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Nationally CAMRA (CAMpaign for Real Ale) is an independent, voluntary, consumer organisation. Membership is open to all individuals, but corporate entities such as breweries and pubs are not members. CAMRA is governed by a voluntary unpaid national executive, elected by the membership. There is a small professional staff of fourteen responsible for central campaigning, research, administration of membership, sales and so forth. If you would like to know more visit CAMRAs web site CAMRA

Locally Rugby CAMRA campaigns to promotes real ale, encourage local pubs to sell it and supports the breweries in the area that produce it.

So what is real ale? Real is cask conditioned or bottle conditioned beer.
What does that mean? Basically after the beer has been brewed and conditioned at the brewery it is loaded into casks and sent straight to the pub. It is not filtered or pasturised like most lagers and keg beers, what difference does this make? Filtering removes half the flavour and taste and pasturising it then removes the other half, so those lagers and keg beers have had all the taste removed unlike real ale which is packed full of it.
How do I know I am drinking real ale? The easiest way to spot it is usually the method of dispense. If the beer is served straight from the cask or via a traditional hand pump that it will be most likely be real ale. If you buy beer in a bottle and it has sediment in the bottom when you have poured it then it is real ale, the label usually states it is bottle conditioned or real ale in a bottle to warn you before you pour.

So how does Rugby CAMRA support real ale? In May each year we orgnaise and run Rugby Beer Festival where we show case 60 real ales, foreign beers and traditional ciders. This is the biggest indoor event held in Rugby and next year will be our 23rd. We also organise various awards for pubs selling, we print and distribute Inn Touch keep you informed of what is going on in the area and hopefully you will have found some of the info on this website helpful. We also actively campaign to keep open pubs that are threatened with closure or conversion to other uses. Currently we are in a battle to stop greedy developers knocking down the Imperial and turning into a block of flats.

In addition to the serious stuff we have an active social side that enables anyone interested in real ale to join us for a beer and a laugh. The socials are open to all CAMRA members of both sexes we have several active female members and do not fit the CAMRA stereotype of fat blocks with beards, BO and rather large belly's (though we even welcome them!!). If you are interested see socials and come and join us.