On my day off from working at Owen & Engine, I decide to stop by to try the Nethergate’s cask-conditioned beer that is imported from Suffolk, England, and selling by the nonic pint (20 oz.). These beers are rare, and they’re larger pours. In addition to Nethergate, there’s the Old Growler English Porter (milder flavor, lighter body, and a hint of smoke) and Azzarat Blonde (creamy finish with a pleasant citric tartness—like an Orange Creamsicle). These beers are rare stateside because Nethergate only does cask-conditioned beer, and most American bars don’t have beer engines.
Cask ale, cask-conditioned beer, and real ale are all the same thing: beer brewed with traditional ingredients and techniques, meaning that yeast metabolizing a malted grain resulting in carbon dioxide and alcohol. Unlike draft beer, cask ale isn’t pasteurized or artificially carbonated, resulting in a creamier texture.
I often compare cask beer to a red wine in the sense that wine changes for the better with aeration. The mouthfeel of aerated wine is softer, as is real ale. That’s the best way I can describe the difference between draft and cask beer. A big IPA on draft will have a firm, aggressive mouthfeel. The same beer on cask tends to have that recognizable hoppy flavor but is softer because of the lower level of carbon dioxide.
Continue reading "The Economics of Imported Cask-Conditioned Beer" »










Recent Comments