Beer is amazing. Cider and Perry are amazing. Depending on your tastes, on those two things I am sure we can all agree.
Our favourite drinks, their rich social, cultural and economic history unite us in a common narrative of enjoyment and craft. Although, the diverse cast of people involved are not always as visible as they could be.
There are so many ways to brew and ferment and a multitude of settings within which to relish them. It’s unsurprising then that there are many different kinds of people involved in the creation, promotion, distribution and service of beer, cider and perry. Not to forget those who educate on and celebrate them.
Our contemporary brewing, making and drinking culture is a diverse scene. Whether it be the fact that one of our most prominent brewers and industry activists is a woman of colour or that many of our most celebrated writers, broadcasters and educators are women, people of colour or members of the LGBTQI community.
Award winning beer writer and broadcaster Emma Inch curated a program of talks and tastings at 2019’s Cambridge Beer festival. Emma’s work at Cambridge was part of CAMRA’s Learning and Discovery programme, the campaign’s effort to broaden access to beer, cider and perry education to all. Listen below to Emma interviewing Lily Waite, founder of the Queer Brewing Project about her non-profit, her work to raise the profile of LGBTQI people in the industry, beer, brewing and the importance of a social conscience in today’s brewing and drinking scene.
The diversity of our brewing, making and drinking culture is to be celebrated but it’s not always obvious to a wider audience and is dependant on how it is depicted in TV, film, in print and online. CAMRA looks to safeguard the accessibility to our events, campaigns and publications by providing space for reportage and representation from these communities wherever possible. This is important for people from those communities, from inside and outside the bubble of the beer and cider industry, to feel comfortable about getting involved with the campaign, through membership, grassroots activism and volunteering.
Our volunteer code of conduct, displayed at all festivals, reinforces this on the ground as does the 2019 ban on all sexist names and pump clip imagery at CAMRA festivals across the UK in addition to CAMRA’s 2020 statement of solidarity with Black Lives Matter by National Chairman Nik Antona. In May 2021, CAMRA also released a statement on the important discussion about sexism and discrimination in the UK beer industry.
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