Beer School: What's a Cask Beer?
In today’s Beer School post, we cover a topic of which I am not the greatest fan. I know it might be an unpopular opinion, but I’m just not super into cask beers. Many people point to the more complex mouthfeel and stronger intensity of flavor that come with a pint of cask-conditioned beer, but I can’t get into it. Maybe it’s the temperature, maybe I crave more carbonation. Let’s take an unbiased look into the world of cask beers and find out.
What is cask beer?
Cask beers are beers that have been conditioned differently than the usual keg beer. The process starts the same: it’s milled, mashed, lautered, boiled and fermented. Then that beer will go into a cask, which is really just a barrel container. The brewer will add finings, which help remove organic compounds that get in the way of clarity and flavor. Next, they’ll likely add some sugar to help with fermentation. This is also the point where a brewer can get creative, adding dry hops or additional flavoring like cocoa nibs. Live yeast in the cask causes a secondary fermentation and mild carbonation. Now the beer “conditions” for up to three days in a cellar.
Drinking cask beer
Once the beer is all conditioned and ready to serve, a tap is knocked into the side of the cask. Since the cask doesn’t have CO2 to push it out like a keg, bars and taprooms rely on gravity or a “beer engine,” which is essentially a hand pump.
The result is a beer that is unfiltered and less carbonated than keg beer. It’s served at 55 degrees F, warmer than keg beers. The live yeast and the warm temperature allow for more complex flavors and aromas to come through. It’s an especially good technique for ramping up the hops in already hoppy beers.
So there you have it. I think my main beef with casks is that they always take me by surprise. I’m expecting this cold, refreshing, carbonated beer, but I’m hit with a warm mouth of flavor. I guess I just need to work on my mental preparedness. If you’re in the Twin Cities and looking for a good cask offering, Surly and Indeed have great programs. Surly does Cask Saturdays, with a new cask beer every week and Indeed almost always has casks available.