As a real ale fan, I often see these terms floating around, without actually knowing the difference – sorry to the purists! So of course, I thought I would do some research
Cask Ale (“Real Ale”)
Cask ale is often called “Real Ale” because the beer is still fermenting when it arrives at the pub. It is unpasteurized and contains live yeast.
- Secondary Fermentation: The beer is put into the cask with a bit of sugar and yeast, where it carbonates naturally.
- The “Hand Pull”: Since there’s no gas involved to help push your beer out the pump, the bar staff have to manually pump out your pint using a handle .
- Flavor Profile: Cask beer is normally served warmer and without excessive chilling, you’ll also find it has less aggressive bubbles. This means that you will be able to taste more of the malt and hops. It has a “soft” or creamy mouthfeel.
- The Catch: There’s a level of skill involved in maintaining and serving cask ale as it can be temperamental. If who ever is responsible for the pub cellar doesn’t “condition” it correctly, it can taste flat or vinegary.
2. Keg Beer
This is what most people think of as “standard” beer. It is brewed, filtered to remove yeast, carbonated mechanically, and then chilled.
- Forced Carbonation: Much like a fizzy soft drink, CO2 is pushed into the beer under pressure.
- Reliability: Keg beer will always taste the same every single time you have a pint. This is because it’s filtered and kept under pressure with gas. Consequently it will always stay fresh much longer and won’t go off as soon as oxygen hits it.
- Serving: Your chosen pint of keg based beer will be served cold and fizzy. This is great for refreshing lagers, but would find there is a strong argument that the cold temperature and high bubbles will effectively “mask” the complex flavors of darker ales.
Which one should you choose?
Go for Cask if: You want to experience your pint of beer exactly as the brewer intended it – complex taste, smooth, and full-bodied. It is effectively an artisanal product that requires a leve;l of skill for the pub to pull off.
Go for Keg if: You want a crisp, cold, refreshing drink that you can guarantee to be fizzy and consistent, regardless of how busy the bar is and how long it may have been sat in the cellar for.
