Real group CAMRA celebrates its 40th birthday in its Chester birthplace

Mar 31 2011 by David Holmes, Chester Chronicle

THE founders of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) are celebrating its 40th birthday this weekend by going on a pub crawl in its Chester birthplace.

It was March 1971 when the three young Cheshire journalists and a brewery worker gathered in the city for the first time ahead of a seven-day boozing trip to Ireland.

As the foursome traipsed around Chester’s ale houses a consensus developed over the ‘lousy quality’ of much of the beer they had drunk.

“Too fizzy,” said Graham Mellor. “No character,” said Jim Makin. “Too dear,” said former Chronicle reporter Graham Lees. “Tastes sickly,” said Michael Hardman.

But it was almost a year later when Lees and Hardman were doing the rounds of Chester pubs again that the idea of starting CAMRA formed seriously in their minds.

Today a pub with CAMRA approval offers reassurance to the real ale drinker that he or she is in for a treat.

So to celebrate the 40th anniversary, CAMRA is holding a ‘founders’ crawl’ in Chester and at least one founder member, Graham Lees, has indicated he will be imbibing for old time’s sake.

Among the pubs included in Saturday’s route are The Ship in Handbridge, The Bear and Billet, The Albion – where landlord Mike Mercer is coincidentally celebrating 40 years as licensee – The Custom House and The Boot followed by a customary curry in Brewery Tap.

Gary Chester, of CAMRA North Cheshire, said: “Judging from early initial expressions of interest, we are expecting this event to be very popular.”

He added: “We will also need to let the pubs know they may have a higher than average consumption on the day!”