The terms “cask” and “keg,” which you have probably heard mentioned before, can be a little confusing. Beer is beer, after all.
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There are significant differences between a cask and a keg that impact the beer’s brewing, storage, and ultimate quality. These are the benefits of each and the best one to contrast.
What is cask ale, exactly?
Cask ale, sometimes called cask beer, is brewed with premium ingredients and is unfiltered in every way. Unlike keg beer, cask beer is a live beer that is unpasteurized and unfiltered. Its shelf life is shortened as a result, but the flavor is still fresh. The beer is also organically conditioned and undergoes a second stage of fermentation inside the barrel to allow the character and flavor to develop with age.
What is keg beer, exactly?
Keg beers, which are force-carbonated and filtered, have a longer shelf life than cask ales and are also fizzier and colder. It’s also the case that they are gas-driven, meaning that the beer runs continuously from a tap on the bar, unlike cask ale, which needs your waiter to constantly draw the beer through the line. The higher bubble count and lower temperature change the flavor and texture of the beer.
Cask vs. Keg
While keg beer has become much better in recent years, there’s still no comparison to the cask experience. Beers from kegs and casks have quite different flavors, textures, and looks.
Like Champagne, the flavor profile of cask beer develops with age in the barrel. Since the active yeast is still turning carbohydrates into alcohol, the product is unquestionably “live.” The flavor of keg beers does not evolve in this way over time. The beer has a longer shelf life than cask while the forced carbonation maintains the flavor character and adds a persistent fizziness.
Keg beers are chilly and refreshing. Lagers are the traditional keg beers, but you can also find IPAs, pale ales, and stouts. While keg beers have their place and can be quite nice on a hot summer’s day spent relaxing in a beer garden, cask beers are still often regarded as the best, and with good cause. A great example of this is our flagship beer, korev. Together with other beers like Mena Dhu stout, Cubic pale ale, and Monterey pale ale, we also keg Proper Job at select locations.
