ORIGINS OF THE SOCIETY

It all began on the evening of Friday, 6th December, 1963 when seven disgruntled beer drinkers gathered in the Rising Sun in Epsom. Their concern was the growing decline in both quality and palatability of beer. This they felt was due to the increasing use of gas pressure dispense and the introduction of keg beers. They deplored the policies of the big brewers who, by forcing the sale of beer from ‘sealed dustbins’ were threatening the availability of traditional draught beer. The seven drinkers decided to form a society with the purpose of drawing attention to their plight – and so the SPBW was born.

THAT NAME

In 1963, wooden casks were still regarded as being synonymous with traditional draught beer in contrast to the sealed dustbins which contained the processed and artificially carbonated product. For this reason the name seemed ideal. In 1968, it was decided that SPBW’s main concern is the beer in the cask and that it is served as a quality product. Even though the use of metal casks had become prevalent by the 1970s, the original name has been retained for the sake of tradition. However, in recent years there has been something of a revival in the use of wood for maturing and dispensing beer. This can affect the taste of the beer. We support this trend and the traditional craft of the cooper.

EARLY YEARS

The SPBW may have started with a few beers and bold words but it was clearly involved in a cause dear to British hearts. By the end of the 1960s it had built up into a fairly large body with 30 – 40 branches and several thousand individual members. There was some low-key campaigning and some useful press publicity during this time, some resulting from the holding of mock funerals at pubs that had been blighted with dustbin beers.

THE SPBW TODAY

The SPBW recognises naturally-conditioned beer, drawn by gravity, electric pump and traditional handpump, but rejects the use of gas pressure dispense. Thus, our aims are similar to those of CAMRA, but because of the entirely voluntary set-up the emphasis is on activity within its autonomous Branches. This is mainly of a social nature, visits to breweries being particularly popular. The SPBW’s National Executive Committee maintains contact with breweries and other relevant bodies on issues of concern. It produces a quarterly magazine Pint in Hand and organises an annual ‘National Weekend’ which brings members together to areas of special beery interest.

AIMS OF THE SOCIETY