Photograph: Unsplash/radovan
Brewers of Europe
Founded in 1958 and based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe — a not-for-profit European association — is the voice of the European brewing sector to the European institutions and international organisations. Current members are the national brewers’ associations from EU member states, plus Croatia, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.
Web: brewersofeurope.org
Brewery Workers Union
A branch of Industrial Workers of the World, formed in November 2021. Bringing together current and former brewery workers to create a network of support, workplace organisation, solidarity, training, and legal advice and aid.
Web: iww.org.uk/
Campaign for Pubs
Created in 2020, this is a UK grassroots campaign speaking up for our pubs and campaigning to promote, support and protect pubs. It campaigns on the key issues to support and protect pubs and to better represent them. The campaign was formed by leading pub campaigners and publicans to provide a real voice for pubs, working with the British Pub Confederation, the confederation of organisations representing pubs and publicans.
Web: campaignforpubs.org.uk/
Campaign for Real Ale
The best known of the beer and pub campaigning groups, and by common consent the most successful UK consumer pressure group ever. CAMRA’s original objective, in which it has arguably succeeded, was to bring cask ale — Britain’s national drink — back into pubs during the barren years of the 1970s when the likes of keg Watney’s Red Barrel and Double Diamond dominated the bars, with keg lager also getting a grip on the nation’s drinkers. These days the organisation’s remit includes campaigning against pub closures and bad practices by large pub companies (pubcos) that it considers work against the interests of the drinker and the licensee. More than 190,000 members are spread between over 200 branches, who organise a huge number of beer festivals around the country as well as supporting their local pubs and brewers through regular campaigns such as Mild Month and Community Pubs Month.
Web: www.camra.org.uk
Licensees Association
Representing licensees and lobbying on their behalf.
Web: licensees.org
Raise a Glass
A campaign to support the British brewing, distilling a winemaking sectors following the closure of pubs, bars and restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic, using the hashtag #raiseaglass. The campaign is running on social media, encouraging businesses to highlight easy ways to buy their products, and consumers to share which locally-produced drinks they are enjoying.
Web: rankincork.co.uk/raise-a-glass/
Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood
The forerunner of CAMRA when it came to anti-keg beer campaigning, the SPBW still exists, albeit operating at a very low level of 331 members (according to Boak & Bailey — Brew Britannia, Aurum Press, 2014). These days it is more of a drinking club than a campaigning group, the national executive meeting monthly. It has relaxed its adherence to supporting just beer from the wood, too, although with the trend aong craft brewers to mature beers in wood, their time may come again!
Web: spbw.beer
