Real Ale When I was writing on the subject of Real Ale for "All About Beer" magazine years ago, I was writing only about its specificity to Yorkshire County, England. At the time England was about the closest place someone from the States could obtain a pint of real ale. Fortunately for us lovers of good beer this is no longer the case. The renaissance in brewing which has swept this country in recent years has not forsaken the staple of the English brewing industry, real ale. Cask conditioned ale, as it is sometimes called currently enjoys a strong and consistent popularity among English beer drinkers, but this was not always the case. During the 1950's and 1960's the British beer industry was undergoing the same changes as the industry here in America. Economies of scale, mass advertising and increased distribution brought about brewery consolidations and mergers. The number of breweries decreased and so did product offerings.
Cask conditioned ale nearly became a casualty of this development as British brewers began to follow in the footsteps of their American cousins by producing mass marketed "kegged" beer. The difference between kegged beer and cask conditioned beer is significant. True cask ale is fermented at the brewery then transferred to casks (classically wooden), priming sugar is added for carbonation and the beer is then shipped to pubs and taverns. The tavern owner or cellarman must determine when the beer is right for serving, usually within two or three weeks. Serving is accomplished by the use of a beer engine or "hand pump", with this device the bartender must actively pull on the tap, creating a vacuum through which the cellered beer is drawn. The beer is then dispersed through a spritzer nozzle which "livens " the beer somewhat, adding a bit of carbonation.
Kegged beer is usually pasteurized and dispensed with the use of carbon dioxide. As such it is unable to undergo a secondary fermentation to achieve carbonation. Instead it will be carbonated through pressurization using the CO2. It is then pushed from the keg using the gas instead of being drawn. Cask conditioned beer is still alive during the cellering process, its maturation allows for the development of complex flavors; kegged beer is dead when it leaves the brewery, it changes naught.
The savior of real ale was a grassroots movement known as the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). It was formed in England in the early 70's and set about informing consumers as to the changes in the brewing industry which were occurring. CAMRA lobbied for a return to traditional methods and lambasted the big breweries and combines promoting the new developments. Among these big names are some that Americans usually associate with good beer such as Bass and Watney. The first CAMRA Good Beer Guide was published in 1974. While advising beer drinkers on the merits of particular drinking establishments it also advised them to avoid Watney's outlets "like the plague" (this connotation was stricken by the editors and changed to "at all costs"). It was soon after this that Bass was to discontinue its use of the Burton Union system of fermentation in favor of more modern methods; thus changing a tradition that had produced one of the worlds best known ales for nearly a century.
At the time of CAMRA's organization real ale was available in less than 25 percent of England's pubs, by 1983 this number had increased to more than 50 percent and today it is higher yet. It is also good to note that both Bass and Watney have deferred to consumer demands and returned to the production of real ale. This is all well and good for those of us planing to visit Great Britain soon, but what about us poverty stricken ale admirers stuck in the United States? Fear not, relief is on the way.... or just around the corner. The number of micros and brewpubs that serve naturally conditioned beers is on the rise. Although many of these use CO2 to dispense the beers there are some places that are using traditional beer engines. Those of you familiar with the taste of real ale know that searching for the "real" thing is defintely worth it!
© C. Renegar Jr.
