AHB Articles: Cask Ale Directory

[Dave86]

This is the discussion topic for article: Cask Ale Directory

Still basking in the afterglow of a couple of trips to the wig and pen a couple of weeks ago :icon_drool2: , I thought some sort of resource for tracking down cask ale in Aus would be useful. The only places I've drunk cask beer are the wig and pen and the nags head, but I'd love to be able to find it more often, hence the self explanatory title

I've heard of lots of other places that have hand pumped beer, but I'll only add the ones I've been to. So if everyone could add pubs that they've been to/know of that'd be tops!

 

[pbrosnan]

I've just spent a few days in London and surrounds and was a bit underwhelmed by the hand pumped cask ales. I hate to say it but they all seemed a bit flat and warm to me. I had one in Oxford that had some hop character but the rest just left me yearning for something colder and carbonated. I have a list of some of those I tried:
Gem
Triple B
Pride Of Oxford (not bad)
Betty Bogs
Hidden Pleasure
The Leveller (Porter)
Sweet Lips (some hops)
Brakespear (mild)
McMullen Country Bitter
Temple Brau (very average lager)
Chiller (supposed to be an APA, where are the hops)
The last 2 were in a place called Porterhouse in London that was an outlet for a micro in Dublin. They had a good beer menu but the brews were not up to it.

Actually the best beer deal I found was in a pub near to my hotel, pints of Sierra Nevada PA.

 

[hairyson]

Actually the best beer deal I found was in a pub near to my hotel, pints of Sierra Nevada PA.

Lovely jubbly! I've recently had a short stay in London, and we spent some hours ensconced in the Jolly Gardeners pub in Putney, where we made very short work of several pints of the SNPA. My friends (non-brewers) remarked at the time that it was 'meaty'! Bloody beautiful stuff So much so that we've been making a few batches of a partial mash clone - a recent one was made with some of our own hop flowers we grew this last summer. Some of you might have tasted an earlier batch in the last Vic off-season case swap (entered via breezytoo).

 

[peedubz]

Unfortunately the state of Cask Ale in the Uk isn't always great. There is a wide variance in quality, from the very best to the very worst. Not only is this true for breweries but also at the pub.

Cellarmanship is just as importantt. It is up to the landlord of each pub to ensure that his/her beers are kept well. As you may know conditioning happens at the pub, and not at the brewery. It can be pot luck if you don't know the beer and the pub. What may be a great ale when it leaves the brewery, can become a nightmare if kept and served badly.

And besides if you go looking for a decent pint in london, you'll be looking a long time!

A good tip for anyone who is going in search of real ale in the uk is invest in the CAMRA good beer guide.

toodle pip

 

[Bribie G]

When I was a registered Pom I always found the best beers were to be found in the regional areas served by a strong local brewery with a good local following so the turnover was good. When in Cambridge, drink Abbotts Ale, when in Cardiff drink SA Brain, when in the near-west drink Wadworth and so on - often in London the beers that are "sent up" to London aren't the best travellers, I'd always stick to Fullers and of course nowadays the likes of Meantime.

 

[user 384]

I've been fortunate enough to spend some time in the UK and when I do, I basically drink nothing other than cask ale. Some of my best beer experiences have been cask conditioned ordinary bitters.

I don't know London well enough, but I'm usually disappointed with my beer outings. I find Fullers and Youngs to be pretty average, even when served in their own pubs.

I've been very pleased with the beers in the North-East, particularly if you get the good fortune to drink at breweries like Black Sheep. If in Durham, Shakespeare Tavern is always good for a pint.

By far the best cask ales I've had are in the North-West. If in the Lake District, take the time and go to Staveley, about 8km east of Windermere. In Staveley there is the Eagle and Child hotel, which has a great selection of cask ale, which changes by the day (sometimes by the hour). Best part about Staveley is the Hawkshead Brewery has moved there and their beers are excellent. Hawkshead Bitter is one of the best beers I've ever had.

In South Australia, cask ale is woeful. The Wheatsheaf tries, but often fails. Their beer of hand pump is often too warm. Some of their choices of beer to serve from the hand pump would have worked better as keg beer served under pressure.

A naturally carbonated party keg, served via gravity at my place is a much better proposition :icon_cheers:

Cheers
MAH