Eric Asimov had another great beer piece yesterday at The Pour, this one was an overview on cask-conditioned beers. Personally, if I have a choice I always go with the cask version. In fact last night while out with some old high school buddies, I enjoyed Sara’s Ruby Mild on cask at Magnolia and later Moonlight’s Sublimmminal at the Toronado. Yum.
And here’s some general information on casks.
The parts of a beer barrel.
Cask Sizes:
- Pin: 4.5 gallons
- Firkin: 9 gallons
- Kilderkin: 18 gallons
- Barrel: 36 gallons
- Hogshead: 54 gallons
- Puncheon: 72 gallons
- Butt: 108 gallons
If only!
Sorry to break it to you Jay, but VERY few wooden casks are used these days. Samuel Smith’s is the only brewery I can think of that still puts their real ale in them. The overwhelming majority of casks are metal, with a growing number of plastics floating around.
Did I say otherwise? Apart from the cool graphic being wood, I didn’t use the word “wood” once? But thanks for trying to let me down gently. I’m pretty sure Fullers still has some, too, BTW. I was at an event at the consulate in San Francisco a few years ago, and they had a wooden cask from Fuller’s, plus Falling Rock in Denver gets one airlifted from Chiswick every now and again. A lot of American brewers are also aging their beer in wooden barrels, though you’re correct that they then almost always transfer them to the metal kind of keg. I just didn’t think I said otherwise. Ah, so misunderstood …
OK, your graphic suggested that casks are wooden and have the various attributes shown.
PS. Barrel aging is an entirely different manner. Fullers are doing it now, and some British brewers have been doing it for years.
Tell me if I’m wrong, but all the hype about the fine taste of brew is just a cover for wanting to get a buzz on, right?
You’re wrong.