The latest in my Beer 101 education series was posted this week over at sherbrookeliquor.com. It is the final installment of my look at serving vessels and how it affects flavour. Naturally I finish the unit with a look at cask ales. Now, I have talked up cask ales a dozen times around these parts, so I won’t go into the whole thing again. The column itself (which you can read in its entirety here) gives a quick run down on what makes a cask ale. It also looks at the state of cask ales in western Canada and then ends by offering my take on what makes cask versions of ales taste so unique.

Reading the column again, I wish I had expanded on the explanation of cask a bit – it is too abbreviated. I should have also talked about how it must be served without the aid of outside carbonation (ie. gravity or pump). I think I left it off because many establishments that serve cask ales (especially those who have it as a regular feature) will cheat a bit on the dispensing side. You are also not supposed to filter the beer in any way, but I know that happens from time to time as well. Purists would argue they are screwing things up, but I am more forgiving. Any effort that does its best to offer a cask beer to the public has my support and I am going to cut them some slack if a bit of CO2 is used to push it out.

Many (if not most) of you have tried cask ale, and so know of what I speak when I say cask conditioning makes a beer softer, fruitier and more rounded. In part it is the low carbonation, no doubt, but I think more is at play here. The live yeast, the “unfinished” nature of the beer also adds to the complexity of its overall impression.

So, go read more about cask ales, and then find a cask event near you. Maybe I will see you there and we can share a pint.