Rob Wheatly

Personal Introduction

Hi, I've been a member of CAMRA for over 40 years, and of this branch for nearly 30. I have had several committee roles, and I could usually be found behind the World Beers Bar at the festivals.

What inspired you to join the branch committee, and what are you most looking forward to achieving in your role?

I originally joined because I wanted to help with the tasks of organising the branch. In my current role I act to support the Chair, and the branch as a whole.

Can you share a bit about your background and experience with Real Ale, Cider, or Perry?

I have long had an interest in Real Ale, right back to my student days when we would serve Wadworth 6X from a pin (often a wooden pin!) cooled with wet towels. After a few days it was not good... But those were early days, and the whole scene has been revolutionised since then - I can even tell you where to get (excellent) cask ale in Italy!

What do you see as the biggest opportunities or challenges facing the branch in the coming year, and how do you plan to address them?

We face a series of interconnected challenges - of which perhaps the biggest is, ironically, that we won! Real Ale is everywhere, and until recently, there were more independent brewers in the country than we had seen for over 100 years - so what is the ongoing point of our campaign? But within that victory there are new threats, and opportunities. We originally started as a campaign in response to the bland, over carbonated (fizzy) keg beers of the seventies, as a campaign for beers of quality, flavour and character. However, the big brewers have responded with bland, poor quality cask beers, often skimping on ingredients to squeeze out more profit. These are not what we should be campaigning for. Simultaneously there are numerous small producers of high quality, live beers served from newer types of keg systems - and yet there is an unholy row within the campaign about whether we should support these. The enemy of Real Ale is not Craft Keg beers, it is bad Real Ale. As a campaign, we need to focus more on quality, and less on method of dispense. And I cannot ignore the fact that we are an aging organisation. We do not attract young people in any numbers, many of whom are baffled by our obsession with handpumps and "old man beers". We need to ask ourselves do we want to continue, or simply allow ourselves to become irrelevant?

Outside of your involvement with CAMRA, what are some of your interests or hobbies?

I enjoy travel - much of its beer related, and I am attempting to learn Italian. I still do DIY (badly) and am now being let loose on the homes of my offspring.

If you could raise a pint with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Isambard Kingdom Brunel - a man of amazing achievement despite reportedly limited literacy