Cask Vs. Keg

Totally agree. I've had cask London Pride a few times here in the states and it was nothing like you get in a Fullers pub in London. Cask doesn't travel across the pond well and it can be further compromised by improper storage and handling by the distributer or bar, or both.

 

Funnily enough when I lived on Oahu, I had a couple of great pints of Deschutes Mirror Pond PA at a bar there. I was surprised how well it held up. In theory it was only a half a day a way from the brewery. That was nice surprise & strictly a one off, never saw it again ( Late 90s).

 

I had La Vie en Rose, a sour from Jester King, on cask the other night. The flavors were outstanding but I felt that there was less carbonation on this one than other cask offerings I've had. The only other two cask brews I've had were IPA's, so I haven't had an extensive cask experience and neither of those seemed preferable over a keg or bottle. I understand there's usually less carbonation, but it just always seems right below where I want it to be.

 

Method of shipping would make a difference. I assume most casks travel via ship because air freight would be very expensive due to their weight. Time in transit as well as storage conditions don't work in cask's favor. A bar might be willing to pay air for a single, special order cask, though.

 

When you've been drinking forced carb beer all your life, it takes a little adjusting to get used to the lighter level of natural carbonation in cask ale.
When I return from a trip in Britain where I've been drinking cask for a long period, It's a little difficult for me to reacclimate to the high carbonation of our beer. I don't like the bite on my tongue or the frequent burping.

 

Casks of IPA managed to travel to India in wooden ships yet still be good enough to create a legend.

 

You certainly have a point. Still, I've had very few cask ales shipped to the US from Britain that were anywhere near as good as an average pint in Britain

 

SN Torpedo is good on cask, Sierra normally adds something extra to the cask, the Torpedo I had contained extra Citra hops. As far as Sierra Nevada casks, Best Bitter takes the cake. Something about the cask mutates that beer from good to fantastic.

 

Thanks for the report of: “SN Torpedo is good on cask, Sierra normally adds something extra to the cask, the Torpedo I had contained extra Citra hops.” I have had some IPAs on cask that tasted good since the brewer added ‘extra’ hops in the firkin; they dry hopped the firkin.

Cheers!

 

You were joking and reeled me in. Good one, Marquis.

 

Of course we have handling issues in the UK as well. The pub near my old workplace had London Pride on cask and it always tasted dull and stodgy. It wasn't until I had a bottle away from home that I realised I should give it another shot and I'm glad I did.

 

I own a "pin" (5.4-gal cask) for my homebrew. I really have it for parties since once you tap it, you really have about a day to enjoy it. It is still drinkable the 2nd day, but without temp control and co2 you really need to drink them right away.
My last one was an 8% pumpkin porter and it was amazing. Its a tried and true recipe ive been making for a while and it adds way more complexity and is much "softer" on the cask. Its also a place to add spices, fruit, dry hop etc...in some ways like a keg.
Keep in mind there are "gravity casks" - where like it says, it is poured out by gravity , and the other is the use of a hand pump, where the beer is forced out through a "sparkler" which add a big fluffy head and release lots of aromatics.
I feel most brews can be served on cask..there are some exceptions; im thinking of barleywines, and most Belgian or german brews. Although one of the best brews ive ever had was a zwickel from cask and it was sublime. So I think if the brewer and "cellarman" know what they are doing, I bet you can serve most brews from cask. IPAs served from cask are just amazing...it just gives a different flavor profile and everything is much more mellow.

I love a brew from cask - if im at a bar one of my first questions is if they have a cask; if so, that's my first pint for sure!

 

The use of a sparkler on a handpump is an option - not every bar will use one, and most that do will remove it on request.

 

Jack, I should have mentioned in my previous post regarding Smuttynose's Big A IPA on cask, that this was also dry-hopped in the firkin. I almost posted yesterday mentioning this, because this can clearly influence the degree of hop flavor in a cask.

 

I've noticed this as well. I've had Wells Bombardier on cask in the US that simply wasn't up to par. One of the best cask beers I ever had was one that was native to the US in Victory's Uncle Teddy's Bitter. This is simply an example, as there's others.

The UK cask I've had in the US at NERAX has been world class though. This is the exception to the rule.

 

I had wanted to say above that I had Torpedo on cask at the taproom last October, but had to ask the wife if that was the cask beer. She confirmed it was. It was very good.

 

Many of us hate sparklers and always ask for them to be removed if present. They strip the beer of it's hop character. When the ale in the cask is properly conditioned and at it's peak, why would you want to force it through a sparkler under high pressure? That's the equivalent of putting it in a sealed jar and shaking the hell out of it. The less manipulation it goes through between the cask and my mouth, the better. Gravity dispense through a spigot is ideal, followed by a hand pump with a regular neck. If it has a swan neck/sparkler combo, at least take off the infernal sparkler.

 

I like the sparkler...I mean each beer is different but the "cellarman" or server should know the beer being served, and its ideal serving type - ie sparkler, gravity, or whatever...however this is likely not the case with most bars...hell I still get served an IPA in a frozen mug in places.

 

In the US, a true cellerman is rare and the servers often have limited knowledge. I fail to see how a sparkler would be an "ideal serving type" for any cask ale. How could using one possibly improve an ale that is already at it's peak in the cask? You say you like sparklers. Why? Do you find the frothy head they create appealing? It's a visual effect that has nothing to do with the taste.

Try a side by side comparison of the taste and mouthfeel of an ale drawn through a sparkler with one without it. The difference is quite noticeable and I'll bet my money you'll prefer it without a sparkler.

 

like I said...each brew is different and should be served as such. Im not saying I prefer the sparkler exclusively, just that they shouldn't be ruled out. interesting read:
http://caskaleathome.blogspot.com/p/word-on-sparklers.html