Wishlist #3; Mandatory LocAle at CAMRA Festivals

LocAle is one of the most significant CAMRA campaigns they've ever run. It promotes pubs that sell locally brewed real ale, which benefits not only themselves but their customers, the local brewers, the local economy and the environment.

Every CAMRA branch ought to be supporting LocAle. And what better way of promoting the campaign than having a LocAle bar at every local CAMRA beer festival? Not just a few local beers scattered around the venue. A dedicated section of the stillage with banners and beermats covered in the logo. The distance from festival to brewery in miles advertised on the cask end. Perhaps a sampler tray placed out at set times when it's quieter.

LocAle has the potential to engage casual drinkers into CAMRA campaigns. Every CAMRA festival should make a LocAle bar a high-visibility priority. Take pride in your own campaign; promote it with vigour, shout about its success. Then licensees will be more convinced to adopt it.

3 comments:

  1. i agree in principle with the notion of Locale at every festival, however as a local brewer i would not even put my beer in our local festival if it meant it being on a seperate bar. All local brewers opposed such a suggestion last year at Sheffield. It segragates local beers from the mainstream festival. Sponsoring your place at a festival is about reaching the main body of punters and selling as much as possible to recoup the sponsorship deal. Separating locale class beers means most people think they can get those beers all the time - it is footfall on the main bar we want not pushing to one side.

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. As a drinker I go to a local festival in the hope of being able to try a beer not normally available in my area. So if all the LocAle beers were on a seperate bar, I could happily ignore that bar & try the not-so LocAles.

    I can therefore thoroughly understand the viewpoint above about local brewers sponsoring local events not wanting to be cast aside.

    Another problem is space available, can the venues used at some of these festivals fit another bar in?

    Re-posted because I really should preview my comments & correct the speeeling erorrs :-)

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