I had the extreme joy of attending the 11th Annual Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting held this past Saturday. Thank you to Owen Ogletree, Brewtopia LLC Beer Events, and other sponsors for such a great event!

The sold-out event featured over 40 breweries from the United States and the United Kingdom and offered 47 different cask ales to an enthusiastic crowd of real ale lovers.

Proceeds of the event benefited the Atlanta Humane Society.

What is cask ale?

As described by London’s Independent Real Ale Guide – “Real ale or cask-conditioned beer is a natural, living product.  At the end of the production process – using the finest malted barley, hops, yeast and pure water – the beer is not filtered, pasteurized or artificially carbonated. It’s placed into casks (called firkins), often with extra hops for aroma, and delivered in unfinished form to pubs.  Here the beer enjoys a secondary fermentation in cask that creates a full, mature flavor.  In UK pubs, when the yeast has settled, the beer is drawn by the familiar hand-pump attached to a suction pump known as a beer engine.  Some pubs without cellars still serve beer straight from the cask using a simple gravity tap.”

Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting attendees not only tasted a wide range of excellent real ales, they also got to vote for their favorites. 1st Place was awarded to Creature Comforts Dry Spring – “a traditional Grisette brewed with locally-sourced wheat and a highly aromatic strain of Brettanomyces yeast”. 

Grisette is a Belgian style ale which was originally brewed in the Hainaut province to be the beer of the miners in the area, just as Saison was the beer of the Belgian farmers. It is lighter than a Saison and frequently contains wheat as well as barley malt.

If you have never tried real ale, I strongly suggest you look in your local area for a brewery or pub advertising Cask Night.  Cask ales are alive because the yeast is still active. Real ales offer nuanced, complex aromas and flavors, presented gentler on the palate due to the natural fermentation. 

Cask ales are also a work of brewing art. As pointed out by the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting program, “Every small aspect of conditioning, handling, and aging can alter the profile of a cask ale, so each cask can exhibit subtle differences.”

The Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting featured both classic and more modern, specialty real ale styles.  Cask ales from the UK are typically more traditional and include elegant golden ales, pale ales, bitters, mild ales, and old/dark ales.  Many brewers in the US (and a few in the UK) include different ale styles or include special ingredients in their casks, such as spices, fruits, chocolates, and wood, to create a modern flair.  The Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting featured casks from both styles and from the UK and US to allow cask-conditioned ale lovers to make their own comparisons.

Beer drinkers that appreciate the sophistication, artistry, and delicious flavors of real ales are always on the prowl for cask-conditioned ale events. The Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting is one of the U.S.’s premiere real ale events and offers the opportunity to try numerous cask-conditioned ales from outstanding breweries. I highly recommend attending the Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting!