https://beerandbrewing.com/five-on-five-british-pub-ales/ "The arts of brewing, cellaring, and serving cask ales can elevate subtle, elegant recipes into brilliant showcases of great character and drinkability. Here, five pros share their top picks" Timothy Taylor’s Landlord Georgina Young (St. Austell Brewery) Schlafly Pale Ale Dylan Mosley (Civil Life Brewing) Castle Rock Harvest Pale Jaega Wise (Wild Card Brewery) Harvey’s Old Ale Ron Pattinson (brewing historian) Hattie Brown’s Moonlite Michael Messenie (Dutchess Ales)
Timothy Taylor on cask is something I have long dreamt of. Fingers crossed that I am one day able to experience it.
When I first visited England back in the '90s I was skeptical about Real Ale. Didn't take long to convert me.
Love it, drank my weight in Landlord and Boltmaker on cask (used to be called just Best Bitter when I was working in the UK). Two of my all time favorite beers.
I think it was the old "warm beer" American misunderstanding that still had a hold on me. This was many years ago. First pint at The Friend at Hand* was jarring in its temperature at first swallow, but the flavors and body won me over on the second. Only time on that trip I didn't drink Real Ale was a couple Guinness and a fresh Weihenstephan Helles on tap off Trafalgar Square. *Wish I could remember the brand, but it was an Ordinary Bitter.
What are BAs thoughts on “modernized” adaptations of pub ales? For example, my regular brew stop in Nashville, Barrique Brewing, does a Motueka Mild. At the brewery, they pump it straight from the firken. Might this be a way to raise more interest in ales?
On my last trip to England one place had pump clips from recent ales displayed on the wall be hind the bar. There were ones for Galaxy and Citra, those weren't available. One place had a Bitter made with German hops, which ones are forgotten, but I had several Pints of that over a few days, as it was enjoyable.
Other than just tapping directly from a horizontal keg and gravity-poured, isn't "pumping straight from the firkin" the standard method?
Not necessarily, I know some US breweries that offer ESBs, but serve them on normal CO2 taps. If you want the full experience, then it certainly should all be naturally drafted.
Well, then that wouldn't be considered "cask ale" aka "real ale" by the commonly understood definition - which is what the article in the OP was about. Though it is perplexing why the author (or editor/headline writer?) chose to use the phrase "English Pub Ale" in the title. Obviously one can find both cask and keg (carbonated + pasteurized) ales in English pubs.
As a 19 year old college student abroad for the first time, I already had an abiding love of beer. We spent the last month of that Summer in Great Britain after having ventured all over Europe- from Norway to Greece and all points between. We had many great beers in Holland, Belgium, and Germany. But the last month traveling from London we were hitchhiking and got a ride with two fellows exactly our age (my best friend still was with me) and they were "on vacation" and invited us to share their trip and itinerary. We went up through Yorkshire through Scotland back down through The Lake Country, into and through Wales. Finally out to Penzance picking our way eastward from there, staying in small places, camping, staying at B&Bs and back to London. I don't remember the many brands of beer we drank, but everywhere we went the beer was excellent, the people kind , friendly, and generous. Mild, Bitter, or Dark.... we were in a beer heaven like I never knew existed. It changed my life.
Cask ale is disappearing around here. Memories only for the time being. A perfect Bridgeport stout in the 90s at the brewery in OR. A US craft dark mild at Jimmy's 43 in NYC in the 00s, gravity fed from a quarter keg on the bar. Occasional Bluepoint ESB cask at the old River Av. brewery.
