Keep Cask Alive #2 [February - April 2025]

I watched the first episode of the "Keep Cask Alive" series that @JackHorzempa posted. I'd be lying if I said that I think there are brighter days ahead for cask. The amount of attention to detail it needs, as compared to kegged beer, is night and day. In 2025 United States (and seemingly Europe) profit margins for breweries and bars are razor thin, so the incentive to feature cask is non-existent. This pains me, as I love cask. Honestly, it feels like a different, and superior, drink altogether. I suppose finding things like Cask Festivals or random bars and breweries that do right by cask is the best we can hope for.

It would be cool if we could start a database of bars and breweries that feature cask in the United States. I'd be more inclined to check out those places when traveling than any brewery.

And, on that note, I can't think of a single cask in Rhode Island. Not saying they're not out there, but nothing comes immediately to my mind. What a shame.

 

Go here for starters:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...-heavily-feature-cask-beers-in-the-us.673724/
It’s not exactly what you are asking for (because it uses a cutoff based on handpump numbers), but it’s possibly the closest you’ll get. Older resources on the web are likely terribly out of date.

 

Ha, this is a great description. I know exactly what you mean.

 

Ha, I forgot about that thread. It's a great start. Thanks.

 

Cool. I've been to Moniker a handful of times and always enjoyed it. Never saw a gravity cask, but I'll keep an eye out. Thanks.

 

Honestly, it's the temp at which I think all beer should be served, not just cask.

Well, maybe not AALs. Serve those at 32 degrees.

 

I don't know, I've had a few Stichfass that I felt could have been a bit colder to start. And if it's a beer that's >5% I likely won't drink it as fast as a 3% cask ale.

 

Another new episode.

Digging this series.

 

Had a lovely cask pint last Saturday evening, but I've reviewed and posted that beer way too many times already.

Planning to get another sometime this weekend because cask IPA is just that good.

 

For those in the NE area - NERAX 25 is running through Saturday in South Boston. I went last night and the selection/conditioning/vibe was really outstanding. Kudos to the NERAX team - the skill/experience required to pull this off - on the scale of this fest (30-40 beer on simultaneously?) - is something to behold. Run - don’t walk - to NERAX to catch one of the remaining sessions between now to Sat PM!

 

Petition to UK Parliment - Recognise the production and serving of cask ale as Intangible Cultural Heritage

Only British citizens or UK residents have the right to sign

 

I remember in the UK, they'd put insulating jackets around them at CAMRA fests & they did the job, mind, was only hot there in some small parts of the summer, but AC really wasn't a thing either...

 

Never thought my BIS from a cask fest would be a Czech Amber Lager - but Kvet12 from Schilling blew me away at NERAX last night. Absolutely sublime.

 

As a Schilling fanboi this does not surprise me in the least.

Ya should prolly throw it a review when you have time... it's off to a less-than-stellar scoring start:

• https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32906/740199/

I will need to track this stuff down asap!

 

True cask or a stichfass?

 

it was in an upright black plastic barrel on the counter -- gravity pour I assume - is that a stichfass?

 

Really enjoyed this series. I feel lucky here in Nashville to have a couple of breweries that always have a cask ale on. Barrique does some of the best and they even brew in their own setup of a Burton Union. Yazoo and Black Abbey are two others. I’m seeing a growth in a love and appreciation for European and English brewing traditions here locally which is refreshing to see.

 

The distinction between cask and stichfass is that with cask a secondary fermentation occurs within the serving vessel (e.g., firkin) to carbonate the beer while for stichfass carbonated beer is placed within the vessel and the beer is poured via gravity (i.e., no external CO2 to 'push' the beer).

Cheers!

 

Wow! That is a commitment to old timey brewing!!

Last year Marston's Brewing 'retired' their Burton Union brewing systems. Luckily Thornbridge Brewery has relocated one of those systems.

Not too many (only two?) breweries willing to brew this way.

Cheers to Barrique for making this effort!