There was a great deal of upset over the appearance of Rishi Sunak at this year’s Great British Beer Festival (GBBF). This should not come as surprise, with recent poll data revealing that 65 per cent of Britons view the prime minister unfavourably, with his net popularity rating plunging to minus 40 last month – the lowest it has been since he took power in October 2022.

What was largely viewed as a terrible PR move for CAMRA, however, was actually a masterful piece of lobbying. Allowing the most powerful man in British politics to saunter around Kensington Olympia on the same day as he raised alcohol taxation wholesale gave both CAMRA and SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) a vital foot in the door in terms of future legislation. It also provided plenty of ammunition for use in demonstrating how hypocritical the appearance was, with CAMRA wasting no time taking advantage of this. A press release issued the following day, revealed that only one in 10 UK drinkers consider a pint to be affordable, with government policy largely to blame.

The PM spent plenty of time at the festival, sporting a freshly pressed shirt and a Cheshire cat grin, looking for chances to prove that yes, he is a man of the people, and not merely the husband of a billionaire venture capitalist. One such opportunity came in the shape of a group selfie featuring several delegates from pub company and brewery Greene King. 

It’s unsurprising that Greene King – which was acquired by Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing family for £2.7bn in 2019 – was happy to be pictured with Sunak. As one of the largest brewing concerns operating in the UK, with approximately 2,700 pubs forming its estate, the business will likely benefit from some of the new alcohol legislation, including draught relief – which will provide a 9.2 per cent duty discount on all beer sold in its pubs – and the new lower rate for beers up to 3.4 per cent ABV. I consider, however, it is highly unlikely those savings will be passed on to the majority of consumers who, as it has been indicated, consider beer to be unaffordable.

In terms of positive spin, this was to be the tip of the iceberg, at least in the case of the internationally owned brewing concern. Later that day, its flagship Abbot Ale was announced as the silver medallist in this year’s Champion Beer of Britain (CBoB) competition, which had returned to GBBF for the first time in three years. 

It took moments for the outrage to begin, with social media acting as a lightning rod, amplifying mild disappointment to a fully scaled up mob replete with pitchforks and flaming torches within the hour. For some reason, that may or may not be related to how some perceive the quality of its beer and pubs, Greene King isn’t terribly popular. Specifically, it isn't popular with people who are passionate about independently brewed cask ale. Such was the level of disgruntlement that by the end of the day several commentators were accusing CAMRA, and its awards process, of corruption.

As someone who has judged beer awards in the past, I’m certain this isn’t true. Beers are judged blind, and rated objectively based on how they taste on the day. Not to mention that Abbot wouldn’t have even been in the competition had CAMRA members not rated it favourably on pub visits, ensuring its qualification to the final rounds. I also know from experience how challenging it is to be objective when judging beer while also being someone who is enthusiastic about it – not to mention that judging samples is a far cry from enjoying a well-kept pint of beer in the pub.

Despite this, I trust the process. Evidently Abbot Ale shone on the day and the judges duly awarded it a silver medal. If you don’t like a company, it can be difficult to reconcile that it might be capable of making a beer people actually enjoy, which explains some reactions from when the result was announced. I admit it was not a good look for CAMRA, but it is difficult to manage expectations when the organisation consists of the vastly differing opinions of some 150,000 members.

But the greatest disappointment of the day surely came not in the shape of Abbot Ale’s silver medal, but how it overshadowed what should have been a joyous victory for Elland brewery’s 1872 Porter. This was the second time the brewery, based in the Yorkshire town of the same name, had won gold for this beer, claiming its first victory in 2013. A brewery and beer such as this is both the perfect advertisement for the Campaign, and for cask ale in general. It’s a superb beer and a worthy winner. This should be celebrated as, let's be honest, few tend to remember the runners-up. 

I fear in this instance, however, that an ill-thought-of multinational taking home second prize in CAMRA’s most prestigious event of the year will backfire. If cask ale is to ever find a resurgence from the constant stream of tumbling volumes that are being reported, then it will do so by backing not its largest operators, but the small, independent breweries that are the lifeblood of British beer and pubs.