Local Ale (LocAle)

LocAle is a nationwide Camra campaign to encourage pubs to stock at least one locally-brewed real ale, of acceptable quality. The concept of LocAle was developed by the Nottingham branch of CAMRA, following the takeover and subsequent closure of the Hardy's and Hanson's brewery in Kimberley, near Nottingham, by Greene King. Beer was being brewed in Suffolk and transported to Nottinghamshire; not only was the beer no longer local, but the number of miles travelled to deliver the beer was not friendly to the environment. The experience in Nottingham has been very positive, and now many more pubs there sell beers from local brewers. Pub goers also like to see pubs selling a local beer, even if they are not real ale (or even beer) drinkers. Here in Berkshire South East we have a number of breweries which, although not right on our doorstep, we can easily classify as local:

• Loddon
• West Berkshire
• Hogs Back
• Ascot Ales
• Rebellion
• Twickenham Fine Ales
• Butlers
• Crondall
• Triple fff
• Surrey Hills
• Waylands

We do not have many pubs in our area regularly selling local beers, but hope that the LocAle campaign will address this. At the beginning on this campaign, only one pub has received LocAle accreditation - our Pub of the Year, the Jack o'Newbury in Binfield, where Loddon Hoppit, West Berkshire Good Old Boy, Hogs Back TEA and Rebellion IPA are regulars.
We wish to accredit more pubs under the LocAle scheme, so let us know if your local is selling locally-brewed beers, of good quality. We want to help promote LocAle, by campaigning for pubs to stock a local beer, and to provide point of sale material in support of this. But it is also down to you, the drinker, to make your voice known about local beers. Ask the licensee at your local to try and obtain a beer from one of the breweries listed above – they will all be very pleased to supply! And, if your local pub DOES put one of these fine ales on, let us know, so we can publicise the fact in our newsletter and on this website.