Cask versus keg versus keg versus cask versus.....

Hulloo,

       its the morning after the night before. My head has a dull ache, my mouth is socky, my eyes aren't functioning properly and my memory is shot. I found my sandwiches in my bag and some bits of food on the floor. What shall I do to remedy this malaise, I thought? I'll write a blog. Here it is.

Last night as part of Sheffield beer week I was at Shakespeares with Dan Baxter from Abbeydale, Robin Baker from the past, Sam from the Siren, two other Abbeydale brewers including one who used to brew at Mordue, Clare, Josh and the Shakespeares staff. On the bar was a cask version of Bigfoot red rye ale from Abbeydale. Along with a keg version of the same.

SCIENCE

Bigfoot is brewed with hops. Yes, that's right. Hops contain lupulin and grow on bines. The hops used have names and I recall them being called Amarillo, and another one. And carafe, which may be a malt. My memory is not helping me out here. But this just increases the science involved. Well. It doesn't.....

The beer definitely had rye in it and used softer malts (my term - cho welcome) to do something with the rye. The worry was that the rye would hide the hoppiness. I think to some extent it did.

Having said hello to Robin Baker I quickly got a half of each of the keg and the cask. The cask had cleared fine but was, in comparison, a little muddy. The hops were indeed impeded in the cask version, but less so in the keg - and both smelled fantastic. The keg was, obviously, colder, and a little more fizzy. This is what lets down keg beers, but also improves the experience of drinking heavier and stronger beers in the format. The cellar temperature was about right which made the comparison a bit easier.

Mr Dan bought me a pint of the cask and I enjoyed it more as I drank more of it, and I kept a 3rd of the keg aside to enjoy and contrast. Later, when we had moved onto tasting other delights, a man who looked like Gary Numan bemoaned our judgement that in this one, and just this one, instance, the keg version was better than the cask. Thinking about it now, it could actually have been Gary Numan. I mean, he surely likes real ale....

Later we tried Hobo, a hoppy Welsh lager from Tiny Rebel, as well as the odd smoked sour wheat ale from Siren and of course, their stunning Maiden blended and barrel aged ale which I will write more about in my next post. As the night drew to a close I had some more keg Bigfoot and this confirmed to me that iy was better than the cask.

And so it was, that a science had happened.

So what does this tell us about the merits of keg and cask? Absolutely nothing. Apart from that, some beers are better suited to keg, and some to cask. Simples. Irrespectve of which, I intend t go on drinking both.

Your science editor

Dr Beefalot.

Another Wee Beefy Christmas beer review.

Now then,
  
    I noticed the other day that another Sheffield blogger had reviewed the Harviestoun Old Engine Oil Porter. This made me think it was the same as the Traditional Porter that I got in Tesco Extraneous last month (the retail behemoth used to sell the Engine Oil you see). Having decided I needed to fill a beer shaped hole I gave it a try tonight, and my review follows.

You could have a look at the Barl Fire blog and read the review and see if you think its the same beer? Personally I think it is, but then the subjective nature of tasting notes coupled with my rather limited beer sommelier experience means they might end up sounding different even if they are the same. Go to Barl Fire Harviestoun Review after you have read the below. Especially if you work for Tesco and fancy confessing....

Brewery : Harviestoun, Alva, Clackmannanshire
Name : Tesco Finest Traditional Porter
Strength : 6.0%
BCA/none BCA? : none BCA.
Purchased : Tesco. I am going to hell.

Colour : No nonsense black but with some hints of dark brown, topped by a creamy white dense head.
Carbonation/Pouring : very good, in that its not too fizzy and quickly settles down in the glass.
Aroma : Burnt malts and roasted malts, cigar box, a hint of Islay peat and something like molasses.

Taste : There is bitterness from the start from the dark malts and followed by a long smokey finish, in amidst which I swear I can taste that Islay malt (Bunnahabhain, not Kilchoman, for you single malt fans). A few glugs in I noticed that now the strong burnt malt, although prevalent, was being balanced by what might be the addition of a paler warmer malt.

There is also an ascorbic bitter fizz in the finish which provides a good contrast in time for the next mouthful. Further down the malt mellows a bit more and I think there is an orangey hint, not unlike fruitcake, which adds to the rich and sumptuous overall taste.

Head Retention - the head keeps pace with the beer almost all the way down the glass, only disappearing, albeit quite quickly, because I dawdled over something I spotted on TV!

WBrating : 8.6 - this feisty beer from Scotland's smallest county nudges past the Tatton Ale because of its mighty weight at the outset, and plus the smokey malt idea has put me in the mood for a very small drop of something from the sound of Islay.

More beer and pub details soon. Sláinte!

Wee Beefy.