What is cask conditioned beer?

Cask ale, also known as cask-conditioned beer or ‘real’ ale, is beer that undergoes secondary fermentation in the barrel. Using a hand-operated hydraulic pump, the beer is then drawn up from the cellar into the glass. The beer should never be flat.

How long is cask conditioned?

It can vary widely, between 24 hours and 16 days, and the usual temperature should be 13°C–14°C (55°F–57°F). The beer goes through a stage of “dropping bright,” the settling of the yeast and proteins to the bottom of the cask, leaving the beer perfectly clear.

How do you serve cask beer at home?

Serving Cask Beer At Home Casks are normally vented for 24–48 hours before serving, this is typically done by hammering a spiel into the bung hole of a cask. The same result can be achieved by fitting a valve to the gas post of your keg. Keep this open just a little, to allow the excess CO2 to hiss out slowly.

Is cask ale naturally carbonated?

The natural carbon dioxide is lost during filtration so filtered beer has to be artificially re-carbonated. Because the yeast is still present and alive in real ale, a slow process of secondary fermentation continues in the cask or bottle on the way to the consumer, allowing the beer to retain its natural carbonation.

Why is real ale called real ale?

According to Camra ‘In the early 1970s we coined the term ‘real ale’ to make it easy for people to differentiate between the bland processed beers being pushed by the big brewers and the traditional beers whose very existence was under threat.

Why is real ale real?

Real ale is a beer that has fermented in the vessel from which it is served and the carbonation is entirely natural, not forced. Most real ale is served from a cask via a hand pump in the pub.

When should you tap a cask?

Ideally, cask beer should be consumed within 5 – 7 days of tapping. Darker and/or higher ABV beers will generally keep for a further 2 – 3 days. Something to bear in mind is that the quality of the beer will quickly deteriorate, however, if the cask tap is not clean.

How do you maintain a good cellar hygiene?

Cellar practice​ Keep cellar clean and tidy, clearing up spillages immediately. Clean lines at least every seven days. Remember to allow at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours for larger containers of keg beer to adjust to the cellar temperature.

How do you keep cask ale cool?

Using an ice blanket, or a simple bag of ice, draped over a cask will work but marginally better. The ice will chill only the top layer of beer. As more and more beer is served from the cask, it will be the uppermost layer of AIR in the cask that will be chilled, NOT the beer.

What are the best real ales?

Then our best alcohol-free beer guide is the one for you….Best real ales

1. Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter.
2. Thornbridge Cocoa Wonderland.
3. Thornbridge Jaipur.
4. Tiny Rebel Cwtch.
5. Oakham Ales Citra.
6. Salopian Darwin’s Origin.

Is IPA a cask ale?

Greene King IPA is a pint people trust and recommend to friends. It’s an easy drinking, session ale with a hoppy taste and aroma making it clean, crisp and moreish. That’s why more cask ale drinkers prefer the taste of IPA to leading competitors, and it’s the fastest selling cask ale.

Is beer or ale stronger?

In general, there are many differences between ales and lagers. Ales tend to be darker, have a cloudier appearance, higher alcohol content and a stronger, fruitier, more robust flavor with stronger bitter tones from the hops due to the higher amount of hops, faster, more thorough fermentation.

What kind of beer is a cask conditioned beer?

Beer that is cask conditioned is neither filtered nor pasteurized and is often called cask ale, real ale, or in Britain, traditional ale.

How long does it take to conditioning an ale in a cask?

Conditioning in the Cask. Real ales require between 2 and 10 days of conditioning time, depending on how young the beer is when it is casked, how strong the beer is, and how much priming sugar or kräusen beer was added at casking time.

Why do we use cask conditioning in British brewing?

“We chill early instead [of priming], but priming is pretty common in British brewing to get a good secondary fermentation,” agrees Keeling. MacDonald adds that while she has twenty-four casks, they are only for customers who can look after her beer properly—the rest of what she brews is bottle-conditioned.

How long does Scottish ale last in a cask?

A 1.045 beer might condition for 10 days, whereas a 1.080 Scottish ale might condition for 10 months, but the average is 1 month. The pub must agree to supply a cooler for the firkin. Rubenstein recommends that his pubs use cask breathers, which blanket the beer in carbon dioxide to prevent it from oxidizing as the cask empties.