The CAMRA Great British Beer Festival 2011

The CAMRA Great British Beer Festival 2011
Published - 10.06.2011 Comments (45)

We can confirm BrewDog will be attending with our own bar.

Serving draft beer from kegs.

That is all.

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Comments (45)
Spanglemoose 12.06.2011 @ 11:10am
Hangabout, surely any brewer in thier right mind would now start supplying thier beer in keykegs rather than let some neab'dy cellarman bastardise thier cask ale by venting it for 3 days in a warm room?
simcoecitra 12.06.2011 @ 8:45am
Any chance of reversing the order the comments are published so the newest is on the bottom. Would make it easier to follow these threads. See you at the GBBF.
Ian Prise 11.06.2011 @ 11:03am
Nice to see someone from Camra injecting a little humour on here. Keep it up Marc.
Mark 11.06.2011 @ 10:18am
I hope you won't be attempting to pass off yeasty ditchwater as beer at the festival. Had the misfortune to try your 3 Floyds collaboration on draft. Pish.
Gideon H 11.06.2011 @ 1:06am
Tea bags make the tea taste all papery. The only real tea is infused in a china teapot. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Nick, beerprole.wordpress.com 10.06.2011 @ 10:07pm
Thanks very much for clarifying, Marc. I'm glad that there's an accomodation of some sort that is workable for all. Good luck with the festival.
Roddy c 10.06.2011 @ 9:59pm
bad news folks my beer fridge has jist packed in .FUCK!
Rabidbarfly 10.06.2011 @ 9:26pm
Well, at least you're being up front about it and not trying to sneak a keg in under your skirts....sorry kilts. Find it hard to believe CAMRA would agree to it though.
Jim Young 10.06.2011 @ 8:06pm
Gaun yersel JW. Another blinder. CAMRA accommodate you. Big story.CAMRA kick you out. Ditto.PS Very much enjoyed your Isle of Arran Paradox earlier this week. You beers just keep getting better and better.
Stephanos 10.06.2011 @ 4:52pm
Or arguing that its discriminatory that all pubs don't sell every beer currently in production
SF 10.06.2011 @ 4:51pm
"Surely such a policy discriminates against nationals/corporations in particular EU states and is threfore illegal under European law."haha, no. internet lawyers, gotta love em.
Richard E Allelle 10.06.2011 @ 4:49pm
That's like arguing that appellation controllee is dscriminatory because you can't produce champagne in Birmingham.
BringBackChaosTheoryAgain 10.06.2011 @ 4:41pm
"Brewdog cannot serve non-real ale at GBBF, as they are not from a country with no tradition of cask conditioned ale. That's CAMRA policy, agree with it or not."Surely such a policy discriminates against nationals/corporations in particular EU states and is threfore illegal under European law.
Richard E Allelle 10.06.2011 @ 4:17pm
" Surely it's about doing the best thing for the British beer scene."Indeed. Slightly off topic, but something I've observed in many walks of life is that the frequency of use of the word "scene" to describe the domain of any particular subject is directly proportional to how far up their own arse the speaker's head is.
SF 10.06.2011 @ 4:12pm
John, are there any other light hearted remarks you'd like to over-interpret and use as a springboard for a pre-scripted rant? I'm sure we'd all love to see some more since that one was so entertaining.
SF 10.06.2011 @ 4:10pm
"CAMRA are so introverted and conceited as an organisation, that they see any challenge to their authority as a personal attack. Instead of listening to an alternative viewpoint and either developing their thinking or intelligently arguing their corner, they spit the dummy and moan that the playground bad boys are ruining their game. It's not about being 'nice'. Surely it's about doing the best thing for the British beer scene."lol
John Booth 10.06.2011 @ 4:08pm
Marc Holmes has highlighted perfectly the root of the problem. "James will from now on be nice to CAMRA..."CAMRA are so introverted and conceited as an organisation, that they see any challenge to their authority as a personal attack. Instead of listening to an alternative viewpoint and either developing their thinking or intelligently arguing their corner, they spit the dummy and moan that the playground bad boys are ruining their game. It's not about being 'nice'. Surely it's about doing the best thing for the British beer scene.
sonicstrav 10.06.2011 @ 3:32pm
I haven't been to a BrewDog bar - will be be going Saturday after next in Edinburgh. Is that CO2'd from the keg or just air-pumped?
FrFintonstack 10.06.2011 @ 3:22pm
Air pumps to serve real ale is entirely approved by CAMRA, as the beer does not come into contact with "extraneous gas". In fact, air pumps ("tall founts") are the traditional way to serve real ale in Scotland, and are promoted by CAMRA as such. I never had you down as such traditionalists, lads.
Marc Holmes 10.06.2011 @ 3:00pm
Some facts to answer questions floating about here and elsewhere:- CAMRA buys the beer from the brewery, CAMRA sells the beer to the public, Brewdog are paying for the privilege of having a dedicated bar.- The beer will be in 50l Keykegs. Unfortunately this will limit the amount we can order so it may run out.- The beer will conform to CAMRA's definition of real ale - unpasteurised, unfiltered and with enough viable yeast to allow secondary fermentation (don't worry, we'll be checking...).- It will be served using compressed air, as James says as per the foreign beers. At no point will the beer come into contact with extraneous CO2.- If James wants to work behind the bar he can, as soon as he joins CAMRA, as per the terms of the contract.And finally:- James will from now on be nice to CAMRA or I'll kick his ass! Only joking... ;-)Cheers,Marc HolmesGBBF Organiser.
Richard E Allelle 10.06.2011 @ 2:52pm
Who said anything about bright beer? It's perfectly possible to serve real ale from a container called a keg. As someone observed on Twitter earlier, it's possible to serve real ale from a radiator!Brewdog cannot serve non-real ale at GBBF, as they are not from a country with no tradition of cask conditioned ale. That's CAMRA policy, agree with it or not.The staff have to be CAMRA members, the beer has to conform to the Campaign's definition of real ale. The definition deliberately does not preclude a particular container, only specific treatments of the beer. If the beer undergoes secondary fermentation in the vessel, whether it's a keg, a cask, or a hollowed-out prosthetic limb, and is served without extraneous CO2, it's real.
DJ Glass Slipper 10.06.2011 @ 2:44pm
KEG...CASK...KEG...CASK...KEG....CASK - Who cares! Good beer is all I want!Please make sure you have some left for Saturday!!!!
Barm 10.06.2011 @ 2:28pm
So, although you have the facility to produce cask, you intend to put birght beer in kegs and serve it by gravity or air pressure, thus losing the alleged advantages of higher carbonation gained by kegging it in the first place. What's the point of that, except to be obnoxious for the sake of it? Oh, wait...
Nick, beerprole.wordpress.com 10.06.2011 @ 2:06pm
Fair enough. Well, depending on how the Scottish independence referendum goes, BrewDog beers may soon qualify to be served on the foreign beer bar anyway.
James, BrewDog 10.06.2011 @ 1:57pm
We will have exclusively kegs. Dispensed in exactly the same way as the foreign beer bar.
Bob 10.06.2011 @ 1:55pm
I notice you don't say if you're using extraneous CO2 to dispense from the kegs though... I'm assuming pumps that work with air are fine, considering that's what they use on the foreign beer bar.
Nick, beerprole.wordpress.com 10.06.2011 @ 1:48pm
I would be interested to know what the contract actually says. Are stall-holders obliged to sell exclusively cask ale or just provide an offering? Note that James doesn't say they will be serving exclusively draft beer from kegs.CAMRA would presumably suffer no monetary loss from BrewDog providing a keg offering also, but depending on the terms, perhaps they would be able to terminate the contract/licence etc in advance of the event. And that may be the story James wants.
Bernard Randall 10.06.2011 @ 1:38pm
Come on BrewDog your cask stuff was amazing at the Norwich Beer Festival. Sold out so fast!
pk 10.06.2011 @ 1:35pm
Why was there a Brewdog penguin walking around at the Aberdeen CAMRA event last night? thought it was being boycotted.
neil, eatingisntcheating.blogspot.com 10.06.2011 @ 1:35pm
Can you guys confirm if CAMRA have agreed to this?Or is it gorilla warfare?
Eddie Miles 10.06.2011 @ 1:32pm
What a shame. The keg stuff is easy to come by but I hardly ever see the cask beers now. Please reconsider
anon 10.06.2011 @ 1:15pm
Maybe they are allowed Cask Conditioned Beer in a Key Keg?
Richard E Allelle 10.06.2011 @ 1:07pm
As I understand it, Brewdog have a paid a non-refundable deposit on a contract that requires them to supply cask conditioned ale.If they want to throw free money into CAMRA's coffers, then that's up to them.
Curmudgeon 10.06.2011 @ 12:34pm
If indeed you are not just teasing, I predicted a while back that this is exactly what would happen.
Dominic 10.06.2011 @ 12:30pm
This sounds great. I worked there last year and it is a great experience. If this is the future of relations between CAMRA and Brewdog then it doesn't sound too bad
Alan 10.06.2011 @ 12:30pm
How is this "CAMRA bashing"? Looks more like bridge-building to me, and good news for anyone who just likes good beer, whether it's in kegs or casks.Any chance you can do the same at the Edinburgh event?
Jon Gobbett 10.06.2011 @ 12:28pm
Dear Tim, You're obviously a fan of "keg" beer. May I suggest a brew from the Royal Brewery in Moss Side, Manchester may be to your liking.
pft 10.06.2011 @ 12:20pm
Boring. Choose your battles more wisely please. You and Camra will squabble each other to death while bland lager marches over you both. I want to put you both in a cupboard together until you've sorted your differences out.
Matt 10.06.2011 @ 12:13pm
That's fucking hilarious
Charles 10.06.2011 @ 12:13pm
This is funny and great on so many levels. Gatecrashers of the world, unite
Johnny 10.06.2011 @ 12:11pm
Camra bashing? What a nob. And surely every brewery is there for marketing? People need to get over the whole Camra vs Craft thing. Anti-bland lager is all that matters. Savour the flavour!x
HardknottDave 10.06.2011 @ 12:10pm
I just knew this is what you'd do. Now, will CAMRA have the balls to throw you out? Loose for them either way.
Nathaniel Southwood 10.06.2011 @ 11:58am
Great news! I'll be there like a well dressed polar bear!
Brewdog bores 10.06.2011 @ 11:57am
Yawn, yet more CAMRA bashing for one purpose only - marketing.
Tim 10.06.2011 @ 11:49am
Brilliant! Maybe the slogan "CAMRA: Oxidising beer since 1971" is no longer 100% correct.javascript:document.comment.submit();