THE DEATH OF CAMRA VANCOUVER? ... and my part in its downfall
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>> ADAM CHATBURN t seems that I start my articles with “Back when I was CAMRA BC Vancouver branch President…” far too often.
CAMRA Vancouver came into being in 2003 thanks to branch founders Lundy Dale and Paul Morris. When I became President in 2013, craft beer was still not yet on everyone’s lips; we were the first wave of local evangels out to convert you. The organization I inherited was one of the most motivated and dynamic groups of people I’ve ever had the privilege to work with. Executive members Monica Frost and Amanda Barry should be singled out for their energy in managing our communications and events, respectively. They’re both big wheels in the craft beer community, and I am lucky to call them friends. Around that time there were only three or four beer events in the Lower Mainland each year (incredible to think now!), so CAMRA Vancouver stepped in and added more in the form of session cask festivals, CiderWise festival, movie nights, bus trips, and many, many education seminars. We had a booth at as many events as we could in order to recruit and show folks the myriad benefits of membership during the burgeoning craft beer revolution. CAMRA YVR launched a campaign encouraging breweries to
fill any growler (not just their branded bottles). They promoted Beers on the Beach, the “ever-popular” #FUSS (Fess Up to Serving Sizes) initiative, participated in a provincial government liquor review, and helped convince Vancouver city to allow the beer lounges that have allowed the Greater Vancouver Regional District to become the craft beer capital of Canada. CAMRA Vancouver was regularly asked to get involved in various industry-based campaigns, but we declined unless there was a genuine consumer issue at the core. We decided to stop taking money from industry to avoid conflict with our consumer advocacy policies. I felt that every precious volunteer moment working on any corporate agenda was a moment not spent on a consumer issue. After two years, I stepped down to focus on launching 12 Kings Pub and younger people inherited the organization. I did A nice, clean-cut Adam Chatmy best to be available to the new exec- burn in his presidential days utive. My main advice was to make sure any campaign was consumer-focused and not get caught up in industry stuff; after all, that’s what the BC Craft Brewers Guild is for, and they do an excellent job of it. Continued on page 10 S P R I N G 2020 WHAT'S BREWING 9
