What is LocAle?

CAMRA’s LocAle initiative promotes pubs stocking locally brewed real ale to reduce the number of ‘beer miles’ from brewery to pub cellar in response to growing consumer demand for quality local produce. Launched in 2007 by CAMRA’s Nottingham branch, CAMRA branches around the country now award accreditation to pubs that regularly stock at least one real ale. The pub can then advertise its participation by posting the window sticker in its pubs.

Some of the benefits of stocking locally produced real ale in local pubs include:

• Pubs can attract more visitors through their doors, including tourists seeking out distinctive local products.
• Consumers can enjoy greater beer choice and diversity.
• Fewer 'beer miles' resulting in less traffic and pollution.
• Brewers are supported with increased sales, creating more local jobs.
• More money is generated and spent locally, increasing the resilience of the local economy.

In short, CAMRA LocAle is about consumer choice, local jobs, supporting a sustainable environment, creating local distinctiveness and promoting local pubs.

Who has LocAle status?

Do you think your pub qualifies? If so, contact our Locale Rep via the contacts page

LocAle FAQ

The CAMRA LocAle rules...
Before displaying any LocAle publicity material, a pub must be awarded accreditation by Mansfield & Ashfield CAMRA. Accreditation is at the sole discretion of the local CAMRA branch and is subject to the licensee agreeing to the following:

That they will endeavour to ensure at least one locally brewed real ale, as defined by the local CAMRA branch, is on sale at all times. Only real ale, as defined by CAMRA, can be promoted as a LocAle.

Mansfield & Ashfield CAMRA adopted a method of 20 miles as-the-crow-flies at the 2025 AGM, as we have access to a web tool which calculates the qualifying breweries in a matter of seconds, by simply entering your postcode.

You can view it at http://www.amelyn.com/brewery_proximity_tool/index.html

How do I spot a LocAle pub?
Pubs which have been given LocAle status by their CAMRA branch can display the LocAle sticker on their windows or doors. The stickers are dated with the year of the accreditation, and there should be LocAle pump clip crowners to show the beers which are brewed locally.

Can real ales from regional or national brewers be counted as local?
Yes. If they are brewed within what your branch determines as the local area, real ales from regional and national brewers should be counted. LocAle is about promoting local real ales regardless of the size of the company that brews them, or the location of the company's headquarters.

Can we use criteria other than distance between pub and brewery (for example, county boundaries, or by measuring from the centre of the branch area)?
Although other branches use different methods at their discretion (there are no set rules), the parameters outlined above have been tried and tested, and found to yield similar results to the previous method of 25 miles, calculated by road. The reason the new process was voted in at the 2025 AGM was due to the lengthy time taken to output the results for each pub under the old system, compared to the few seconds it takes with the new web tool.

What if real ale from a brewer is delivered 50 miles away to a distribution centre before being delivered back to a pub only ten miles away from the brewery?
Because the brewery is local to the pub, the real ale still qualifies as a local real ale. Encouraging more pubs to serve local real ales is the first step to reducing 'beer miles'. As licensees become more familiar with their local breweries, they will be more likely to arrange direct delivery.

What about licensees who are prevented from stocking a local real ale by their lease or tenancy agreement?
Many licensees are still prevented from selling local real ales because of restrictive lease agreements that require them to purchase real ales from a central list. The situation, however, is improving. The Society of Independent Brewers' (SIBA) Direct Delivery Scheme (DDS) allows an increasing number of Punch Taverns, Enterprise Inns and Admiral Taverns lessees the option of stocking a real ale from a local brewer.

CAMRA campaigns for tied pub tenants to have a right to serve a guest beer of their own choosing, as part of their broader campaign to strengthen the Pubs Code in England and Wales.

What happens if a LocAle pub does not have a local real ale on sale?
If at least one local real ale is not regularly on sale, then the local CAMRA branch would need to consider whether the accreditation should be withdrawn. However, consideration should be given to circumstances that may be out of the control of the licensee, for example, a beer might sell out quicker than expected, or delivery issues.

Disclaimer
Where the standard of real ale falls below an acceptable quality, or one LocAle is not consistently available, accreditation can be withdrawn. Accreditation can be withdrawn at any time at the discretion of the local CAMRA branch. Should accreditation be withdrawn, or should the licensee withdraw from the scheme, all publicity material must be removed from the pub and the licensee must cease using the CAMRA LocAle logo.