Yeah, this. From experience, straight US-style WCIPA and NEIPA doesn't automatically present well on cask but if they're brewed right (I'm not 100% sure I could say what the trick is - generally lighter and mellower, maybe) then pale n hoppy beers on cask can be brilliant. For historical interest, here's post from Steel City Brewing from 2010 (weird how long ago that feels like now): Mid Atlantic Pale Ales - the UK's new favourite style? (scoopergen.co.uk)
And from 2016, more attempts to define a style: Shall we call this new British beer style – Hoppy Light Ale? – Zythophile Not sure how much I agree with his categorization, but there's some good early history of "pale n hoppy cask".
As pointed out it’s very common and something that I’d love breweries over here to start trying more. There’s some fantastic ‘mid-Atlantic pales’ with Oakham Citra and Salopian Oracle being two standouts to me.
From the above linked article (with emphasis in bold by me): “Camra dismissed claims of a fix and said the winners were chosen by a blind tasting.” If the beer judging was indeed blind, then Abbot Ale won fairly. It seems ‘popular’ for BAs to comment on GABF winning beers with comments like: “How the heck did Beer X win a medal for category Y? That beer is mediocre at best”. Judging beers blind it the best way since otherwise folks are influenced by their biases. I suspect the bias here with Greene King Abbot Ale is that the company is a large pub and brewery business (i.e., not a small independent brewery). Cheers!
Ian is currently in the UK observing temp: cellar management, line control, piston packet regulation(s)...with actual/more consistent reads, as the ale travels vs a jagged transit per common US practices (i.e. ice cold to warm: dispense lacks the administrative aids) = some forthcoming changes to the setup upon the return --- The Shakespeare (*Cask Marque Accredited) New York, USA 3xBeer Engines (Angram) 2xActive Cask-conditioned Cask Tapped: August 3rd, 2023 Pub Visit: August 4th, 2023 English-style Pale Ale (ESB): Winders ESB Brewery: Old Glenham Grains: Marris Otter, Crystal Barley Hops: Fuggle, EKG ABV: 5.5% Aspirator: No Sparkler: No Immersed: Yes Pints: 2 *Pending Recertification Sidenote(s): Spoke with Michael (owner) on turnaround times & breathers, which are being implemented: Ian to assist. The second engine was restored last week: he is considering moving the third to an uptown spot ---
I think so, yes. There's a lot rancour directed at Greene King for their history of buying up smaller family breweries in order to take over their tied pub estates while shutting down the actual brewery - I suspect people's perception of the beers is coloured by that plus generic mistrust of bigger businesses plus the fact that GK beers are often encountered in pubs that don't care that much about cask and hence don't always keep it well. The GBBF / CBOB awards always seem like a bit of a crapshoot to me in that when you compare a bunch of cask bitters, the one that tastes best is probably going to be the one that happens to be in the best condition on the day. But hey, it gets some attention for some good beers so I'm not going to complain that much.
Troubles End Brewing (Collegeville, PA) - Carme, from the beer engine. A "Summer Stout", at 3.3% abv. Very tasty - roasty, dry, easy drinking but flavorful. Nice soft mouthfeel from the cask conditioning. Great head retention, it remained to the bottom of the tankard.
Last cask tapped a year later/today: departed hops..."smooth and full of flavor"...for those in the vicinity -
An Andy Day Ale - Olde Magoun's Saloon (OMS) Massachusetts, USA 3xBeer Engines (Angram) 2xActive Cask-conditioned Cask Tapped: < Week Pub Visit: August 11, 2023 English-style Pale Ale (ESB): Broadway Bitter Brewery: Daydreaming ABV: 4.9% Aspirator: No Sparkler: No Immersed: No
Had an cask pint at Milkhouse in Mt. Airy, MD last weekend, their Goldie's Best. Should have had it from the keg as well to compare, but it exhibited the local ingredients well, warts and all. Mid-Atlantic malt is a bit austere, and the hops can be a bit too harsh, but the beer was well put together, and you got a great feel for things as they are. Really enjoyed it.
Jeff sits down with Bill Arnott (Machine House), Dan Carey (New Glarus), and Alex Ganum (Upright) to discuss the quieter styles: saisons, lagers, cask vs those becoming too loud Beervana Podcast: Pod Extra! Fireside Chat: Fireside Chat: How to Succeed in Beer Without Selling IPAs on Apple Podcasts
@ the source + another (infrequent) strong ale entry: A 2023 GBBF Winner - Daydreaming New Hampshire, USA 4xBeer Engines (Angram) 3xActive Cask-conditioned Casks Vented: August 9, 2023 Casks Tapped: August 10, 2023 Pub Visit: August 12, 2023 Barley Wine: Necessary Evil ABV: 11.4% Aspirator: Yes Sparkler: On Immersed: Yes English-style mild ale: Skip’s Mild ABV: 3.8% Aspirator: Yes Sparkler: Off (Intentional per low volumes) Immersed: Yes English-style Pale Ale (ESB): Broadway Bitter ABV: 4.9% Aspirator: Yes Sparkler: On Immersed: Yes Sidenote: Andy previously stuck to one cask with an occasional second offering: he recently (last week) brought back a third piston…perhaps due to the recent accreditation; nonetheless, there is more attention to ‘Real Ale’ = A Good Thing ---
Timothy Taylor’s Brewery Partners With Thornbridge Brewery for the First Ever Collaboration Beer in Their 165-Year History
How did the Bitter compare to Magouns (with no sparkler or aspirator)? Also curious how the firkin traveled.
The casks handled at Day’s spot were sufficiently vented to remove excess CO2, and extracted easily to maintain the remaining (natural) CO2. Seemingly, Day was not looking to showcase a cascading effect, but to slightly reduce the hop effect. The approach upheld a calm bitterness to a smoother, rounder…A more open & active interior That being said, the tapping at OMS did not upset; however, Day might be treating these differently per heavier priming rates on travel/distro…A touch of sweetness that provoked a maltier perception
