Cask Ale in a Bag/Box

I’ve done this in the UK. Beer tasted great but wasn’t really put to the test properly as far as longevity goes, since each time we had it filled in front of us at the brewery and had finished it a couple hours later.

 

This is the one I'm remembering:
http://thebrewoutlet.com/items/party-pig-beer-dispenser

Though the spigot engineering seems a little more robust than I recall. Maybe out of necessity?

 

I wonder if F&M got this idea from how beer is 'packaged' in China!?!

Cheers!

P.S. You provide your own straws?

 

I rise to the challenge
The whole point of cask ale, and the reason that it developes and blossoms BECAUSE of the presence of air. But in small quantities over a short period of time.
Ron Pattinson (aka Patto1ro) once described how he arranged for a brewery to split the brew into two, half was kegged and the rest was casked. There was little difference between them on the first day, but after that the casked half was palpably superior and kept getting better until sold out.
If oxygen is excluded you simply have a large, bottle conditioned vessel of beer.

 

A place near me did this back in the 80s and are doing it again. Haven’t had it to comment though.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHajvA7A3fq/?igshid=1rf5jub53ldjx

 

Well, one difference is the the difference in carbonation level with the kegged beer likely at something like 2.5 volumes of CO2 while the cask beer should be in the neighborhood of 1.5 volumes of CO2. This delta of carbonation amount results in a markedly different drinking experience for my palate.

Plus at bars the kegged beers are typically served cold (e.g., 40 degrees F) while ideally a cask beer is served warmer (e.g., cellar temperature like 50 - 55 degrees F). This difference in temperature will also result in a notably different drinking experience as well.

Having stated the above, I too have a preference for a cask beer 1-2 days after tapping and served without a cask breather.

Cheers!

 

Cask ale in large quantities? I'm in. And is that Bitter reading 4.2% abv? 5 litres of a sub-5% bitter that has been cask conditioned is precisely what I want to consume over the course of Christmas Eve and Day. Jealous as all fuck.

 

But that's the point of cask, is that it's served at cellar temp, rather than fridge temp; it's naturally carbed, rather than force carbed, so it's lower carb; and it's gravity or pump served rather than CO2 pressure forcing it, so it gets that air. (cask breathers allowing CO2 in instead of air is a different story - and not "real, traditional" cask.)
The point is, a cask of beer, exposed to air as it empties, will only last 4 or 5 days |(once tapped) before it's completely oxidized and nigh-undrinkable. yeah, you CAN drink it, but it won't be enjoyable.
|That's why home casks aren't a great idea unless they're planned to be finished in a couple days; even the best of us can't drink 5 gallons in 4 days. But this 5-liter BiB does seem like a good compromise - a solid long weekend you should be able to do it solo.

 

My wife and I consumed them over the course of about 3 days and I stored it in the fridge when not drinking it. Carbonation definitely took a hit after the first day but remained more than drinkable. As Marquis pointed out, you don't have the benefit of introducing oxygen so you lose the complexity that cask develops over time, but despite that, I found this an exceptional way to enjoy British style beers.
I live about an hour and a half from Machine House so I can't drive over and buy these any time I want, but if I were closer these would be mainstays in my fridge. I should also add that Bill, the brewer at Machine House, has quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to cask and he worked for some time at figuring how to properly condition these bag in box vessels before selling them. I think knowledge will factor in with other breweries as well.

 

We had a store sell them.

 

FM makes great beers. Their English style beers are really flavorful and low ABV.

Im in for this bag o beer if I can get one. I ordered delivery this summer and was very happy with all the beers, even the IPA. Unfortunately he beers are sold out the last few times I wanted to place an order.

Any idea what the cost of the bag was?

Enjoy

 

Why do I feel so deprived by never having beer from a bag? Clearly my life went south somewhere.

 

That’s fantastic! Wish I could get that here.

 

Well, you can rectify that if you are so motivated:

 

Didn’t you contradict yourself with these two sentences?

 

On it.