News & Features

When is a keg not a keg? Real ale from key-kegs explained.

Back in April 2015, when delegates at CAMRA’s Members Weekend in Nottingham passed a motion about the labelling of “real ale in a key-keg”, many commentators saw it as a major step in CAMRA modernising and recognising what is popularly known as “craft keg”.

In fact, while the motion was the first to be passed by CAMRA’s highest body to positively recognise the sector, it actually came four years after CAMRA’s Technical Advisory Group first recognised that key-kegs can contain beer meeting CAMRA’s definition of real ale, a decision which followed trials held at The Great British Beer Festival. Even in a hall full of CAMRA activists in Nottingham, it was clear that many were unaware of CAMRA’s position nor what key-kegs are all about.

When CAMRA was established in 1971 it fought against a sweeping trend for what came to be known as “real-ale” being replaced by bland “keg” beers. Forty-four years later the word keg still has massive negative connotations for many CAMRA members with any beers associated with the “k” word being dismissed as “fizz”. However, what those pioneering members were really fighting against wasn’t the physical containers the beer was served from, it was the product in them which was made with low quality ingredients and universally filtered & pasteurised, killing so much of the flavour in the process.

Though officially Trafford & Hulme CAMRA are not involved, our chair John & wife Caz are part of the team organising the Manchester Bee'r (Hops Not Hate Manchester) benefit for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. We are therefore hosting this page on behalf of the Manchester Bee'r team.

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Brewster Erin Guy has left her position as head brewer at the Joseph Holt owned Bootleg Brewery. She has joined the team at Stretford’s Sip Club, looking after everything to do with their beer offering, including brewing their own beer exclusively for the Sip Club. The first Sip ale was brewed on the pilot kit at Manchester’s Beer Nouveau in late June and went on sale at the Barton Road bar in July.

Further changes at the Sip Club have seen the bar relocated to make better use of the available space. A new full height window has been added where the bar used to be to improve ventilation. Changes are also planned to the cask cooling system to improve the quality of the real ale offering.

Over the road from the Sip Club, The Robin Hood is planning “Robinfest” , a live music and beer festival to take place over the Augusts bank holiday weekend. Further details will be available on their Facebook page

Altrincham’s Tavern On the Green has re-opened after a refurbishment.

It is now part of the Bermondsey Pub Co which is the company set up by owners Enterprise Inns to run managed pubs as opposed to their tenanted model which has so badly let down pubs like the Tavern (formerly the Faulkner’s Arms) in the past.

New manager Sam Foster told #THCAMRA that there will be four cask ales on rotation and the pub will be offering a discount to CAMRA members.

Food is based around an extensive choice of pies from Bristol’s PieMinster with associated sides. Opening times will be 10am – 11pm with an extra hour til Midnight on Friday and Saturdays.

Update 23rd July:

The pub has had a successful first few weeks of trading, with Fridays and Saturdays particularly busy. There are four regularly changing real ales on offer with manager Sam welcoming recommendations on beers to be featured. Card carrying CAMRA members receive a 20% discount on cask ales. The Tavern is the latest opening on a much revived Stamford New Road following The Craftsman and the Cheshire Tap, both of which are also doing well.