Cask Ales

We haven’t really covered vertical extraction on here in any great detail yet. Perhaps if we go through a few pointers please feel free to add anything or if I have missed anything please add your comments below. Basically you use the same process to stillage vertically as you would with a container lying...
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Beer has been brewed in this country for hundreds of years and will go on so, even though it has been messed up by the big boys with still more imports arriving every day. Why do we dispense beer so cold?….. To hide the bland taste. So it comes as a welcome relief when...
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For a great many years part of the tradition of cask ale husbandry has been the filtering back of beer in to the cask from which it came. Ale pulled off at the start of a new session, beer pulled off during cleaning or beer run off when a new cask had been broached...
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Wrote this before I realised it had already been covered,“Cask breather or Aspirator ” but never mind. The debate about using co2 as a top pressure on cask ale seems to polarize most drinkers. From a technical point of view and speaking as a technician of 40 years standing, I see the advantage of supplying...
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The cleaning of all beer lines is of utmost importance to the beer retailer. Regular beer line cleaning keeps your beer on top form and your profits in good shape as well. The cleaning of cask ale beer lines however requires a little more attention if you are to provide the perfect pint. The...
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Vertical Stillage On a recent call-out, one of our contributing Technicians was chatting to a landlord over a bacon butty when the subject of cask beer came up. The landlord said that he would love to sell cask beer but that he didn’t have the space in his cellar for all the stillages. However...
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With cask beer continuing to out perform the beer market and on trade market sales up, it would seem a good time to consider selling it on your bar if you are not already doing so. However there are one or two things to consider before you start tapping and venting. No doubt the...
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My Cask beer is flat and tastes off? Your beer might be too cold. Check cellar temperature it should be around 52-53 degrees Fahrenheit 13 degrees centigrade. How long has your beer been on service, it might be past its best? Was your cask vented properly? My Cask beer tastes of vinegar and has...
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With beer volumes down over the winter months and the fact you must sell your lower alcohol (3.8%) real ale within three days, two days is better, this can become a struggle with Pubs who are quiet during the week. If you haven’t got one, why not consider using a cask breather or aspirator...
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Looking after Cask Ales. The condition of Cask Conditioned beer (Real Ale),when dispensed will depend on the way it has been looked after in your cellar. When the beer is delivered it still has to go through its’ final fermentation and clarification by means of finnings, which have already been added in the brewery...
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