CAMRA’s educational platform returns to celebrate perry and beer around the world

The Campaign For Real Ale’s (CAMRA) educational platform, Learn & Discover, has returned to champion perry and celebrate Eastern European brewing.

Collaborating with esteemed writers, influencers and film makers, the award-winning Learn & Discover site hosts an abundance of articles, videos and audio material.

As part of CAMRA’s inaugural Perry Month, acclaimed perry advocate and founder-editor of Cider Review, the UK’s leading source of long-form articles on cider and perry, Adam Wells has written two new guides for Learn & Discover, explaining the issues affecting both perry makers and consumers.

The two new beginners’ guide are freely available for CAMRA members and non-members alike:

• An Ecological Case for Perry Pear Trees – A perry pear orchard is one of the most naturally beneficial of agricultural systems, with each tree growing to be potentially centuries old. Adam argues the ecological need for perry trees, having once been numerous across Europe many years ago, listing their importance to wildlife and the environment.
• Transparency and Labelling in Perry – Consumers deserve to know what they’re drinking, but labels on beer, cider and perry aren’t always transparent. Adam describes that if the labelling of a cider or perry’s ingredients was clearer and more detailed, it would assist both drinkers wishing to find a quality product and would also benefit smaller independent producers differentiating them from industrial commercial manufacturers.

Adam Wells is also the author of CAMRA’s upcoming title Perry: A Drinker’s Guide, which was launched on Kickstarter as part of the Campaign’s Perry Month celebrations. With the help of 190 backers, the Campaign has raised over £6000 for the ground-breaking book, over 200% of the initial Kickstarter goal. The world’s first consumer guide to this ancient and traditional drink will be published in May 2024. To find out more about the book and the campaign behind it, visit CAMRA’s website here. To find out more about CAMRA’s Cider and Perry Months, visit the CAMRA website here.

The latest educational content for Learn & Discover platform also highlights Eastern European beer, brewers and communities.

A new bespoke short film is freely available to view:

• Ukrainian Golden Ale – Filmed by Kyiv writer, translator and educator Lana Svitankova, the first Certified Cicerone in Ukraine, this immersive documentary shines a light on the unusual beer style. Lana’s short film unveils the history of Ukrainian golden ale and its flavour profiles. The video is also available to watch on CAMRA’s YouTube channel here.

For connoisseurs wishing to deep dive further into the world of beer and cider, CAMRA also offers in-depth articles exclusively for members*.

• Ukrainian Social Clubs – Award-winning author of 50 Years of CAMRA, Laura Hadland, puts a spotlight on the proud heritage and history of Ukrainian social clubs in the UK. Founded by displaced persons forced to flee Ukraine after WWII, they have been fortified and strengthened by new generations of migrants, refugees and British-born Ukrainians who work together to protect and share their culture, language and traditions.
• Grodziskie: Everything You Need to Know About ‘Polish Champagne’ – Beer writer Ruvani de Silva introduces readers to this little-known style of beer. Illustrated by Christine Jopling, the article details the Polish smoked wheat beer’s beginnings, long and interesting history, eventual decline and contemporary revival.

Alex Metcalfe, CAMRA’s Learning & Discovery Manager, said: “After staging an incredibly successful Discovery Bar at CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival during the summer, which brought the online platform to festivalgoers in person, it is great to see new content on the Learn & Discover website again.

“It was fantastic for the educational platform to support CAMRA’s very first Perry Month and collaborate with a modern perry superstar, Adam Wells. I was most impressed with Lana’s informative, passionate and heartfelt film about Ukrainian golden ale. Like all the entries to the Learn & Discover ever-growing library, Lana’s film appeals to both the beer novice, curious to learn more, and the enthusiast, eager to attain more knowledge about their favourite drink. As we look towards the new year, there is an exciting new catalogue of content in the works which I cannot wait to unleash!”

Ends

Notes to editors

*To access member-only content, CAMRA members simply need to sign in at the top of the webpage with their membership number and password.

Non-members can join the campaign for just £30.50 a year. A CAMRA membership helps CAMRA’s campaigning efforts to save pubs during this challenging time. You can join by visiting join.camra.org.uk

To find more Learn & Discover content, visit https://camra.org.uk/learn-discover/

To learn more about CAMRA’s Cider and Perry Months, visit: https://camra.org.uk/what-we-do/cider-and-perry-months/

The Perry: A Drinker’s Guide Kickstarter can be supported here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/camra/perry-a-drinkers-guide

To subscribe to CAMRA’s YouTube channel, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@CAMRAOFFICIAL