This blogging lark seems easy enough

Well, here I am with a blog. That wasn’t too difficult. Easy as pie to set up really. I’ve been blathering on inanely about beer in one way or another for years so I suppose this blogging lark should come as second nature. Wonder why I never got round to it before? For one thing I invariably get into cutting edge (for me at least) technology just as it’s becoming retro for pretty much anyone of a more recent vintage. Also, I’m just a bit too lazy.

But something happened recently that galvanized me into action. As CAMRA celebrated its 40^th birthday (and maybe entered mid-life crisis territory?) its chairman took the opportunity in his address to the AGM to reaffirm its stance on the promotion of anything other than “real ale” and took a bit of a pop at those who have been fuelling murmurings that it might review it’s position. He named and shamed the group who he held responsible for these seditious rumblings, pointing the finger firmly at the “the bloggerati”. I rather doubt he intended the moniker to be taken as a compliment but it sounds pretty good to me.

I’ve never had the privilege of being called an “ati” of any description before (or noisome for that matter). Sure, I’ve read a fair few books but I can’t recall anyone ever describing me as one of the literati. And (you may have already guessed) glitterati is completely out of the question. But, I can get an “ati” just for some inane blathering about beer? I can do that. Just the job.

So should I wade in to the “craft keg” debate here? I think not. As usual, I’m a bit slow off the mark and others who are far more practised at this blogging malarkey, not to mention rather more eloquent have got there first.

What I will say is that I have the greatest respect for what CAMRA has achieved in the past 40 years. In fact, we nearly share an anniversary, as 31 May 1971 was the day on which I sunk my first pint of real ale. Not that I knew it was real ale at the time as I’d never heard of the term, or of CAMRA. I have certainly not achieved as much as CAMRA in the intervening 40 years but I like to think I have moved with the times, if sometimes a little slowly. I’ll raise a glass to CAMRA in the expectation that it will do so too.

What I will be writing about next - if I get round to it of course - is the week I’ve just spent in Denmark (and a teensy bit of Sweden), with Copenhagen beer festival as its centrepiece, enjoying some very fine beers indeed. Of course, very few of them would meet the CAMRA definition of real ale. But they were mainly foreign muck so what can you expect?