Alivia's in Durham is stepping up to the plate once again to host a Friday Firkin event. Triangle Brewing Company will be tapping the last of our 4 Hop Challenge at Alivia's on
Friday February 22 at 5:00pm. Our last event at Alivia's ended in 90 minutes due to the vast amount of Durhamite drinkers (and what a beautiful site it was). The cask that is set for this event is our Xtra Pale Ale dry hopped with Cascade hops. To summarize, we have tapped the Palisades, Fuggles & Simcoe casks and plan to finish up with this traditional American favorite. Our goal is to top our last event, not by breaking a new record time, but by increasing the number of casks we can pour in that time. So the Bloke, Baby and I will be packing an extra cask of something special. Hmm... perhaps the Stout?! I know that will get Steve K. drooling. Perhaps he'll make the trek back up to Durham after the strong showing he drew at the Sawmill Taproom. Either way we will determine the second beer as the event gets closer, but I promise it will not disappoint.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE STILL UNFAMILIAR WITH CASK ALE;1. Why is it called cask-conditioned beer? Cask-conditioned beer is beer that is "conditioned", or carbonated, in the keg or cask.
2. How is it made? Finished, flat beer is put into a keg, and a small quantity of fermenting new beer is added too. The new beer, or gyle, continues to ferment in the keg, creating the CO2 which will become the carbonation of the finished cask-conditioned beer.
3. Why is it the guality inconsistent? Each cask will have a different finishing hop added, so that each cask tastes unique. (See above for our hops) Also, it is hard to predict the exact outcome of the beer when it is fermenting in a cask like that. Sometimes the new beer (gyle) which was added is more or less active, which could cause the cask-conditioned beer to be more or less carbonated, and sometiInes more or less yeasty.
4. Is that why it is flat sometimes? Yes, sometimes it is a little too flat for American taste buds, and sometimes it is too bubbly at first. This has to do with the mysterious activity of the new beer (gyle) which was added.
5. Why is it so cloudy? Sometimes cask-conditioned beer in the USA is cloudy. In Great Britain it is usually quite clear. They have the advantage of large cellars under the pubs where the casks can be kept "on stillage" for a week or so while the beers work and carbonate (condition). When a beer is "on stillage", it means the cask is kept still, and is not moved at all, and is tapped later from that same position. At our local bars, the beer is moved from the cooler to the bar earlier in the day when it should be kept "on stillage". Consequently, the keg gets shook up a little and the yeast gets kicked up, making the beer cloudy.
6. Why is cask-conditioned beer warmer? In Great Britain, cask-conditioned beer is served at cellar temperature, or 54°F. Here the beer is kept in the back bar cooler and allowed to warm to cellar temp before serving. At cellar temperature (54°F), the best flavors come out of this kind of beer.
7. Is it "dry-hopped"? Sometimes extra finishing hops are added directly to the keg when creating a cask beer. This makes the beer more aromatic. (Hops can give a floral, spicy or earthy aroma.)
8. Why does it take so long to pour a cask-conditioned beer? When a cask beer is first put on tap, it is usually quite "lively", meaning it has a lot of natural CO2 built up. This causes the first portion of beers served to be foamy and it takes awhile to wait for the foam to fall back down. Hopefully you will find cask-conditioned beer worth the wait!
