It’s been one month since the new executive was elected at the AGM held at Central City and what a month it has been. Racing out of the gates describes it best, I think. What has happened in this month, from a government action perspective that CAMRA members should be aware of?
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
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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
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