I was salivating whilst scanning that list! What size(s) are the beers served? I hope you have a fun time!! Cheers! P.S. I will one again be attending the annual Yards Brewing Real Ale Festival on April 27th. I can’t wait!!! There will something like 40 brands available and if I locate an online list I will post it.
Interesting list, looks like something out of the US with chocolate smoothies, pastry stouts and such. Is that indicative of the English beer scene in general? Where it’s mostly non-traditional ingredients or styles?
Not really, this is a festival at a craft beer place so that's why the selection is leaning that way. Already been to a couple of Camra festivals this year and it's the complete opposite. Might have a handful of new world hop beers, they rest is traditional.
Never been to this one before but I'd imagine it will be 1/3, half or pints. That's how they usually go. Might offer 2/3 as well as it is being held at a craft beer bar. I'm waiting to see the keg list! I'll be interested to see what's on at that festival, so please do post when you can.
Monkey Wrench is a blast from the past. Looking at the Daleside site, their current branding is awful.
With my wife in Edinburgh for 7 months, I've been spending half my time there. Every night we go out and listen to the local folk music and drink real ales on cask. I've really gotten an appreciation for cask ale in a traditional setting, a Scottish Pub. Most pubs around the University feature several real ales on cask. My favorite is Jarl from Fyne Ales farm brewery.
How is the selection of cask beers there? What are the proportions of ‘traditional’ beers served styles (e.g., Bitter Ales) vs. more contemporary styles (e.g., Juicy/Hazy Pale Ales)? Cheers!
It's worth mentioning that Jarl wouldn't really fit comfortably into either camp as some would see them. @Greymane
Maybe an alternative manner to delineate things: A 'traditional' cask beer that is a 'traditional' British beer style that features 'traditional' British hops such as Goldings, Fuggles, etc. A more contemporary cask beer (e.g., branded as Pale Ale?) that features contemporary hops such as American aroma hops (e.g., Cascade, Centennial, Citra,...), Australian hops (e.g., Galaxy), New Zealand hops (e.g., Moteuka, etc.) and even contemporary British hops such as Harlequin, Jester,... And the examples provided above are just that, examples and not intended to be exclusionary. Cheers! @Dethark @Greymane @WhatANicePub
A favorite of many. Yeah, and I know that a "Citra session blonde" that's a "showcase for American hop Citra [delivering] waves of fruity citrus flavours" isn't what Jack has in mind when he says "traditional" bitter. I think you might find that it's not easy to split things into two camps when things exist on a spectrum... and there is quite a spectrum when it comes to cask pale ale. Some English ales that take inspiration from American craft don't even drink like American beers.
I’ll get a beer on cask if I’m out somewhere since it’s so rare to find. But there’s days like today, cool and overcast, that just beg for a hand pulled pint when theres none around.
That's exactly why I've banged the drum for quite a while for BA to add British Golden Ale as a style. Jarl is a perfect example, I would (and can) drink that all day.
Thank you for that reminder! I had forgotten about the BJCP style “British Golden Ale”. Below is from the style guideline with some emphasis in bold by me: “History Modern golden ales were developed in England to take on strongly-marketed lagers. While it is difficult to identify the first, Hop Back’s Summer Lightning, first brewed in 1986, is thought by many to have got the style off the ground.” And: “Style Comparison More similar to an American Pale Ale than anything else, although it is often lower in alcohol and usually features British ingredients. Has no caramel and fewer esters compared to British bitters and pale ales. Dry as bitters but with less malt character to support the hops, giving a different balance. Often uses (and features) American hops, more so than most other modern British styles.” https://www.bjcp.org/style/2015/12/12A/british-golden-ale/ I have yet to drink a British Golden Ale (I have never seen one) but if I ever do see one, I will give it a go. Cheers!
As well as a BeerAdvocate I am also a CAMRA (CAMpaign for Real Ale) Officer and sadly a lot of Regional Brewers now fudge Cask, it being basically bright beer. But Manchester in England has a lot of Cask. Small Craft brewers it is a logical product, less process, easier product. you haven't properly had English dark Mild until you've had it hand poured, a lot of it's signature subtle flavours are lost even bottle conditioned. Also a Cask Altbier is also sublime. But it is a fresh product that requires skill to serve it at it's best and keep the sediment in the barrel depending on the beer, it can go off in a week and beer lines require a little extra maintenance. Some of the best beer I have drank is Cask and also some off the worst.
@John_M - Steve Hamburg represents Cask Marque Americas, and has been accrediting more establishments recently. Albeit, still infrequent: As of 2025 - Wild East (NY) Acopon (TX) The Fiddlin’ Pig (VA) However, most stateside assessors are in the Western part of the United States (e.g., Owen Ogletree, Neil Callaghan, Em Sauter, etc.): Georgia is currently the most active state with 4xCertifications Nonetheless, to get certified, one must do some work & pay a fee…the issue is that most breweries/venues stateside still view “cask as a method to put bullshit into the beer,” and not as a ‘Real Ale’. Henceforth, the lack of Cellarmanship, or understanding thereof (e.g. Racking, Stillaging, Venting, etc.)
