The paragraph:
Real Ale having an image problem isn’t exactly headline news. Those of us working in the industry are well aware of this, and if we want reminding we need only look as far as CAMRAs promo material, which often features a stunning array of young well to do white people, holding pints of ale and grinning like lobotomised chimpanzees. An admirable if not ineffective attempt to project a younger, more modern, public image. The problem is that they are trying to reframe what a modern real ale drinker looks like in the eyes of the public, rather than asking what real ale itself could and should be to the modern drinker. When I say ‘modern drinker’ I am not necessarily talking specifically or exclusively about younger people. The modern drinker is the product of decades of changing habits in alcohol consumption, but also wider societal trends and demographic shifts. Real ale in a modern context needs to reflect these changes, and cast its net wide, providing the public with several different paths to engage with it.
h/t Boak & Bailey. w