The latest additions to CAMRA’s educational platform Learn & Discover champion perry and celebrate Eastern European brewing.  

As part of CAMRA’s inaugural Perry Month, advocate and founder editor of Cider Review, Adam Wells has written two new guides on the issues affecting perry makers and consumers. 

The free guides are: 

– an ecological case for perry pear trees – a perry pear orchard is one of the most naturally beneficial of agricultural systems, with each tree having the pottential to live for hundreds of years. Adam argues the ecological need for perry trees, having once been numerous across Europe many years ago, listing their importance to wildlife and the environment. 

– transparency and labelling in perry – consumers deserve to know what they’re drinking, but labels on beer, cider and perry aren’t always transparent. Adam believes that if the labelling of a cider or perry’s ingredients was clearer and more detailed, it would assist both drinkers wishing to find a quality product and benefit smaller, independent producers differentiating them from industrial commercial manufacturers. 

Adam Wells is also the author of CAMRA’s upcoming Perry: A Drinker’s Guide, which was launched on Kickstarter as part of the Campaign’s Perry Month celebrations. With the help of over 190 backers, the Campaign has raised more than £6,000 for the groundbreaking book. The world’s first consumer guide to this ancient and traditional drink will be published in May 2024. To find out more about the book and the campaign behind it, visit CAMRA’s website here. To find out more about CAMRA’s cider and perry months, visit the CAMRA website here.   

There's also new content highlighting Eastern European beer, brewers and communities.  

There’s a new new free, short film: 

– Ukrainian golden ale – filmed by Kyiv writer, translator and educator Lana Svitankova, the first certified cicerone in Ukraine, this immersive documentary shines a light on the unusual beer style. Lana’s short film unveils the history of Ukrainian golden ale and its flavour profiles. The video is also available to watch on CAMRA’s YouTube channel here. 

CAMRA also has in-depth articles exclusively for members:  

– Ukrainian social clubs – award-winning author of 50 Years of CAMRA, Laura Hadland, puts a spotlight on the proud heritage and history of Ukrainian social clubs in the UK. Founded by displaced persons forced to flee Ukraine after WWII, they have been fortified and strengthened by new generations of migrants, refugees and British-born Ukrainians who work together to protect and share their culture, language and traditions. 

– Grodziskie: everything you need to know about “Polish Champagne” – beer writer Ruvani de Silva introduces readers to this little-known style of beer. Illustrated by Christine Jopling, the article details the Polish smoked wheat beer’s beginnings, history, eventual decline and contemporary revival. 

CAMRA’s Learn & Discover manager Alex Metcalfe said: “After staging an incredibly successful Discovery Bar at CAMRA’s Great British Beer Festival during the summer, which brought the online platform to festivalgoers in person, it is great to see new content on the website again.

“It was fantastic for the educational platform to support CAMRA’s very first Perry Month and collaborate with a modern perry superstar, Adam Wells. I was most impressed with Lana’s informative, passionate and heartfelt film about Ukrainian golden ale.

“Like all the entries to the Learn & Discover ever-growing library, Lana’s film appeals to both the beer novice, curious to learn more, and the enthusiast, eager to attain more knowledge about their favourite drink. As we look towards the new year, there is an exciting new catalogue of content in the works which I cannot wait to unleash!”