Love at first taste?

A tale of requited love, almost religious fervour, and one man's conversion to the amber nectar that is real ale; this story from Cambridge Evening News:

ALL it took was one sip. The moment real ale passed his lips, Paul Ainsworth knew there was no going back: his days of lager drinking were over. Now the publicity manager of the Cambridge branch of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, Paul remembers supping that first pint like it was yesterday (Sunday, 20 May). "It was 1980 and I was in the Cambridge Arms," he recalls.

"In those days I was a lager drinker; I wasted my drinking youth . . . I was having a drink with a work colleague, who was gurgling ecstatically through a pint of Abbot Ale. I thought: "This chap is enjoying his beer much more than I am. Perhaps there is something in this real ale after all... Up till then, I'd dismissed it as a bit of a fad; a bit pretentious. I thought all beer tasted the same. But I allowed my friend to buy me a pint of Abbot. After a few sips I saw the light - and there was no going back." "The people who founded CAMRA didn't want Britain to lose something which was part of its culture; they wanted to protect this wonderful brew so people could continue to enjoy it in the future. Along with protecting and promoting real ale, they also wanted to safeguard the British pub; over the whole country, 56 pubs a month are being lost

How does CAMRA spread the word? "In Cambridge, one of the main ways we spread our message about the joys of real ale is by holding summer and winter beer festivals," says Paul, who works for the county council as communications and customer relations manager.

Taking place every year in the last week of May, the summer festival is held on Jesus Green. "It's the oldest beer festival in the country," Paul enthuses. "It was the very first one to be held, back in 1973 - it's now in its 34th year. It is also the third largest beer festival in Britain, after the national one and Peterborough. Last year we had 30,000 visitors over the six days.

"A lot of people who come along don't normally drink real ale, so we try and convince them it's better than whatever they do normally drink! Breweries come from all over to have a stand; it's a great shop window for real ales."

The winter event was introduced eight years ago. "That's a much smaller festival," explains Paul, who lives in Over with his wife Jane. "The focus is on winter ales which tend to be darker, stronger and more warming. It's held in the University Sports and Social Club on Mill Lane and, like the summer festival, it's really popular - we get people queuing round the block to get in." So does Paul have a favourite tipple? "I like golden ales," he says. "If pushed, I think I'd have to say my favourite is Oakham JHB - Jeffrey Hudson Beer (named after the country's smallest man, who was born and raised in Oakham, Rutland). It's brewed in Peterborough and is full of character. But my favourite tends to change, week to week. I'm very fickle!"

For more information about Cambridge CAMRA and the Cambridge beer festival, which starts today (Monday, 21 May), visit their website.