Nothing is more British than enjoying a glass of creamy cask ale, dispensed from a beer engine, in a cozy wood paneled pub, but good luck finding that experience once you leave the British Isles. Here in Central Ohio finding a traditional cask ale is as rare as finding a hen’s tooth, and this episode is our way of suggesting that maybe it doesn’t need to be so difficult.
After reviewing some basic definitions and terminology surrounding cask ale, we look at the subject from two very different perspectives. In the first half, Barley’s brewmaster Angelo Signorino tells us about his experiences brewing cask ales in downtown Columbus over the last three decades. He talks about the challenges of introducing cask ale in the mid 90’s when no one else was doing it. Later Angelo regales us with tales from the prestigious Real Ale Festival in Chicago. His stories include judging with the legendary Michael Jackson, to the thrill of winning best in show honors in 2001. Perhaps most importantly Angelo tells us that the cask system at Barley’s has been refurbished and you can now get a cask ale poured via a beer engine any day of the week.
In the second half, we welcome back our friend Nick Smith from Steam Machine Brewing in County Durham, to give the perspective of a UK craft brewer on the state of cask ale in its homeland. Nick tells us about the days of his youth when the only truly local beer you could get was cask ale. We discuss the origins of the north-south divide on the use of the sparkler, the somewhat surprising revelation that New England IPAs have become widely available on cask, and the pricing expectations that serve as a disincentive for smaller craft brewers to produce and distribute cask ale. After mutual reminiscing about the beauty of a pint of Old Peculiar at Theakston’s, Nick tells us about a group called the Society for the Preservation of Beer from the Wood (SPBW) that advocate for beer served from wooden casks. So throw on some Fairport Convention and pour yourself a pint of English ale and sit back for a jolly good listen.
Don’t forget you can find this episode and earlier ones on our podcast page, as well as Apple Music, Podbean, Spotify, Stitcher, and various other podcast apps. Just search for the All Things Beer podcast, and don’t hesitate to leave a comment or a rating.
Related Links
- All Things Beer Episode 44 – Scottish Ales (with Angelo SIgnorino)
- All Things Beer Episode 32 – Imperial Stouts (with Nick Smith)
- All Things Beer Episode 23 – Winter Warmers and Festive Holiday Ales (with Angelo SIgnorino)
- All Things Beer Episode 20 – History of the IPA Part 2 (with Nick Smith)
- All Things Beer Episode 19 – History of the IPA Part 1 (with Nick Smith)
- Pat’s Pints Picks – Britain’s Best Breweries
- Visiting one of Britain’s Smallest Breweries – Hill Island Brewing
- An Outsider’s Perspective on the Divided State of British Beer
Pat's Pints 
Internationaly famous Pat and Mark! Well done.
I’m not so sure about that Bill, but thanks as always for listening!