Cask-conditioned beer, or Real Ale, is beer that undergoes a secondary fermentation by maturing it in small casks (which hold approximately 11 gallons). The beer is then served from these same casks without the use of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas.
Draught beer is served by pushing the beer with CO2 gas pressure from the keg in the cooler up to the tap tower and into the glass. With cask-conditioned beer, the beer is usually pulled out of the cask and drawn into the glass using a siphon pump device called a Beer Engine.
Why is cask beer so good? Cask beer tends to have more mature flavors from the secondary fermentation. It is also smoother because it is dispensed through a Beer Engine, without the use of Carbon Dioxide.
Cask-conditioned ales are stored and served slightly warmer than regular beer. The normal temperature for cask ale is 50-55°F. This temperature allows more of the delicate flavors that are developed during the secondary fermentation to be tasted.
Cask-conditioned ale - poured off a beer engine - is the way that beer has been historically enjoyed in Great Britain. The tradition of cask-conditioned ale was in danger of becoming extinct, but with a lot of help from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and craft brewers in Great Britain and the USA, it has been revived.
We’re continuing the tradition by having cask nights at each of our brewery restaurants once a month. On the first Thursday or Friday of each month (see schedule below for locations), we’ll serve a special cask-conditioned ale off a beer engine. Come, check it out.
These batches are small and in limited supply. Get there early if you want to enjoy some real ale. We put the beer on at 5:00 pm and pour it until it’s gone. Each month, we’ll choose a different beer that will best showcase the pleasures of cask-conditioned ale. |
