Beer Day Britain 2016

I wrote this for the local paper, the Southport Visiter; most of the info came from the Beer Day website. Personally, I don't need a specific Beer Day, but I have no objection to this initiative.

Beer Day Britain is on Wednesday 15 June, the date when the Magna Carta was agreed in 1215. Article 35 states: "There shall be standard measures of wine, ale, and corn (the London quarter), throughout the kingdom." To be mentioned in one of the most significant legal documents in our history shows how important ale was in England at that time. It is in fact an early example of a weights and measures policy and while we do not know what the legal measure for beer would have been at that time, it probably was not the pint.

From the 16th century English (and later British) ships spread the taste for beer far and wide. Many styles of beer invented in Britain are now brewed regularly around the world, including pale ale, India pale ale, mild, brown ale, stout, porter, imperial Russian stout, and barley wine.

Visitors to the UK often view pub culture as an important part of our identity and a trip to the pub for beer and typical pub food such as fish & chips is in the top five activities they want to do. Beer is also an important part of our economy; every year, the British Treasury receives £22 billion from the brewing and pub industries.

The idea of Beer Day Britain is for people to drink a beer, ideally in the pub, and celebrate our national drink. Join in by raising a glass and saying "Cheers to Beer" at 7pm on 15 June. To find out more about Beer Day Britain, click here.

CAMRA accepts 30 pieces of silver

It's Cask Ale Week, apparently. I can't say I would have noticed, except that I received a gushing e-mail from CAMRA promoting it. They point out that the 'week' runs from 24 September to 4 October, helpfully explaining that this is 10 days, although it's 11 by my reckoning.

There's a free pint promotion from Punch Taverns, although you have to have an internet enabled smartphone to access the offer. That doesn't bother me too much. The fact that CAMRA is promoting a Punch Taverns offer does.

Last month Punch agreed to sell 158 pubs to New River, a property company with a record of converting pubs to other uses. This sale included the Roscoe Head in Liverpool, one of only five pubs in every Good Beer Guide, and the only one north of Cambridge. I've written about this issue and the local campaign on 31 August, 6 September, and 13 September.

My question is: why is CAMRA promoting an offer by a pub company that is no real friend of the Campaign, whose record with pubs is scarcely exemplary and who has put a cherished local at risk? It's a punch in the face for local campaigners who are trying to prevent or limit the damage this business is causing.

It's a rum do

The banned advert: accurate, or
evil propaganda? You decide.

The youth wing of Alcohol Concern are at it again. Last December they managed to get banned a Let There Be Beer advert, which I regarded as quite accurate, and they've done it again with a picture posted on Captain Morgan's Facebook page. The Youth Alcohol Advertising Council (YAAC) complained to the Advertising Standards Authority, arguing that it encouraged people to alleviate boredom by irresponsibly drinking with their friends. Diageo, on the other hand, argued that it was more a suggestion that people take a break from the daily grind and relax with friends.

According to Marketing Week, "The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that consumers were likely to think the Captain had sought out alcohol to entertain himself when they viewed it, which breached rules against implying alcohol is capable of changing moods."

The most ludicrous thing about all of this that alcohol does change moods; it wouldn't be nearly so popular otherwise. According to one article I looked up, the effects of a moderate consumption of alcohol can include: overall improvement in mood and possible euphoria, increased self-confidence, increased sociability and decreased anxiety. So, although the advert is correct to imply that alcohol can change moods and a lot of people drink it precisely for that reason, the ASA won't let any advertiser say so. So that, it seems, is that.

In conclusion, I have to say I do feel sorry for those trainee busybodies of the YAAC whose horizons have been so curtailed that they can't think of anything better to do while they are still young.

Zetland real ale festival and loyalty card

Please note: since posting this, I've learnt the dates have changed. I'll provide the correct dates when I'm told them myself.
The Zetland Hotel on Zetland Street is a large local in a residential area in Southport, well-known locally for its popular bowling green. It's also a real ale pub and will be holding a Guest Ale Festival between 27 September and 6 October. The beers available will include:

• The Kite Brewery - Bluestone Bitter 4%
• Upham Brewery - Punter 4%
• Adnams - Topaz Gold 4%
• Titanic Brewery - Iceberg 4.1%
• Daniel Thwaites - Lancaster Bomber 4.4%
• Wadworth & Co - Farmer's Glory 4.7%
• Castle Rock - Elsie Mo 4.7%
• Cotleigh Brewery - Osprey 5%

The Zetland Hotel
(picture pinched from Marstons website)

And here's a promotional idea I haven't come across before. From the 2 October, they are setting up a Cask Ale Collectors Club on Wednesdays from 8.30pm. Club members must collect 2 stamps (1 stamp per pint of cask ale) in person every Wednesday for a minimum of 46 weeks to qualify for a free trip to the Jennings brewery organised by the pub. In January, April & July, members will receive a free gift if they have accrued enough stamps during the previous 3 months. Members will also be able to vote for their preferred cask ales for the following month.

It's certainly a novel idea; I hope it works.