Real Ales - Stupid Question

Haha! I just hit page 102. Earlier in the book it mentioned real ales being carbonated by yeast, rather than pressurized CO2. I literally just read that part, and zoomed here to correct myself.

 

Just reinforcing to ask for what's on cask. There's no geographic limit to what Camra would call a "real ale" meaning, as described above, brewed and served in the old manner without artificial carbonation. Or, I would add, without tone-deaf attempts at humor from the man at the taps.

 

Excuse me, I meant that I'm just reinforcing (sometimes it helps to hear it from a few sources) that you can simply ask for what's on cask. Anyway you catch my drift. And the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

 

It may seem a strange expression and it helps if placed in context.
Until the 1960s most beer in Britain was from cask and this usually meant from oak barrels (ie 36 gallon casks) which were stored in underground cellars where the temperature varied.This unfortunately led to frequent poor beer and wastage in many pubs.The brewers decided to reduce this by sealing the beer in metal kegs and serve it via applied CO2 pressure.They also pasteurised it.The result was a great reduction in bad beer but a uniform dullness. We all knew which pubs kept a good pint , a decent landlord could work magic on his casks and serve an outstanding pint.Strangely enough, even from the same brewery the characteristics of the beer varied from pub to pub.Then the big brewers decided to brew beers specifically for kegs.
That's why 40 years ago four men in a pub decided to start an organisation to protect and promote the beers that were being lost or emasculated by kegging. They termed this "real" beer , that which develops and gains complexity over time as opposed to the other stuff which simply "was" as it left the brewery.It was also grossly overcarbonated.
Those 4 men became around 160 000 , a powerful consumer group which has actually affected government legislation and is the Campaign for Real Ale. It also campaigns for real stout, porter, cider and perry by the way
Bottle conditioned beer is technically "Real" though it doesn't approach a well kept cask. In particular when it has been filtered and reseeded with a different yeast.

 

Who needs Randy Mosher when you have Marquis? I wish he was my dad. :-)

 

Mmmmm Real ales! I learned about them in a book called brewed awakening and I love them! great book by the way you should read it after.

 

PLEASE Name the place.

In a good Micro, all the taps not working should be erased from a simple chalk board. I do not get why its so hard for them. I guess about half of all these new micros have folks working there for just tips. Its a shame, but we need to name and shame these places with poor service. The best beer in the world is ruined by assholes working there and they are supposed to be their serving you. You are paying top dollar for their beer. I feel for these students working for peanuts, but we all start at the bottom unless our family is rich.

That said you need to be smarter and better informed, that way you can have a nice snappy come back for all the butt heads working at a job they hate.

I could go on and on about poor service but one just has to shame them via yelp and all that and on here and RB.

Just my 2 cents YMMV.

 

all Ale is Real Ale, but as everyone else notes, Real Ale is cask ale.

well, we still do have this peculiar practice of tipping the bartender. this is one of those timers when the bartender should be reminded it is never a bright idea to be condescending to a patron.

 

Under that definition, what beer isn't "real"?

Lots of beers are "carbonated by yeast, rather than pressurized CO2" - via bunging and/or kraeusening - from AB's Budweiser to BBC 'sSamuel Adams beers, Anchor beers, many Sierra Nevada beers, on down. That does not necessarily make them fit the normal/CAMRA meaning of "real ale".

 

Chicken..... j/k maybe. I sure would make a review on that crap. at least.

 

That bartender was just a dick. You should have ordered a Bud Light and dumped it all over the bar.....

 

Yeah, I mean, even if the bartender DIDN'T know this, it wouldn't be hard to figure out that the "real ale" was probably something apart from the regular draft beers (like a handpumped beer, for example). Bartender was just a d-bag.

 

There was a time when British brewers removed most of the hand pumps and replaced them with gas delivery systems. The Brits revolted and demanded a return to "Real Ale"...

This groupn (Campaign for real ale) was started in the 70's to combat the gas and return the hand pump!

1. http://www.camra.org.uk/

 

I'm noticing a lot of folks comments, particularly those of the Texans, aren't making the connection between real ale and cask ale. Gotta love how the Texans pull up on their belt and say, "Yeah, there's such thing as Real Ale but we're not sure if we distribute it to where you live...." hahaha...

I'm kidding, Texans, you know us New Mexicans just gotta give you guys a hard time cuz we're jealous of you.

 

In my part of the world we had three mid-sized regional breweries who kept cask in practically all their pubs and keg didn't gain much of a foothold. But handpumps were becoming rare because they had been replaced by electric metered pumps.These drew the beer from the cask but it then went into a half pint chamber which was in turn pumped into your glass.It did mean that you got full measure every time though!
The bar staff simply placed an oversized glass under the nozzle and pulled the lever from one side to the other. There was an adjustable or removable sparkler for head adjustment.

 

You should have said, "I'm sorry, I was actually looking for a real bartender."

 

pretty sure the guy was a dick

 

The bottom line to this thread is that the bartender was either delibirately being a douche or was just being douche without consciously knowing it, because as has been stated, "real ale" at a tasting room would be referring to cask ale, (which is catching on here in the states) not some brewery in Texas, the poster was correct in asking for something that was on the menu, if it says its there and theyre out of "it", then the bartender should politely make you aware of it not treat you like an illiterate idiot.

 

Name the place !

What is it with people not willing to reveal the source of poor service/attitude?

Doesn't matter how good previous visits have been - they have some jerk off working for them now and they should be named and shamed !