Eisbock & Oktoberfest Marzen
Steamworks Brewpub – Pumpkin Spiced Ale
Big River Brew Pub and Restaurant – Raspberry Lambic & German Style Dark Wheat Ale
R&B Brewing, Longwood Brew Pub – Smoke Hop ESB & Gruit
Yaletown Brewing – Bavarian Hefeweizen & ESB
Pacific Western Brewing – Organic Festbier
Erdinger – German Hefeweizen & Dunkelweizen
Ayinger Brewery – Celebrator & Oktoberfest Ale
Stiegl – Lager
Gordon Biersch – Oktoberfest
Ayinger Brewery – Dobblebock, Oktoberfest Marzen & Braw-Weisse Hefeweizen
Whistler Brewing Company – Chestnut Amber Ale, Weissbier & Kolsch
Paulaner – Salvator Double Bock & Original Munich Premium Lager
And more!

For more information please email Amanda Barry.

*You will be required to show your valid membership card upon entry.
**Be sure to download the lyrics and sing along on the day of the event!

The corner of Commercial and Grandview went hopping mad a couple of weeks ago.

St. Augustine’s was the venue for the latest CAMRA Vancouver Fest of Ale, with the theme for this summer instalment being the beloved buds of the venerable hop plant.

More specifically, Too Hop to Handle was a caskival dedicated to that most West Coast of beer styles, India Pale Ale (which, perhaps not so coincidentally, was the subject ofInternational IPA Day on Aug. 4).

This style has undergone something of a North American evolution since it was created in 19th-century England to slake the thirst of British troops and officers in what was then the U.K.’s distant colony.

Already known for being a relatively bitter ale in the U.K., IPA underwent a major hop injection when the craft beer industry started to take off in California in the 1970s, and soon North American IPA became a style of its own: Lively, earthy and tangy aromas, generously carbonated, stronger than average, with a solid bitterness balanced by a more subtle sweetness and a bouquet of flavours ranging from citrus to herbs and pine.

It may be called North American IPA, but it’s really a West Coast thing – nowhere else in the continent are these ales so robustly bittered and flavoured.

So let’s just say a lot of the B.C. brewers contributing casks to the event on July 23 were in their element, as were the many hopheads who descended on St. Augustine’s that Saturday.

The pub had packed in the punters, arranging its tables in long rows, bierhalle-style – while there was also the option of sitting outside on the pub’s small patio.

Casks lined the walls as well as the bar proper – which itself boasts an impressive range of craft beer – while small plates of pairing food had been prepared by St. Augustine’s chef, Dion Ouellet.

CAMRA Vancouver had even made good use of the pub’s screens: What usually beam out conversation-killing sports were made educational tools, with various hop facts on rotation. And that loud, lively sound? The wonderful blare of people talking to each other.

One of these caskivals, I’ll get a taste of everything on offer. As it was, I only managed around half of the 14 offerings but got a good impression of this style’s range. (Actually, I counted a couple I’d already tasted, including Howe Sound’s robust Total Eclipse of the Hop Imperial IPA and Phillips’ superb Belgian IPA, a.k.a. Hoperation.)

Red Racer‘s entry tells it like it isAt the lighter end of the scale was the very pale, very refreshing 2XS IPA by Dead Frog, a little on the sweeter side and a great palate cleanser. Then there was the Insurrection by Crannog, an English-style IPA with a grounding earthiness behind the herbal hops. Both were featherweights here at just 5.5% ABV – but both were delicious.

At the darker side of the scale was Spinnakers’ Lion’s Head Cascadian Dark Ale (6.5%). This was the only CDA at the event, which I found surprising as there is currently something of a trend toward the style. Perhaps this dark ale, which ups the malt content to challenge the hops flavour, is more of a spring/autumn beer and doesn’t quite have the refreshing qualities of its paler cousin. Regardless, I’m a huge fan of this style, and Spinnakers’ CDA was actually very refreshing, a little lighter in body than other CDAs I’ve had, but still smooth, rich and roasty.

Big Ridge brewmaster Tariq Khan showed there’s plenty of life in a great name with his IPA sequel Wrath of Khan 2 Belgian IPA (6.9%), which apparently had some wheat in the mix to create its balanced creaminess.

Meanwhile, Big River’s Claire Connolly (left, with enthusiastic member of St. Augustine’s staff) took the name of the event to heart and produced an Insane IPAthat registered at 9% and a staggering 151 International Bittering Units (the maximum human threshold for tasting bitterness is around 100 IBUs). What’s more, each serving was dispensed through a special canister of dried hops for a final blast of aroma. My tasting notes read simply, “Holy cow.” This beer’s extreme hoppiness gave each sip an incredible weight, yet, insane or not, it remained remarkably drinkable.

Every entrant on the day was eligible for the Brewer’s Challenge Award, decided by a panel of expert judges, and a People’s Choice Award, voted for by the public.

The former prize eventually went to David Varga of Taylor’s Crossing brewpub and Red Truck beer, who also tied for the People’s Choice award with the Abel Tasman IPA byLighthouse’s Dean McLeod (which I sadly didn’t try).

Varga’s IPA had a notably superb balance of malt sweetness and hops bite, and was smooth, soft in the mouth and well-rounded.

“Drinkability is big in my methodology,” said Varga when I chatted to him later on the phone.
“I focus on hop flavour more than bitterness. [IPAs] go really well in casks, the low carbonation means more malt flavour and balance with the hops I use.”

Varga wasn’t actually present at the event, so didn’t even get to try his own cask, but he recalls dry-hopping the beer with a New Zealand hop, “so the flavour comes across as a little more tropical. It enhances the sweetness.”

For Varga, balance is critical in any IPA.

“The hops are certainly on the forefront but there always has to be enough of a malt sweetness in the background to provide balance,” he said, but admitted that hops is the star of the show, whatever its variety – be it the earthier, more herbal English hops, or the Pacific Northwest hops that can produce aromas and flavours of grapefruit, pine resin, even cannabis (a relative of the hops plant).

Varga admitted that it’s a challenge for him to brew IPAs, which makes his win at Too Hop to Handle even more impressive.

“For me it’s probably tougher, mainly because I come from a lager-brewing background, where everything is a little more restrained in terms of beer character,” he said.

“It’s hard for me to get past that [attitude] “yeah, just add a little more hops.” It’s a little tougher for me because it doesn’t come naturally.”

As if to meet that difficulty head-on and continue the momentum of winning the CAMRA Vancouver event, Varga this week will release a Red Truck IPA, which will be available for a limited time only at Taylor’s Crossing and select other bars and restaurants with a Red Truck account (a full list can be found here).

Well done David; and once again, well done CAMRA Vancouver for organizing another great event. They seem to get better every time.

jzeschky@theprovince.com
twitter.com/jantweats

Fri Aug 19, 7pm-12am | Exhibition Hall at the Roundhouse Community Centre
Tickets: $50 Adults (19+) inclusive of all entertainment & beer
Roundhouse Front Desk, 604.713.1800

More Information and Ticket Sales at Roundhouse.ca

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Join us for Vancouver’s first Beerlesque Festival – a feast for the eyes and the palette; a carnival for the senses! Sample some of BC’s best craft beer while delighting in sassy and unique performances by Vancouver’s most talented (and gorgeous) burlesquers. Other unique entertainment will include Blackberry Wood, a clown burlesque troupe, a sword swallower, a fashion show and more!

The tassels will twirl, the sparkle will shine, the hips will shake and the beer will flow. All proceeds to go to Roundhouse Community Programs, so come on down, show your support and enjoy all the hotness you can handle in an evening not to be missed!

Craft Beer provided by 15+ breweries!

Entertainment provided by:

Blackberry Wood
Jenny Magenta, Valery Vyntage, Rebel Valentine, Ruthe Ordare
Teddy Smooth
Bad Girl Burlesque
Big Red, M.Pyress Flame, Cosmo the Clown, Savage Cream Puff & Gordon White
Kata Sita, The World’s Youngest Female Sword Swallower
Dani from Belly Divine
Lace Embrace Atelier fashion show

Don’t be shy, dressing up is encouraged! Prize for best costume!

Raffle draws!

Local food carts on site!

All ticket holders will receive 20% off all food purchases at The New Oxford on Friday, Aug 19th. A great place to start your night off before the event!

Cheers!
The Beerlesque Crew

Special thanks to Rick Mattar, Amber Lamoureux, Jim Dreichel and Pin Up Perfection Photography for the poster art.

As you know we have a new President, Paddy Treavor! What you may not know is that he has practical skills and knowledge in journalism, organizing and lobbying. Paddy is keen to move forward CAMRA Vancouver’s agenda in increasing consumer’s access to real beer so it’s a perfect opportunity to regroup around our policy and advocacy efforts. For those active on this committee, interested in becoming involved, or learning more about what we are doing, please join us on Tues., July 5th, at 6:30 pm at the Railway Club. We will take this opportunity to review the priorities we have identified to date and set up achievable action items to move us forward.

Please rsvp to secretary@camravancouver.ca. We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information on CAMRA Vancouver’s Policy and Advocacy efforts, refer to this link:
http://camravancouver.ca/about/advocacy/

For Paddy’s latest thoughts on advocacy, refer to this link:
http://eastsidebeer.blogspot.com/2011/05/bc-as-beer-tourist-destinationis-win.html

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011, 12pm-5pm
at St. Augustine’s Craft Brew House, 2360 Commercial Drive

Tickets
$25 for entry ($20 for CAMRA Members*), including a 5oz tasting glass (yours to keep)
& 3 bonus tokens upon entry. Each additional token will be $1.25

EVENT SOLD OUT

We’ve got IPA’s and lots of them! Your local brewers all went to the extreme to take you and your taste buds to hop heaven and back (or beyond in some cases!).

Cast your vote in the People’s Choice award for Best IPA. There is also official judging and a prize for the best IPA, based on BJCP standards.

Food
St. Augustine’s Chef Dion will be offering an array of amuse bouche items to pair with the IPA’s. Each item will cost 2 tokens. St. Augustine’s will also have a pared down menu on offer that day.

Participating Breweries
Red Racer Beer, Big Ridge Brewing Co, Lighthouse Brewing Company, Howe Sound Brewing, Phillips Brewing Company, Big River Brew Pub, Salt Spring Island Ales, Russell Brewing Company, Storm Brewing, Dead Frog Brewery, R&B Brewing, Crannog Ales, BrewHouse (High Mountain Brewing), Elysian Brewing and more!

CAMRA Vancouver
*You will be required to show your valid membership card upon entry.
Not yet a CAMRA member? Click here to join!

Questions? Email: Amanda

CAMRA Vancouver has been a big part of the growth of the local craft beer community but it is my belief that now is not the time to sit back and pat each other on the backs for a job well done. It is paramount that we strike while the iron is hot! Our membership has to grow in order for our organization to take the next crucial steps towards becoming a legitimate consumer advocacy group and be taken seriously outside the craft beer community. For that matter, we need to be taken seriously inside the craft beer community. I know many of you reading this newsletter are not CAMRA members and I would like to ask the question, why not?

Since being announced as president of CAMRA Vancouver, I have heard over and over from members and non-members alike that they hope I can shake things up and turn the organization into something more than “a beer appreciation group”.  Whether this is an accurate description of CAMRA Vancouver or not, it is a perception that is held by many and I believe it is the main reason why many do not support and join the organization. I used to be one of those people. Until recently, I was not a member and the primary reason for that was I did not understand what CAMRA was all about here in Vancouver other than being a group that organized the odd beer festival and beer bus tour. I saw it as a clique of beer scene insiders who looked down on those who did not hold the same opinions and views on beers.

I can remember voicing these opinions to a friend and CAMRA member one day over beers and my friend said to me, “I agree with you but if you want to change things you need to join up and become an active member”.  And he was right. To effect change, you have to get involved. CAMRA is a member-driven consumer advocacy group so member participation is crucial. It is similar to the saying, “if you didn’t vote in the election, you have no right to bitch about who is in power”. If you want to see CAMRA Vancouver change, then join up and help steer the ship in the direction you want it to go. If you are already a member and want to see changes then get involved and take action.

I challenge each CAMRA Vancouver member to recruit just one new member this next month. The more active members we have, the more political clout we carry. The government, the hospitality industry and the craft beer industry will take us much more seriously if we number in the thousands and speak together in one loud, strong voice. There will a place in CAMRA for organizing beer festivals, bus trips and 10% discounts but we can and should be so much more than that. I know that we will always have “passengers” in our group, who have no desire to get involved politically and that is okay, but the more active members we have, the easier it will be to carry those passengers along.

It is your group. We, the executive, are here to guide you, the membership, the consumers, but it is you who should be the driving force behind what we do. Join us in these exciting times and be a part of the solution.

Paddy Treavor, President, CAMRA Vancouver
Contact: pres@camravancouver.ca

Message from the new CAMRA Vancouver President
My name is Paddy Treavor and I am the new President of CAMRA Vancouver!  I am a dedicated Hophead since being introduced to Storm Brewing’s Hurricane IPA back in the mid-to-late 90s and have since come to love our local craft beer scene and all that it entails. I have practical knowledge of the local craft beer industry having worked for Storm Brewing from 2000-2005. More recently I have been directly involved in the Vancouver craft beer community as an active CAMRA member, participating in the CAMRA Vancouver Policy & Advocacy Meetings, putting my journalism experience to use writing my VanEast Beer Blog and organizing craft beer bus tours as a part of the BeerTourist group. I am a believer that CAMRA members must become directly involved to make a difference. I have strong opinions and will voice them, but at the same time I am willing to listen, consider the points of views of others and keep an open mind. I look forward to serving CAMRA on behalf of our membership. Please feel free to approach me to discuss ideas or concerns if you happen to see me out and about at festivals, bars and restaurants where craft beer is served.

CAMRA Vancouver’s new president will be a passionate advocate for craft beer and an active member of the craft beer community, who can commit their time and energy to contributing to CAMRA Vancouver’s mandate and goals. Please scroll down for the complete job description.

CAMRA Vancouver is a non-profit society dedicated to the promotion and responsible consumption of natural, craft beers. We are a membership of microbreweries, pubs, taphouses, restaurants, specialty liquor stores, brewers and people who love craft beer.

Our goals are to encourage the appreciation and consumption of craft beer, to promote the establishment and success of quality brewpubs and craft breweries, to support home quality brewing, and to encourage the responsible enjoyment of craft beer. Currently we are engaged in promotion and education initiatives, policy and advocacy efforts, as well as producing special craft beer events.

If you are interested in this position or know of someone who would be an ideal candidate please send all nominations to Cherryl Masters by May 31st, 2011.

Notification of the vote will be sent out to the CAMRA Vancouver membership with detailed instructions shortly after the nomination deadline.

If you have any questions about the nomination process or about CAMRA Vancouver in general, please contact our interim President, Amanda Barry.

Sincerely,
The CAMRA Vancouver Executive

CAMRA Vancouver President – Job Description:

• Chairs all meetings of the society and of the directors
• Acts as the chief executive officer of the society
• Co-ordinates and directs the other officers in the execution of their duties
• Represents CAMRA to members, corporate sponsors, and media
• Is the liaison with CAMRA BC and represents the branch at CAMRA BC executive meetings
• Informs the Newsletter Editor of key items that need to be communicated to members
• Communicates with other directors as needed to ensure the smooth running of the organization
• Seeks input from members, directors and corporate sponsors for ideas on events
• Leader of the Policy & Advocacy sub committee

A few sips of the sessional ales at CAMRA brewer’s challenge make Vancouver’s slow-out-of-the-gates spring season feel more tolerable
More than 200 folks cheersed to good craft beer and great weather at the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) Vancouver Fest of Ale Spring Sessional, which took place at Main Street’s London Pub on Saturday, April 16, 2011.

The all-day event—part tasting, part brewer’s challenge—saw 17 local breweries enter 18 beers into a contest judged by a panel of “certified” beer tasting judges. A people’s choice award was also handed out, determined by ballots distributed to “the people” upon entry to the pub, with the winner getting a temporary guest tap at London Pub.

People started lining up outside before 11 a.m. to sample the “sessional” ales from the wall of casks—a pyramid of beer kegs stacked against a wall—and stayed through sundown. (I learned from event organizers that the term “sessional” is British for drinking a large quantity of beer during a social gathering without becoming intoxicated.)

Brewer’s Challenge at Fest of Ale Spring Sessional
To participate in the event, brewers were asked to brew a beer big in taste and low in alcohol by volume (abv), with a maximum abv content of 3.5 percent. To put this in some kind of perspective, a regular beer averages about 5 percent.

With no style limitations, the resulting brews ranged from mild ales and pale bitters to wheat ale and even a stout.

The drinking list was as follows:

Damon’s Mild Ale – Barley Station Brew Pub, brewed by Damon Robson
Tariq’s Pale Bitter – Big Ridge Brewing Company, brewed by Tariq Kahn
Claire’s Northern English Brown Ale – Big River Brew Pub, brewed by Claire Connolly (who, I might add, knocked my socks off with a delicious coconut concoction at CAMRA’s Winterfest event in December)
Dave’s Berliner Weisse – Brewhouse at Whistler, brewed by Dave Woodward
Terry’s No Justice Pale Ale – Cannery Brewing Company, brewed by Terry Schoffer
Daniel’s Saison – Coal Harbour Brewing Company, brewed by Daniel Knibbs
Vern’s Ordinary Beer – Granville Island Brewing, brewed by Vern Lambourne
Dean’s Light American Wheat Ale – Lighthouse Brewing Company, brewed by Dean McLeod
Ron & Don’s Best Bitter – Moon Under Water Brew Pub, brewed by Ron and Don Bradley
David’s Honey Badger Pale Ale – Noble Pig Brew Pub, brewed by David Beardsel
Brent’s Blood Orange Berliner Weisse – R&B Brewing, brewed by Brent Mills
Gary’s Eat Your Breakfast Stout – Red Racer Beer, brewed by Gary Lohin
Anders & Jack’s Ordinary Bitter – Russel Brewing Company, brewed by Jack Bensley and Anders McKinnon
Anders & Jack’s Sessional Brett Pale Ale – Russel Brewing Company, brewed by Jack Bensley and Anders McKinnon
Conrad’s Ginger Beer – Steamworks Brewing Company, brewed by Conrad Gmoser
Dave’s Two Lions Pale Ale – Taylor’s Crossing Brewery, brewed by Dave Varga
Jeff’s Peach Cream Ale – Tin Whistle Brewing Co., brewed by Jeff Todd
Iain’s Dry Hopped Pale Ale – Yaletown Brewing Company, brewed by Iain Hill

Spring Sessional awards go to…
CAMRA judges presented the Brewer’s Challenge Award to Ron and Don Bradley of Moon Under Water Brew Pub for their much talked about Ron & Don’s Best Bitter. Along with a little prestige, the brewers were presented with a copy of Yeast by Chris White and Jamil Zainasheff, $100 cash and a coveted pair of tickets to a Vancouver Whitecaps FC match.

The People’s Choice Award was given to Tariq Kahn of Big Ridge Brewing Company for his pale bitter—a fitting way to celebrate his birthday, which was the day before. As part of the prize, Kahn’s beer will be on exclusive guest tap at London Pub with four kegs in rotation. Get over there in the near future to sample some of the winner’s brew.

Gary’s Eat Your Breakfast Stout from Red Racer Beer was a close second, with a three-way tie for third that consisted of Noble Pig Brew Pub’s Honey Badger Pale Ale, Lighthouse’s Light American Wheat Ale and Moon Under Water’s Best Bitter.

Campaign for Real Ale promotes quality ale and pubs
These advocates for traditional beer are volunteers dedicated to promoting good-quality real ale and pubs. CAMRA chapters around the world work toward proper quality, value and choice; support the community of public ale houses; call for improved licensing and the general appreciation of good pints as a part of our culture and heritage.

Just a thought, but I think Roger’s Arena could use their help…

Next up, Vancouver Craft Beer Week – May 6–14, 2011
If you are kicking yourself for not attending the spring sessional, don’t fear! Vancouver Craft Beer Week is coming up from May 6–14, 2011.

With nine days of thirst-quenching events, tastings and workshops, there are plenty of opportunities to get in on the hops.

Just a warning, in case you are someone that likes to mull things over, tickets are getting downed like hotcakes, with a few events already sold out. My personal recommendation is the Dead Famous Pub Crawl, a day-long brewpub-crawl through Yaletown and across to Granville Island. Prizes for the best dead people.

Read the whole article at Granville Magazine online: http://www.granvilleonline.ca/beer/camra-spring-sessional-beer-fest-ale

CAMRA Vancouver, The Alibi Room and VCBW are pleased to present:

CAMRA Vancouver Social Hop

Monday, May 9th, 2011
5pm – 11pm
at The Alibi Room
Cost: $20 (CAMRA Members only)
BUY TICKETS ONLINE NOW

Not yet a CAMRA Member? Be sure to Join Now or miss out on hop heaven a second time. To save answering this question, spouses and/or partners must be a member in order to attend.

*You will be required to show your valid CAMRA card upon entry
**Vegetarian? Email Amanda by May 3rd so we can make arrangements

To mark this momentous milestone they put together some exciting events, competitions, awards and activities to help members and cask lovers across the UK celebrate with them. Varoius CAMRA Vancouver Executives and members got together and took part in one of these activities, ‘Toast CAMRA’s 40 Years in Pictures’. CAMRA UK requested for everyone to join them in raising a pint of real ale, take a photo of the occasion and then send it in to be posted on their website. We did just that.

Exec of Vancouver branch of CAMRA BC and members hoist a cask pint to CAMRA UK on their 40th!

CAMRA UK was originally founded in the most Westerly pub in Europe – Kruger’s Bar in Dunquin, Co Kerry, when four young men from the north west of England, Michael Hardman, Graham Lees, Bill Mellor and Jim Makin were on holiday. Fed up the increasing bad quality of beer in Britain that was too fizzy, no character and no taste they decided to form a Campaign for the Revitalisation of Ale.

A year after the founding the first AGM was held at The Rose Inn, Nuneaton; and membership started to grow. Articles by the late Richard Boston in the Guardian (Boston on Beer) boosted membership when Richard happened to mention the fledgling organisation CAMRA.

In 1973 to make the Campaign’s name easier to say it was changed to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

The Bar Towel

Ontario’s premier beer resource gave CAMRA Vancouver a nice little mention in their article about CAMRA UK’s 40th. Check it out.

The CAMRA Vancouver Fest of Ale – Spring Sessional
Where: London Pub, 700 Main Street
When: Sat, April 16th, 2011
Time: 12pm – close or until supplies run out
11am start for pre-sale tickets holders*

Craft beer lovers, never fear! This event is far from sold out and runs all day. Starting at noon we’ll be opening the doors and allowing many more people to come in.  Ticket availability will be dependent on capacity at the time of your arrival. There is opportunity to come at various times throughout the event and sample craft beer brewed specifically for this event. Be sure to check out our Facebook and Twitter accounts during the day as we’ll be posting capacity and line-up updates.

Tickets: $10 entry fee
Available for purchase at the door, day of event
Includes 10oz tasting glass (yours to keep) and your first fill-up
$2.50 for each additional drink token or 4 for $10.

*100 pre-sale tickets were available for sale online and have currently sold out. Pre-sale ticket holders have an exclusive 11am-12pm entry before the general public with no line-ups, first sampling of all of the casks and the opportunity to witness the judging process. Please be sure to arrive between 11am-12pm. Otherwise, we can not guarantee no line-up.

This is an all day, open house style cask event, focused on “sessionable” ales in a variety of styles & featuring the Wall of Casks. Local brewers have been challenged to brew a low alcohol by volume (ABV) ale, full on taste & flavour. There will be a People’s Choice award, as well as a prize for best ale under 3.5% ABV, based on BJCP standards.

Participating breweries include Red Racer, Noble Pig, Russell Beer, Granville Island, Big River, Driftwood, Yaletown Brewing Company, Big Ridge Brewing Company, Dead Frog Brewery, Tin Whistle, Moon Under Water, BrewHouse at Whistler & many more!

During the event we will be selling CAMRA Vancouver memberships ($25/$40) and t-shirts for $22 each.

Get home safe. Please don’t drink & drive.

CAMRA focusing on real change

Aims to educate beer drinkers and help update archaic liquor law

It’s a Tuesday night in Gastown, and the voice of change is in the air.

Nothing to do with the election of a new provincial premier, but a lot to do with the provincial laws Christy Clark now commands.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAM-RA) is in the Alibi Room and its members are talking advocacy at a special meeting.

Top of the bill is the bugbear of B.C.’s craft brewing scene: The outdated liquor laws that sit in place in Victoria with a century of dust sitting thick upon them.

CAMRA’s origins go back to 1970s England, where frustrated ale drinkers decided to act against the increasing dominance of bland megabrewery beer in pubs. It’s become a significant voice of activism in the U.K., currently numbering around 120,000 members.

B.C.’s CAMRA branch has a different charge: To enlighten consumers about the very existence of quality beer in a province that, relative to the U.K., has no brewing tradition.

“We are a combination of an advocacy group, an education group, we support microbreweries, we assist them any way we can, we promote the cask system, we promote restaurants to bring in good beer, we put together events so we can culture people and teach them about places like this,” says CAMRA B.C. president Lundy Dale, gesturing around at the airy interior of the Alibi Room, B.C.’s craft-brew HQ.

“Basically, we’re supporting the little guy.”

Supping a pint of -what else? -cask-conditioned ale together with Dale is Martin Williams, president of CAMRA’s Vancouver chapter, who further distils the philosophy behind the organization.

“It’s (about) consumers getting the beer they want, where they want it, served the way they want it. It comes down to that level of choice -consumers driving the taste and brewers responding.”

It’s this simple dynamic that’s being stymied by provincial law at all levels of the government-run liquor industry.

Williams regards distribution as the source of most problems -”from getting a product listed to getting it through the distribution channels, on the retail side and the pub side” -but adds taxation and various seemingly unfair rules that favour the domestic megabreweries of Molson and Labbatt.

Microbreweries are clearly up against it in B.C. -which makes the most recent sales figures from the provincial Liquor Distribution Branch all the more sensational. While domestic beer sales overall are declining, microbreweries’ packaged product saw an incredible spike of 40 per cent over last year.

You couldn’t get a clearer indication of demand for quality beer -apart from the increasing number of bars in the province offering craft beer and regular cask nights.

The demographic driving that demand is perhaps the biggest surprise. “It’s the girls,” says Williams simply.

For proof, besides Dale’s lofty position in the CAMRA tree, you just need to look at the lineup of CAM-RA Vancouver’s executive: Five out of the seven positions are occupied by women.

Flavour is perhaps the biggest factor in turning women on to craft beer, but the sense of community in the microbrewing scene really resonates, too.

“These are the most passionate people I’ve ever met, they love what they’re doing, they’re proud of what they’re doing,” Dale says.

“For us, they’re all friends, they’re all comrades. I never met a group of people who love each other and get along with each other so much. There isn’t any competition, other than friendly fire, just for fun.”

In other words, it’s a perfect movement for a grassroots organization to evolve around, where consumers and producers move in the same circles, connect and feed off each other -be it at CAMRA events, down the pub on a cask night, or just opening a craft beer at home.

“It all comes down to getting involved,” says Williams. “You get involved as a beer drinker. You get involved with the beer and where it comes from.”

In effect, the local becomes personal, and something worth fighting for.

Faced with the monolith of provincial law and the entrenched forces of the megabreweries, CAMRA’s battle to make craft beer more accessible appears to be a daunting one.

But the war is being won. “We’re seeing the vibrant culture in Washington and Portland and we’re going, ‘Why don’t we have that here?’ says Williams.

“Just a little tweak is all it’s going to take, it doesn’t have to be a whole revolution of the system.

“It’s an uphill battle fighting Goliath, but David didn’t use a big stone, just little one, well placed.”

For an extended version of this article, go to theprovince.com/beer

Article by:jzeschky@theprovince.com

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/life/CAMRA+focusing+real+change/4432371/story.html#ixzz1Gcwn5Vkc

Laws and rules
In June of 2010, the provincial government made changes to the laws pertaining to Tied houses and Trade Practices enabling BCLDB to change the rules. In January, the BCLDB invited select groups of interest to send in a written submission as to what their concerns were. While we were not invited to participate directly, the timely notification of the deadline from one member meant that CAMRA Vancouver, on behalf of CAMRA BC, was able to make a submission. We have no idea what these changes are going to be. Hopefully some of our concerns will be addressed.

Earlier this month, The Federal government gave the brewing industry the only exemption for listing its contents and potential allergens. As a consumer’s organization, we should hold brewers accountable to its contents and encourage all brewers to list their ingredients. Yes, labelling changes could be expensive, but with a sunrise clause, this could be done. A brewery that is unwilling to publish its ingredients is hiding something.

The Ontario government has just released outlines for sweeping changes to the way beer and wine can be marketed at festivals and markets. A most civilized step forward, brewers will be allowed to offer paid samples at markets and festivals without the need for enclosed ‘beer garden’ areas.

In Oregon, their senate has approved new provisions allowing homebrew products to be offered to the public. This is an exciting step forward. The homebrew community is what built their great beer culture, and ours. Future professional brewers should be paying attention to this. Hopefully the Oregon state congress approves this measure. I think it would be great to replicate that here.

What is CAMRA Vancouver executive up to?
CAMRA Vancouver is a member-driven organization. Things happen because members step up and get involved. To make it easier for you to get involved at a level you want, in an area you are most interested in, we have created three ad hoc committees, “Education”, “Events” and “Policy and Advocacy”. Please check out their descriptions on the web site and choose an area you would like to be involved in.

You will notice the web site has been undergoing some big changes. It has a fresh look. Thanks to Brooklyn Galloway for her great work in revamping the site and giving it that “life” that reflects the exciting things going on within CAMRA Vancouver.

The newsletter, too, has been gradually been tweaked and improved over the last few months. Great kudos to Ryan, Monica and Brooklyn for their work in making this newsletter a well read and eagerly awaited fount of information on what is happening in the local beer scene.

Speaking of the local beer scene, we have two great events coming that you will not want to miss out on; the “Spring Expedition” and the “Fest of Ale Spring Sessional and Brewers Challenge”. The “Spring Expedition” is the bus trip to Howe Sound Brewery and Brew House at Whistler. A members-only event, this promises to be one trip that will be talked about for years to come. The Spring Sessional and Brewers challenge is all about brewers packing as much flavour as they can into low ABV beers. An all day event, this CAMRA Vancouver Fest of Ale, will feature a wall of casks, replicating casks festivals from CAMRA UK. The Brewer’s Challenge part is to make the tastiest beer with a top ABV of 3.5%.

Growing the organization
Craft beer sales are growing. The BCLDB sales figures for the last quarter of 2010 showed over 40% growth in packaged beer and 7.6% growth in draught from breweries smaller than 150,000 hectolitres. That is our craft beer industry folks! Tap houses are popping up all over the place. Many restaurants are turning their taps over to real beer made with real ingredients. Clearly more and more people are discovering that real taste matters and given a choice, they will choose taste.

With that growth there is the opportunity to grow CAMRA Vancouver. This executive has challenged itself to double the membership during 2011. We can do that with help from you. Are your friends real beer enthusiasts? Do they share your passion for good beer, served right? If so, they should be a CAMRA member. The more members we have, the more we can do. Our voice will carry more weight with governments and their agencies meaning our message will be listened to.

I’m proud to be a member of the great team that is your executive. Each of us is committed to doing all they can to build a better beer culture here in BC. If you have something you feel we should be involved with, let us know. And please, get involved! Together we will make a difference!

Cheers
Martin Williams
President
CAMRA BC, Vancouver Branch
————————–
P.O. Box 47013
15 – 555 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 3X7
Tel: (604) 828-4215
Campaigning for Real Ale, Pubs and Drinkers’ Rights

Saturday, March 19th, 11:15am – 8pm
Ticket cost: $60* per person – Buy Tickets Online
Includes return bus transportation, 6 tasters each at both Howe Sound and BrewHouse and sharing platters at BrewHouse.

Our classic school bus will pick you up at St. Augustine’s on Commercial Drive at 11:15am sharp. We will be whisked away to our first stop, the legendary Howe Sound Inn & Brewing Company. There we will be privy to 6 – 5oz tasters of their fine ales. They have also put together a $10 lunch menu, consisting of a Pulled Pork Sandwich, Howe Sound Burger and Veggie Burger, which will be available for purchase if you like. At 2pm, we will embark towards our second stop, BrewHouse at Whistler to visit our friend and head brewer, Derrick Franche. All members will receive 6 – 5oz tasters, as well as some sharing platters to munch on during the visit. Pints will be available to purchase at “good guy” prices and growler fill ups will be $15 a pop. Oh…and Derrick will be tapping the VERY LAST EVER DIX IPA.  Just saying…

Amanda will be holding back 10 tickets to sell in person. She will be at The Whip, Sunday, February 27th at 4pm. First come, first serve. Please bring exact change and your CAMRA Member Card.

*This event is exclusive to CAMRA Vancouver members. All participants must be a CAMRA Vancouver member and membership card will be required. CAMRA members may not purchase tickets for non-members.

*Please note: tax and tip has been included in the ticket price for the beer and food included. Anything ordered after that will have an auto gratuity added on to each bill at both locations. To make bill paying easier and faster, please bring cash.

*Water will be supplied on the bus ride, but please bring your own tasting glass.

>> Download Consultation Document or find online: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/lclb

The following is CAMRA Vancouver’s response, which was e-mailed to the Director of Policy Planning and Communications, Liquor Control and Licensing Branch on February 15th, 2011.

TIED HOUSES AND TRADE PRACTICES

CAMRA BC would like to be considered as a consultation resource with respect to the proposed legislation regarding Liquor Control and Licensing Branch and Tied Houses and Trade Practices.

About CAMRA BC
The Campaign for Real Ale Society of British Columbia is an independent, voluntary, consumer organization. Membership is open to all and an unpaid executive elected by the membership governs the society.

CAMRA BC was first incorporated in 1985 and is dedicated to the promotion and responsible consumption of natural, craft beers. We support the brewing of traditional styles of beer in the traditional manner, using traditional ingredients. The society promotes naturally brewed live beers of all styles.

CAMRA BC is financed through membership subscriptions and sales of products such as books and sweatshirts. We receive no funding from the brewing industry other than a limited amount of advertising in our magazine—What’s Brewing—and none whatsoever from government. We are a not-for-profit society registered in the Province of British Columbia.

CAMRA BC’s Objectives
CAMRA BC’s mission is to act as champion of the consumer in relation to the B.C. and Canadian beer industry. We aim:

• to encourage the appreciation and production of natural, pure, additive-free ales and lagers in all their traditional styles;
• to promote the establishment and success of quality brewpubs, neighbourhood pubs and craft breweries in British Columbia;
• to support quality home brewing; and
• to encourage the responsible enjoyment of beer and actively support laws and regulations that contribute to that objective.

CAMRA BC`s position on proposed changes to Tied Houses and Trade Practices
In principle, CAMRA BC opposes the general policy of “abolition of tied houses and relaxation of trade practices”. Both of these changes are movements towards lack of consumer choice manipulation of industry development and consumer choices by the largest industry players.

Recent trends, as demonstrated quite clearly by BCLDB`s sales reports1, breweries with annual production of less than 150,000 hectolitres are experiencing higher sales in both draught and packages sales, whereas breweries of greater that 150,000 hl are experiencing sales drops.

With changes to the laws to allow tied houses and change trade practices, larger companies, those with deeper pockets, can spend to eliminate competition from the smaller breweries. Those smaller breweries, by increase of sales volume and market share alone, are proving their worthiness to the consumer.

CAMRA BC comments to options presented in the discussion paper:

Section A: Tied House – Option 1
Eliminate tied house prohibitions altogether – permit exclusivity

Without a doubt, this option presents the worst option for a beer consumer. Larger brewery concerns can buy retail establishments and attractive real estate options and make them available for exclusive business deals for themselves.

In an environment where the concept of tied houses is a given practice, there is nothing to stop a deep pocketed brewing company from buying or securing prime locations and offering them as turnkey lease operations where only that brewing company’s brands are served. Nor is it improbable that existing establishments would be offered monies, whether for purchase outright, or “investment”, to secure their tap lines.

The very concept of buying a tap line in a restaurant or bar could become a new business practice, a practice that favours those with deep pockets.

We can observe from the exclusive agreements already in existence at Roger’s Arena and BC Place Stadium that such deals limit choice, and devalue the existence of a vibrant, consumer driven market. Why should we not have more choice when it comes to the beer we wish to drink, rather than less?

Section A: Tied House – Option 2
Permit tied houses between the same corporate entity, but limit the number of tied houses a person can hold to limit risk of market consolidation, e.g. 5 or 6

Here the Pandora’s box has been opened. Having the ability to open, own or operate a tied house, a major brewing concern can then use its various brand names to manage multiple outlets each arguably different from the others, perhaps even separated though umbrella ownership agreements. In this way, a major producer which houses many brands under its corporate auspices can control choice to an even greater extent at the consumer level – in other words, to appear to offer “choice”, without really doing so.

As stated in the discussion paper the number is entirely arbitrary. Who is going to manage this? Beyond that, who in this industry can afford to own multiple tied houses? Only the larger corporate brewing companies, whose interests are not in the consumer choice but in maximizing their profit and minimizing their competition can.

CAMRA supports initiatives in this area that enhance consumer choice. Careful consideration and clear direction will be needed to ensure that this is the result of changes to this option.

Section A – Tied House – Option 3
Permit tied houses with public interest restrictions

Here in lies a tangled web. How would this question be posed for public input? Who makes the final decision? The buying consumer should be the final arbiter of what is a good range of product to be available.

A relaxation of tied house rules based on brewery production volumes with smaller producers having the latitude to sell their products in establishments in which they might have full or part ownership might be the more appropriate method of easing restriction. This is the model currently being discussed as changes to practices in various states south of the border as it answers many challenges to smaller producers.

CAMRA BC believes that every house that is permitted to sell beer should be able to operate on the basis of providing the quality product its patrons demand, not on the whims of a board or the behind the scenes workings of a legal or business team.

Section B – Trade Practices – Option 1
Eliminate trade practice restrictions altogether

CAMRA BC strongly opposes any measure to allow the elimination of trade practices. Recent market statistics show quite clearly that the smaller brewers are growing in market share, whereas the larger brewing concerns are lagging. Given the flexibility of their financial muscle production volume, large brewing corporation have the ability to undermine the credibility of the industry and discount their product below market value, thus forcing independent brewers out of business.

As mentioned above, exclusive sponsorship agreements, as applied today (Rogers Arena and BC Place), not only result in less choice for the consumer, they favour large corporate brewers, who can afford to invest in exclusivity, whereas this option is all but impossible for a smaller producer.

Section B – Trade Practices – Option 2
Reduce or eliminate most trade practice restrictions

Again, CAMRA BC strongly opposes a market condition that unfairly benefits larger brewing concerns with deep pockets over smaller, innovative breweries that offer choices of flavour the consumer is demanding.

Section B – Trade Practices – Option 3
Streamline some trade practice policies and procedures

CAMRA BC does support joint sponsorship (licensee and supplier) of events, given that there are no tied house provisions in effect. Buy-Sell agreements should remain in effect and be documented to maintain a level of openness, honesty and integrity in the brewing industry.

In Summary
CAMRA BC is keen to be involved in continued discussions with the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch with regard to its policy regarding the distribution and retailing of beer products. As a consumer group, we are here to ensure the BC consumer receives the selection, value and quality he or she deserves and demands.

We maintain that the best option for BC consumers is the notion of open houses, where licensed establishments may provide from any one of BCs over 50 breweries’ products according the demands of its patrons.

(sent by email)

Martin Williams
President
CAMRA BC, Vancouver Branch
Campaigning for Real Ale, Pubs and Drinkers’ Rights

1- http://www.bcliquorstores.com/files/December%202010%20Quarterly%20Market%20Review.pdf

Acknowledgment from Barry Bieller
Thu, 17 Feb 2011

Dear Mr. Williams:

Thank you for your email and the written submission from CAMRA BC regarding proposed changes to tied house and trade practice rules. I appreciate you taking the time to write and offer your association’s comments on these issues. Your views will be considered as we proceed with our review.

Regards,
Barry Bieller
Director, Policy, Planning & Communications
Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General

A sign of the times that CAMRA Vancouver is actively trying to define their roll, focus and relate to their membership and beyond, is the open letter sent electronically, via their weekly newsletter and distributed at the AGM, entitled “CAMRA Vancouver, greater than the sum of its parts”. This open letter, dated Dec 14/10 and authored by then President, Lundy Dale and current President (then Vice President), Martin Williams, defined what CAMRA Vancouver is all about. In the opening of the letter, Dale and Williams hinted at the fact that many, not involved in CAMRA’s executive, did not have a clear picture of what it was CAMRA Vancouver does. The letter defined what CAMRA was all about, where they are today and where they were planning on going in the future and challenged the membership to get involved to guide the group’s future direction and actions.

“Its getting there,” states Martin Williams in regards to CAMRA Vancouver achieving its goal of being an effective consumer advocacy group. “We (CAMRA) are young, only eight years old in Vancouver. There is a desire to be more active and to have more to say. CAMRA is membership driven. The volume of the voice is dependent on the number of voices working in concert.

“What I would most like to see is membership in CAMRA increase and become more active. If 10% of our membership spent 2 hours a week doing some research into why we can’t get the beer we want and served the way it should be served, we would have enough ammunition to make demands for real change to the rules that are holding us back. As it stands right now, we really don’t know. We have a fairly good idea, but we don’t have the facts to back us up. A more active membership would make for a more effective voice working on behalf of the craft beer drinkers.”

Until last year, I avoided buying a CAMRA membership because, to tell you the truth, I really did not see any reason why I should join. I have been aware of CAMRA since the 1980s, when I came across CAMRA beer festivals while living in the UK and came in contact with the group here in BC in the mid-1990s, but I could never really figure out what they were actually doing locally to campaign for real ale and craft beer. From my perspective, CAMRA, at least locally, was nothing more than a beer appreciation group who really had no obvious or definable campaign other than to organize the odd beer festival and discounts on craft beer. It seemed like a small, select group who used the name of CAMRA as an excuse to meet and drink beer. I often felt the CAMRA members I came across in bars and at festivals were nothing more than beer snobs who actually set back the campaign to promote craft beers by annoying and/or offending those who did not drink craft beer instead of trying to introduce them to and educate them about these wonderful brews.

Now remember, this was my perspective and I know it may ruffle a few feathers, but I was not alone in thinking this way, having met many others who voiced similar thoughts. Whether this was true or not, this was one opinion of CAMRA that was out there in Vancouver, but because of the hard work done over the past few years and the explosion of the craft beer scene here in BC, this negative opinion held by some about CAMRA is fading away rapidly. And, in my opinion, rightly so, as CAMRA Vancouver is definitely moving in the right direction and truly organizing a campaign that is helping local craft brewers find their rightful places in the pubs, restaurants and liquor stores of our province giving local craft beer lovers more access and opportunity to consume local craft beers.

Vancouver Craft Beer Week (VCBW) co-founder, beer writer and former CAMRA Vancouver President, Rick Green, agreed, at least in part, with my view of CAMRA Vancouver, past and present, when I queried him recently about his thoughts in regards to CAMRA’s growth.

“When I joined CAMRA in 2006, it was very much a beer appreciation group hanging out at (former brewbup/restaurant) Dix, really only trying to pick up new members from the low-hanging fruit at Caskivals,” said Green, who included himself as one of the low-hanging fruit.

“In 2007, I decided to take over the CAMRA Secretary position from Jack Enright who, as a service to the membership, sent out an irregular e-mail with the latest news about casks, new beers coming out, events, etc. Considering that CAMRA was supposed to be a campaign, I thought that if we were going to be anything of the kind, we needed to increase the membership and communication.”

Green, who comes from a multi media background, felt the best way to increase membership and communication was by publishing a regular e-newsletter that anyone, not just members, could subscribe to.

“If the quality of the information was sufficiently high, those who like good beer would probably forward it to their cohorts and our subscriber base would grow. We would then have a better means of converting those subscribers into members if they could be shown the value of doing so. The strategy succeeded and we saw our membership grow significantly.”

Today the CAMRA Vancouver Weekly Newsletter, overseen by Ryan O’Connor, is sent electronically to approximately 900 people on a weekly basis, according to CAMRA Communications Director, Monica Frost’s report at the AGM. Of those 900 people, approximately 50% are opening the letter weekly and nobody knows how many of those people are forwarding the newsletter to friends and associates who drink craft beer. The newsletter has recently made some major improvements and regularly lists craft beer events, such as weekly cask nights, beer festivals, food-beer pairings and beer tours, that are independant of CAMRA. The newsletter also supplies information about new arrivals at local liquor stores that feature craft beers and has links to many local beer bloggers such as myself.

CAMRA Vancouver’s efforts to reach more people, has grown beyond their weekly newsletter. Anyone who has a Twitter (CAMRA_YVR) or Facebook account can follow CAMRA Vancouver and they have done an excellent job utilizing social media to promote all things relating to local craft beer. As well, CAMRA Vancouver has brought in Brooklyn Galloway to act as a Creative Design Director and as a result their website has more professional and polished look about it.

“Our overall image has been taken to the next level of professionalism with our new website,” states Frost. “We are also very active in giving updates and communicating through our social media outlets, such as Facebook, our Weekly Newsletter and Twitter.”

Another focus of CAMRA Vancouver, dating back to the Rick Green days, has been to focus on organizing and sponsoring events to try to promote the cause. According to Green, who became president in 2007, he and his executive decided to try to bolster the membership and encourage local businesses to feature craft beers by this means.

“We also put a concerted effort into supporting events and hosting beer events as another way to attract new members and to demonstrate to other establishments what could be done to better serve their customers,” states Green. Althought organizing beer festivals pre-dates Green’s days with CAMRA, organizing and sponsoring events took on a more significant role during his era and has continued to grow in importance and popularity. Last year CAMRA Vancouver really came into their own as far as events go with their final event, The Winterfest of Ale, held Dec 4/10 at St Augustine’s, selling out well ahead of time, leaving many disappointed. In my opinion, it was one of the best CAMRA festivals in quite some time, with the event attracting an eclectic, cross-section of craft beer lovers to sample the impressive line-up of beers. As well as hosting and sponsoring a festivals, CAMRA supports the local cask nights, which are held almost every night of the week around the Lower Mainland and and various other beer events such as beer-food pairings, Vancouver Craft Beer Week and BeerTourist, helping them be successful by promoting them and getting the word out there and them.

Lundy Dale, who stepped in for Green as president in 2010, believes that supporting events is a key way to reach out the the general public, to promote craft beer and build CAMRA’s membership.

“While Rick Green was aboard as president, his strength was media and he was great at getting the word of CAMRA out there. My strengths lie in organization and events. Our membership increases with every event.” This combined effort of supporting and sponsoring events and reaching out to the membership, and beyond, utilizing social media and the internet, is paying off and helping expose CAMRA to a wider audience.

“In the past year we have been actively engaging members, supporters, the general public and bloggers in a movement towards supporting craft beer and specifically the local community,” explained Frost. “Our growing member and corporate support base is an indication of some success with that (strategy) but also the fact that at our events, the number of non-members to members is usually split evenly at about 50%. That tells me that our social media efforts are being seen and we are drawing new people in. One of our focuses for 2011 is converting that interest to memberships which in turn raises the volume of our voice in the community.”

Even though CAMRA’s individual and corporate membership is growing, their events are selling out and their support is bringing more and more people out to events independent of CAMRA, they are not about to sit back and admire their handiwork. CAMRA is now looking to broaden their role and try to encourage their members to really effect change in the craft beer industry by becoming more educated about the issues in order to act as a credible lobby group.

“Every time there is a change in executive, things change,” explained Dale, who is moving on serve as president for CAMRA BC. Dale went on to say that when she took over for Rick Green as CAMRA Vancouver President in 2010 and Martin Williams took on the roll of VP, there was another slight shift in focus towards becoming a more vocal consumer advocacy group.

“Martin has the passion and the energy to get the word out there and make things happen,” says Lundy. “I am looking forward to working with him on a number of projects that will be suitable for all of CAMRA BC.”

As mentioned above, Williams would like to see a more active and vocal membership. His belief is that CAMRA really should be greater than the sum of its parts.

“I’d like to see CAMRA become a research machine,” says Williams. “We should know all the rules as they apply to our beer, what their intention was when they were being implemented, and whether the current situation has evolved from then.

“I do want to see CAMRA having a more active voice. Our voice should have weight. We should be referenced whenever beer policy is concerned. However, as I said as the AGM, we have to have something behind the mouth before we open it. If CAMRA is to be credible, what is says must have value, have a basis in reality and ring true. That can only come if we understand the questions, our goals and the goals of those who would have craft beer, and the enjoyment of it, out on the back shelf. That all might sound very heavy, but changing policy, dealing with political issues is heavy, and mostly boring details.”

It is this kind of energy and purpose that lured me into the fold of CAMRA Vancouver and has me putting fingers to keyboard to tap out this blog. I want to be involved and have my voice heard. I no longer see CAMRA as just a beer appreciation group, even though all involved certainly do appreciate good beer. It has turned in to something more and if people like Williams have their way, CAMRA will become the voice of change in the future. But as Williams pointed out to me, even though Vancouver’s carft beer scene has exploded, we have a long way to go.

“Even today, though the population is close (in numbers), Washington (State) has 150% the number of breweries than BC,” says Williams. “I needed to play a role in changing that. The first step was joining CAMRA Vancouver.

“The second step was getting involved.”

So if you are sick and tired of seeing the ridiculous price we pay for beer here in this province, or annoyed that your craft beers get served in frosted glasses that taste like soap, or that your local pub/restaurant/liquor store does not offer local, craft beers maybe, like me, it is time to get involved and make your voice heard. If enough of us shout at once, in unison and with something informed and intelligent to say, maybe someone else will take notice.

Even though Williams is dead serious about trying to organize to shake up the status quo, he still keeps things in perspective.

“In the meantime, we can drink fine ale while we work, laugh some and enjoy some good comradery, as we fight the good fight,” says Williams. “We have the right to drink good beer, made by the traditional methods, served as we like it.

“It is a right worth fighting for.”

Now that sounds like a campaign I want to be apart of.

If you want to learn more about CAMRA Vancouver, check out their website where you can get all the information you need, subscribe to their newsletter and join the ranks.

Written by WanderingPaddy at http://eastsidebeer.blogspot.com/

2011 CAMRA Vancouver Awards

Best Local Brewpub

Gold – Central City Brewing Co
Silver -Howe Sounds Brewing
Bronze – Yaletown Brewing Co

Best Local Beer Cafe or Restaurant

Gold -The Whip Gallery & Restaurant
Silver – Rogue Wetbar
Bronze -Six Acres Cafe

Best Local Tap House or Pub

Gold – The Alibi Room
Silver – St. Augustine’s
Bronze – London Pub
Bronze – Biercraft
Bronze – The Railway Club

Best Local Liquor Store (Private)

Gold – Brewery Creek
Silver – Firefly Cambie
Bronze – Viti Wines & Lagers

Best Local Cask Night

Gold – The Whip Gallery & Restaurant “Real Ale Sundays”
Silver – St. Augustine’s “Manichean Mondays”
Bronze – Yaletown Brewing Co “Making it Real (Ale)”

Best Local Beer Event 2010

Gold – Vancouver Craft Beer Week 2010
Silver – CAMRA Vancouver Winterfest of Ale at St. Augustine’s
Bronze – The Alibi Room 200th Tap Rotation

Best BC Brewery – Non Brewpub

Gold – Driftwood Brewery
Silver – Red Racer Beer
Bronze – Phillips Brewing Company

Best BC Beer (non-seasonal, available all year)

Gold -Red Racer IPA
Silver -Red Racer ESB
Bronze -Crannog Backhand of God

Best BC Seasonal

Gold -Driftwood Sartori Harvest IPA
Silver – Central City Thor’s Hammer
Bronze – Howe Sounds Pothole Filler

Learn more

Central Bistro
http://www.centralbistro.com/
20% discount off food purchases for CAMRA Members

London Pub
http://thelondonpub.ca/

Rogue Kitchen and Wetbar
http://www.roguewetbar.com/

Steamworks Brewing Company
http://www.steamworks.com/