ALE Autumn 2001 No. 304

"100% Naturale"

This is the slogan for phase 2 of CAMRA's great Ask If It's Cask campaign, aiming to promote real ale, launched at the

Great British Beer Festival

A giant version of the female poster hung in the main hall, attracting plenty of notice from the media!

• BBC: Bad times for beer (with picture)

This campaign is intended to be provoking and eye-catching, leading to the likes of the BBC's Talking Point Can real ale ever be sexy?

The Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB) ran a similar camapaign, focussed around their Cask Ale Week (17-23 September). During that week Adnams and Charles Wells (for instance) ran successful promotions.

The Campaign Phase 1 set of posters based on the simple "Ask If It's Cask" slogan were worthy but had rather low impact.

In a surprising development, Bass Brewers has begun a Beer Naturally campaign to champion all types of beer, even the artificial nitrokeg and keg lager. It plans to produce tasting notes and to promote beer as a fat-free natural product.

• The Publican 2-Oct: JHB voted Champion Beer of Britain
  Full results: Champion Beer of Britain
• The Publican 2-Aug: Threatened brewer scoops two awards at GBBF