CAMRA Celebrates Slow Food Recognition

Mid-Chilterns CAMRA are celebrating a campaigning win this week, as the Slow Food Movement have recognised the significance of Cask Beer, through the work of local branch members.

Founded in Italy in 1986, Slow Food is believed to be the world’s largest food movement, touting one-million activists spread over 160 countries. The movement began as a grassroots mission to protect culinary heritage and soon grew to the organisation it is today, promoting biodiversity and campaigning on behalf of endangered foods and traditions.

The Ark of Taste is one of the Slow Food Movements key initiatives, cataloguing endangered food and drinks from around the world. Nominations to the ark are supervised through one of the organisation’s advisory board, who assess a product’s unique characteristics – including cultural and historical significance. If suitable for recognition, The Slow Food Movement safeguards a product through advocacy both at local and national levels, bolstered by the educational resources and public promotion. Members of the movement’s ‘Chefs Alliance’ programme are encouraged to champion ark products at their eateries, connecting slow food producers with chefs at top restaurants far and wide.

Ludlow Marches Slow Food Group was one of the first to champion cask at Slow Food events, commissioning its first cask tasting at the Ludlow Food Festival in 2023. Tastings at the festival have been led in collaboration with beer writer and Slow Food supporter Laura Hadland.

Two-hundred British products are aboard Slow Food’s ‘Ark of Taste’. National treasurers such as Somerset Cheddar, Cumberland Sausages and Three Counties Perry now accompanied by Cask Beer. Not to be found in grain-based-booze isolation on the Ark, cask beer joins peers Umqombothi Beer from South Africa and Rauchbier from Bamberg, Germany. Curiously, hopshoots (as in, those from the hop plant) are another British product on the Ark, celebrated for their culinary properties – used as an alternative to asparagus – and their rich heritage in territories such as Kent, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Cask beer, including the way it is produced and dispensed, was nominated for Slow Food’s ‘Ark of Taste’ by Mid-Chilterns CAMRA chairman Jared Ward-Brickett. Both a keen foodie and an accredited Beer Sommelier, Jared believed that cask’s rich heritage – coupled with its struggles in contemporary times – made the drink a prime candidate for Slow Food recognition.

“I believe that cask beer is one of Britain’s finest examples of slow food. Brewers fill casks with beer containing live yeast, which naturally ferments sugars and produces carbon dioxide, lending the beer its gentle effervescence and layered character. Upon delivery to the pub, casks are carefully vented and settled by a skilled cellar-person until they are ready to be served through a traditional hand-pump. This methodical, attentive process produces a unique drinking experience. Lively yet smooth, with subtle complexity drawn from natural fermentation.”

Speaking about cask beer in broader cultural terms, Jared notes:

“It is worth noting that cask is almost exclusively be found in traditional British pubs. These establishments hold a special place in British life and have been a cornerstones of community for centuries. Historically, cask-serving pubs would have offered a vital “third place” away from impoverished homesteads and grim workplaces – environments of warmth, conversation, and conviviality.”

Adbullah Faiz, Progam Coordinator for the Ark of Taste at Slow Food, added:

“The cataloging of Cask Beer in the Ark of Taste is a recognition not only of a traditional brewing method, but of a living culture that values craftsmanship, community, and taste. By safeguarding this heritage, we are protecting the knowledge and conviviality that define Cask Beer, ensuring it continues to inspire future generations.”

Slow Food’s acknowledgement of cask beer comes as efforts are being made to gain UNESCO recognition for the product. The effort, backed by CAMRA and other noted industry bodies, is fronted by the Craft Beer Channel, who have showcased the virtues of cask-conditioned ale through its ‘Keep Cask Alive’ campaign. Just as timely, the news has been published by Mid-Chilterns CAMRA branch during National Cask Ale Week. An apt reason to ‘cheers’ and raise glasses – here’s to cask beer!

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

To read more about the Slow Food Movement, please visit slowfood.com.

To find out more about the Campaign for Real Ale, please visit www.camra.org.uk.

For further details concerning the Slow Food Movement’s ‘Ark of Taste’ and ‘Chef’s Alliance’ initiatives, please go to www.fondazioneslowfood.com and https://www.slowfood.org.uk/aboutcooksalliance

To show support for UNESCO recognition of cask beer, please sign the petition here – https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/716686

For more on National Cask Ale Week, please visit the campaign’s website – https://caskaleweek.co.uk/

Third-party news items that are posted on the Guild website come from press releases and emails received by the Guild. These are posted as they have been received. Their publication on the Guild website is an informational service only and is neither an endorsement of the content, nor its sender, by the Guild. For enquiries, please use the contact details that can be found at the bottom of each post.