Tributes to CAMRA chairwoman
A BREWERY produced a real ale in memory of Birmingham CAMRA chairwoman Sally Lavender who died suddenly after suffering a major stroke.
Weal Ales produced Sally’s Strawberry Stout in tribute to mother-of-two Sally Lavender.
Ms Lavender, a French teacher, had been chairman of the Birmingham branch of CAMRA for just under a year before her death in February, at the age of 47.
She was well known to many real ale lovers for working at beer festivals and her numerous roles within the CAMRA campaign.
Her partner Mark Parkes, a train driver, who lives in Birmingham, said: “She was passionate about ale, cider and perry in all its styles and loved talking to people about the ever-increasing range that was being produced in recent years.
“Her day job as a teacher helped her find her favourite role within the campaign, taste training. Helped by many, Sally developed her own unique style when delivering training, whether it was to a team being trained for the tasting panels being set up in the West Midlands, or at the tutored tastings she delivered.
“Her proudest moments were being asked to deliver CAMRA tasting sessions at the BBC Good Food Show and the Ludlow Food Festival, at which she was based in the Great Hall of Ludlow Castle, something she would tell people about constantly.”
Ms Lavender often drank at Wellers in Newcastle under Lyme, a micropub owned by Weal Ales, and the owners Paul and Andrea Wealleans decided to commemorate her life by brewing a special beer called Sally’s Strawberry Stout.
Mr Parkes added: “Sally was a vibrant, bubbly person who brought happiness to any room she entered and will be sorely missed by all who knew her.”
Andrea Wealleans, who runs Wellers pub and Weal Ales Brewery, in Newcastle-Under-Lyme, said: “Sally was such a lovely woman who was loved by everyone. She really knew her ales and cider and had a great passion for CAMRA.
“Her son worked at the pub and we thought it would be a fitting tribute to produce a real ale in her memory and thought Sally’s Strawberry Stout would be perfect for her.”
Brewery Fixed Wheel in the Black Country’s Blackheath also created a special brew, Lady in a Hat in her memory, and Oakham Ales have also re-branded a beer for Sally.