SIBA’s three-day BeerX conference has got under way with the presentation of two major awards.
The organisation’s 2021 Lifetime Achievement award has been presented posthumously to Tony Eastwood, founder of wholesaler Small Beer, who passed away in 2020. He was described as a “titan of the industry” by SIBA chief executive, James Calder.
The award was accepted by Tony’s son, Rob, who pointed out the large part that his mother, Jude, also played in the business.
Rob explained how cask beer was his father’s passion, and added that he was convinced cask was going to be a big driver in the brewing and pub industries’ recovery post-covid.
SIBA’s special recognition award goes to the four founders of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, which celebrates its 50th anniversary today.
The award was accepted on behalf of the other three by one of the quartet, Graham Lees. “Some might say four grumpy young men have evolved over the years into four grumpy old men,” he joked.
He still sees a strong role for CAMRA in the 21st century, adding: “Despite many battles won, the war is certainly not over. The future of the pub is in jeopardy as never before, for many reasons.”
BeerX continues over the next three days with a series of talks, debates, and tastings, culminating in the annual Business Awards on Thursday.
