What is CAMRA and what does the Campaign for Real Ale do?

Updated

CAMRA stands for the Campaign for Real Ale. It is a membership-based campaign that champions real ale, cider, perry and the pubs that serve them, and it helps people find pubs, beers and beer festivals near them. It is the organisation behind the Good Beer Guide and the Pub of the Year competition, and it offers a membership plan that includes benefits such as free festival entry.

What CAMRA does

CAMRA's work centres on four connected activities:

  • Campaigning for real ale, cider and perry — promoting these drinks and the traditional pubs, clubs and breweries that produce and serve them.
  • Helping people find places to drink — the site is built around finding pubs, beers and beer festivals near you.
  • Publishing guides and rankings — CAMRA produces the Good Beer Guide (the 54th edition, covering 2027, is listed as out now) and runs a Pub of the Year competition, with the final four pubs competing for the title.
  • Running a membership scheme — members join through CAMRA's plans page, and membership is promoted with free festival entry.

Who it is for

CAMRA is relevant if you want to:

  • Discover real ale, cider or perry and the pubs that serve them;
  • Find pubs, beers or beer festivals in a particular area;
  • Use a recognised guide such as the Good Beer Guide when choosing where to drink;
  • Support the campaign through membership, which the site presents with festival-entry benefits.

If you are simply looking for a pub listing without any interest in real ale or the campaign's aims, CAMRA's focus on real ale, cider, perry and their pubs may be narrower than you need.

How to use the site

  1. Start from the homepage — the welcome page points to finding great pubs, clubs and beers, and to current highlights such as the Pub of the Year finalists and the latest Good Beer Guide.
  2. Search for pubs, beers or festivals near you — the site's stated purpose is to help you find these locally, so use the location-based search rather than browsing generally.
  3. Check the Good Beer Guide — if you want a curated reference, the current edition is listed on the site as the 54th edition (2027).
  4. Review membership plans — the "Join Us" links lead to CAMRA's plans page, including a member plan. Membership is promoted with free festival entry; check the plans page for what each option includes before joining.

Expected result: you should end up with either a shortlist of pubs, beers or festivals near you, a guide entry to consult, or a clear view of whether membership suits you.

Common sticking points

  • Membership is not stated as free. The site links to paid plan options; treat membership as something to check on the plans page rather than assume.
  • The Good Beer Guide edition naming can confuse. The site lists the 2027 edition as the 54th; use the edition named on the site rather than an older copy.
  • Pub of the Year is a competition in progress. The final four are competing for the title, so the winner may not yet be settled when you look.
  • Local coverage varies. The site promises help finding pubs, beers and festivals near you, but what is listed for your area depends on what has been submitted or selected.