__NOTOC__ The European Beer Consumers Union (EBCU) is a

consumer organisation Consumer organizations are advocacy groups that seek to protect people from corporate abuse like unsafe products, predatory lending, false advertising, astroturfing and pollution. Consumer Organizations may operate via protests, litigation, cam ...

founded in 1990 in

Bruges, Belgium Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population. The area of the whole city a ...

, by three national

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cer ...

organisations:

CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is ...

(

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

), Objectieve Bierproevers (

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

) and PINT (

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

History

In 2003, Objectieve Bierproevers was replaced by Zythos. In 2008, the member organisations signed up to a constitution which defined the formal aims and structure and the role of traditional beer as a "prime component of European culture, history and daily life". Beoir, an Irish

setup in 2010 to promote Irish

craft brewing Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

and

microbreweries Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis ...

, became the organisation's 13th member in 2012. In 2012, Terry Lock, chairman since 1999, retired and Henri Reuchlin from the Netherlands was elected to replace him. Bo Jensen from Denmark replaced Henri Reuchlin as chairman in 2018, serving until 2022. In 2022, André Brunnsberg of Finnish organisation Olutliitto was elected Chair.

Members

As of late-2022, the union's website listed 18 members:{{cite web, url=https://www.ebcu.org/member-groups/, title=EBCU member groups, last=, first=, date=, website=EBCU website, url-status=live, archive-url=, archive-date=, accessdate=10 October 2022 {, class="wikitable" , - !Country !Acronym !Organisation Name !Founded , - , {{ESP , ACCE , Asociación de Cerveceros Caseros Españoles , 2009 , - , {{IRL , , Beoir , 2010 , - , {{AUT , BierIG , BierIG Österreich , 2002 , - , {{flag, Iceland , , Bjórmenningarfélag Íslands , 2021 , - , {{GBR , CAMRA ,

Campaign for Real Ale The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is ...

, 1971 , - , {{ESP , CELCE , Club Español de Coleccionismo Cervecero , 1987 , - , {{DNK , DBE , {{ill, Danske Ølentusiaster, da , 1998 , - , {{FRA , FNABRA , Fédération Nationale des Associations Brassicoles , 2002 , - , {{GER , GBCU , German Beer Consumers Union , 2019 , - , {{CHE , GFB , Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Biervielfalt , 1991 , - , {{ITA , MoBI , Movimento Birra , 2003 , - , {{FIN , , Olutliitto , 1992 , - , {{POL , PSPD , Polskie Stowarzyszenie Piwowarów Domowych , 2010 , - , {{CZE , SPP , Sdružení přátel piva , 1990 , - , {{SWE , SÖ , Svenska Ölfrämjandet , 1985 , - , {{NLD , PINT , Vereniging Promotie Informatie Traditioneel Bier , 1980 , - , {{ITA , , Unionbirrai , 1999 , - , {{BEL , ZYTHOS , Zythos , 2003

Aims

The union campaigns on European level to: *To preserve and maintain the diversity of the traditional European beer cultures, with particular regard to local, regional and national brewing and beer styles *To protect the consumer from the imposition of unfair pricing by opposing unreasonable taxation or exploitative business practices *To ensure that the consumer receives the best factual information about any beer on commercial sale.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official Site
Beer organizations Consumer organisations in Belgium Organizations established in 1990 Lists of organizations based in Europe Organizations based in Europe