I have been carrying on a sort of private feud with Camra for 20 years, ever since their ridiculous decision that cask breathers were a bad thing, and fire off letters to them whenever the subject arises. They never publish them of course, but it makes me feel better! In light of recent events, here is my latest salvo.
"Regarding the longevity of a cask of ale, at the start of Lockdown I bought a Firkin of Dartmoor’s ‘Jail Ale’ from a pub that had no customers, and drank the entire contents myself at the leisurely rate of a couple of pints a night. I then did the same with a Firkin of Summerskill’s ‘Devon Dew’.
This was made possible because the first time the beer came into contact with air, was the moment it landed in my glass.
The attached photo shows the Jail Ale set up in the temperature-controlled old chest freezer I normally store my own beers in, with the last few gallons I brewed before raw material supplies temporarily dried up, at the far end.
The foil balloon serves the same purpose as employing a cask breather, without the complication and expense. Connected to the spile hole after the beer has conditioned, it is partially filled with the carbon dioxide still being produced by secondary fermentation, and this goes back into the cask to replace the volume of beer as it is being drawn off. When necessary it is topped up from a small CO2 cylinder, in the same way that home brewers keep and serve their beers under top pressure.
I don’t suppose many people were enjoying Real Ale, served on draught and at atmospheric pressure during the first two months of Lockdown, but I certainly was!"
"Regarding the longevity of a cask of ale, at the start of Lockdown I bought a Firkin of Dartmoor’s ‘Jail Ale’ from a pub that had no customers, and drank the entire contents myself at the leisurely rate of a couple of pints a night. I then did the same with a Firkin of Summerskill’s ‘Devon Dew’.
This was made possible because the first time the beer came into contact with air, was the moment it landed in my glass.
The attached photo shows the Jail Ale set up in the temperature-controlled old chest freezer I normally store my own beers in, with the last few gallons I brewed before raw material supplies temporarily dried up, at the far end.
The foil balloon serves the same purpose as employing a cask breather, without the complication and expense. Connected to the spile hole after the beer has conditioned, it is partially filled with the carbon dioxide still being produced by secondary fermentation, and this goes back into the cask to replace the volume of beer as it is being drawn off. When necessary it is topped up from a small CO2 cylinder, in the same way that home brewers keep and serve their beers under top pressure.
I don’t suppose many people were enjoying Real Ale, served on draught and at atmospheric pressure during the first two months of Lockdown, but I certainly was!"
