United Kingdom
CAMRA is founded
Four drinkers founded what became the Campaign for Real Ale, defining "real ale" and organising consumer pressure against keg-only national brewers.
1971
The definition CAMRA created — beer that completes fermentation in the container it is served from, dispensed without added carbon dioxide — is precise, technically coherent and constructed to advance a case. BeerHQ records it as a campaigning definition for that reason, which is a description rather than a criticism.
Why it matters
Cask beer survived in Britain in a way it did not elsewhere, and that is substantially attributable to this campaign.
How well this is established
| Certainty | Documented. Supported by contemporary records that survive and are agreed on. |
|---|---|
| When | 1971. Known to the year rather than to the day. |
| Where | United Kingdom |
Traditions
- British cask ale — Beer that completes its fermentation in the container it is served from and is dispensed without added gas, at cellar rather than fridge temperature.
Either side of this
← 1966: Pierre Celis revives witbier · 1972: Cascade is released →
See the whole sequence on the beer history timeline.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.