Cask Ale from An American Standpoint

[phettebs]

I'm not sure if this is the right spot for this post but I'll start here.

As some of you know, I've been attempting to recreate the fantastic pub ale experience I had when I visited the UK last year. To that end, evanvine has graciously procured me a hand pull and we are in the process of getting that shipped over here. I'll be following Dennis King's method of serving from a polypin. To get to cellar temp, I'll serve out of my kegerator. One of the last points I'm still unsure about is carbonation in the polypin. I know Dennis prefers his beer less gassy and doesn't prime. While I may get to that point someday, it probably won't be on this first pin. As an American drinker, I've been conditioned to expect beer to be cold and fizzy. I have no problem drinking ales at cellar temp or warmer. But I still struggle with flat beer. To be fair, I do carbonate my kegged bitters at only about 1.5 volumes of CO2. So they are way lower than typical American beers.

As part of this whole process, I've been reading about cask ales and how to serve them. They are NOT widespread over here in the US. I found this article on real ale and cellarmanship in the US (or lack thereof). Definitely some interesting insights. Case in point, I offer this tidbit from the article below:

"Despite the mythical image of British ales, cask beer should never be served flat. And no, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been to pubs in London that serve it that way-it’s simply not correct. A beer without any carbonation is dull, lifeless, at best insipid, and certainly not what the brewer intended."

I know more than a few of you will take issue with that statement! Thoughts? Is it a personal preference thing? Is it a regional thing? Something else?

Warning, it's a 3 page read but thought some of you might find it interesting from a Yank point of view.
http://allaboutbeer.com/learn-beer/styles/styles-features/2010/05/cask-ale/1

I look forward to the ensuing discussion!
Baz

(Cheers Vossy and Martin for the help!) ;-)

 

[boozy_shoes]

I will read the article later when I get more time but the carbonation of Cask Ale varies on:

*Where in the cask the pint is poured from (top more lively than the bottom)
* How the beer has been cellared (when the cask was pegged compared to when it was served)
* Brewers Varietion

Even when a cask is "fizzy" though to me the beer seems to have the gas alot more dissolved within it and part of the actual beer than when its on keg where it feels more like beer along with fizz.

 

[maevans]

"Despite the mythical image of British ales, cask beer should never be served flat. And no, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been to pubs in London that serve it that way-it’s simply not correct. A beer without any carbonation is dull, lifeless, at best insipid, and certainly not what the brewer intended."

I know more than a few of you will take issue with that statement! Thoughts? Is it a personal preference thing? Is it a regional thing? Something else?

I think that's right - I don't think it should ever be totally flat - it should always have some 'condition' (i.e. light carbonation) to it. That condition will vary though, even within the same cask, let alone different casks/beers, depending on how old the beer is - i.e. it's likely to lose some of that condition as you get further away from when it was tapped.

Same with the 'warm beer' thing - it should never be 'warm'. Should be cellar temp (this is up for debate, but I would say this should be roughly c. 12c - that's what they store wine at anyway when laying it down) so therefore should be a good chunk below room temperature and hence feel "cool".

 

[Riddo]

Greetings from rainy England (today at least for most of us!)

Personally, if it's a lager or light beer, i like fizz. Imagine a flat lager? Not good! When it comes to darker more complex brews, i don't mind if there's little or no fizz, and in the same way, nor do i want them to be too cold (guinness and stouts excluded). If, as you will be, you're regulating your brew then you'll know all is well. It's true that in some pubs i've gone for a guest real ale and on supping it's obvious to me that the beer is old and gone bad and the locals probably haven't touched it in a fair while. I'd say do what's right for you and you can't go far wrong.

Good luck with it, sounds a great project! :thumb:

 

[markmark]

I've had a skim and personally I think the article is dated. It also probably subscribes to the way that CAMRA here in the UK try to promote 'real ale' and the strict conditions they apply for beer to qualify as a 'real ale'.

You will not get flat beer in any UK pub, but there is a variation in serving methods across the country that will make beer appear to be flat in particular regions.
I'm generalizing here, but in the south of the country; beer is generally dispensed without a sparkler....this results in little to no head on the beer and the carbonation level is determined by what is in the cask.
Northerners like a nice creamy head and this is achieved by forcing the beer through a sparkler. It gives the appearance of a more carbonated beer, but the process actually removes CO2 and IMO improves aroma and mouthfeel.

Lots more to add, but I've got to go out.....be back later to join in more.

 

[Aleman]

Then those people have never had beer served direct from the keg! If you are drinking a freshly broached cask, then there will certainly be some condition, but that does decrease the longer the soft spile is in place, even if you remove the soft spile and replace it with a hard one between sessions you still loose condition.

If you start with too much condition in your beer and serve though a hand pump then you are going to pull a lot of foam. I normally aim for a maximum of 1.2 Volumes for hand pulled beer.

Patrick O'Neils book Cellarmanship contains all you need to know about serving cask conditioned beer, either direct from the cask or via hand pull. John Alexanders Book A Guide to Craft Brewing also covers serving beer from the wood . . . although it is a touch idiosyncratic

 

[evanvine]

I drink draught bitter and as such I don't want a hint of fizz!
I also have the sparkler removed so that it's as near to straight from the barrel as possible.
To my taste, cellar temp, 12C, is a little on the cool side, but then that's just me!

 

[dennisking]

Before I bought the handpump I used to prime each polypin with 80gms which kept the beer in good condition in the time I would normally dtink, around 2 weeks. Sometimes the last 2-3 pints may be a bit flat but that was never a problem for me. As Tony said if I over prime with the hand pump you get a lot of foam. So after a few years of trialing I barrel when the gravity is around 1012, condition for 3 weeks and I get a perfect pint for me. Decent condition not fizzy. I even have a sparkler if I fancy going nothern. Will read your link later Barry but all I can say is try and find what suits you and have fun trying.

 

[graysalchemy]

I even have a sparkler if I fancy going nothern.

picks oneself of floor................

There are websites dedicated to that type of 'pastime' :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:

 

[evanvine]

picks oneself of floor................

You being frugal with alpha characters?

 

[graysalchemy]

Its the recesion, I cant aford em

 

[phettebs]

Thanks for all the replies so far everyone.

I know that in the end, I'll just have to find what works for me. But you lot are my only source for primary research. I can't go to a local pub and get anything but cold and fizzy here!

 

[graysalchemy]

As long as you have a sparkler attached nice and tight you will be fine :thumb:

 

[phettebs]

Update: Should have the hand pull by this coming Monday. Thanks again evanvine!

 

[evanvine]

Glad to have been of service!

 

[JKaranka]

Get a sparkler! We use them in Wales too, so it's not just North / South, unless you define Cardiff - Bristol - London latitudes as North.

 

[sam.k]

Can't say I've ever drunk a flat pint (well not without complaining)
All cask ale I've drunk has a a little life in it, just not the amount that's in - let's say - a lager.

 

[rpt]

Are US craft ales served cold and fizzy? Doesn't that rob them of all their flavour?

 

[phettebs]

Are US craft ales served cold and fizzy? Doesn't that rob them of all their flavour?

If you go to a proper craft beer pub, you have a better chance of getting it served warmer than the cold lagers. The problem is that most places serve their ales and lagers from the same refrigerated cooler. So the temp is the same. By far the most popular beers served in the US in general are BudMillerCoors. So most places are geared to serve those beers: cold and fizzy.

I've had ales served to me in a frozen mug taken from the freezer so that as it warms, slush forms in my ale! You see what I'm up against? :x

 

[evanvine]

Doesn't that rob them of all their flavour?

I think you've hit the nail on the head! :)