So, beer fans, I have great news! Regular readers will know that in a post a few weeks ago I lamented Edmonton’s lack of a cask ale tradition. Well, we have done something about it. Alley Kat and hip beer cafe Sugar Bowl (with a little midwifery from yours truly) have teamed up to host Edmonton’s first ever Cask Ale Evening. It will be Thursday, May 20 starting at 5:00 at the Sugar Bowl (10922 – 88 Avenue).
There will only be one keg available, so don’t be late! Insider info suggests that the first cask beer served will be a Full Moon Pale Ale dry-hopped in the cask, served using the traditional beer engine acquired by Alley Kat a few years ago. Sounds irresistable!
For those of you unclear about cask ale, it is a traditional British approach to beer. The ale is not filtered or artificially carbonated and served fresh directly from the cask (these days a stainless steel keg). Its carbonation is lower and it should be served at cellar temperature (10-15 degrees Celsius). The result is a fuller flavour and fresher mouthfeel. Other cities in Canada do this on a regular basis, and they are big hits.
The hope is that this will become a monthly event. But for now drop on by on May 20 and be one of the first to sample the first 50 litres of cask ale in Edmonton.
April 28, 2010 at 9:00 PM
You are my new hero for your midwifery!
April 28, 2010 at 9:08 PM
Well, now I know what I’m doing on the 20th…..
April 28, 2010 at 11:09 PM
Me too. Little unclear, its at the sugarbowl? If so who wants to carpool, cause the parking is horrendous!
April 29, 2010 at 10:30 AM
Hi Dave,
Yes, it is at the Sugar Bowl – I have edited the post to make it clearer about the location. See you all there!!
Jason
May 6, 2010 at 11:18 AM
Finger’s crossed this is the first of many more Cask Nights.
Once you’ve had cask you won’t go back!!!!
June 10, 2010 at 7:48 PM
Where is Calgary’s cask night? Another terrible display of how Calgary is lacking in beer culture. Typical rednecks.
Wildrose does cask one day a week, and when asked why not do it more the response was ” It wouldn’t be special then, would it!”
Nice response losers.
June 10, 2010 at 7:59 PM
Hi Bob,
To answer your question, Wild Rose offers the only Cask Ale event in Calgary. And it is more than Edmonton has, which is only monthly at this point. So, you may want to lighten up on them – they are trying to build a culture around beer, and that takes time.
I wonder if you are being too harsh on Wild Rose. Offering a weekly cask in their tasting room is a big step, and I applaud them for it. I hear that you would like casks more often. I agree. However, I think the key to creating a beer culture is getting a diversity of locations for such an event. A daily cask at Wild Rose doesn’t work if no one else is doing it.
How about pushing some of your favourite pubs to do a monthly or weekly cask event? (I bet Wild Rose would be happy to supply them!). Then you can go to a few places that serve cask ale.
It takes a long time to get to a point where a cask is on tap ALL the time. The West isn’t there yet. We can either dump on the few people – like Wild Rose, Alley Kat and the Sugar Bowl – who are trying, or we can applaud them and push others to get in on the act.
Thanks for the comment.
Jason
June 15, 2010 at 9:41 AM
Hey Beer Guy!
I missed the first cask night in May, but plan to attend next week. Any info on what will be in the cask? Please say the AK Amber!
Thanks for bringing cask ale to Edmonton!!
Scott
June 15, 2010 at 9:34 PM
Scott,
I know two things about the next cask. First, the base beer will be the Taste 25 Steam Beer, based on my homebrew recipe.
Second, I know that Alley Kat has not decided what to present. They currently have two sitting in a cask – one that is regular, and one that is dry hopped in the cask.
As it is their beer, I will leave it to them to decide which to choose. We will find out in a few days!
Jason