Pubs with Cask Beer

[midlife crisis]

The demise of the Blue Meaney, plus an article in Ale Street News on cask beer in the Northeast U.S., got me thinking about trying to name the places in the GTA and Golden Horseshoe that have at least one cask-conditioned ale on tap. Here's my unscientific list. Am I forgetting any? I hope so but I can't think of any more:

TORONTO
C'est What
Smokeless
Volo
Granite
Bow & Arrow
Duke of Kent
Dora Keogh?
Feathers?

HAMILTON
Winking Judge

ST. CATHARINES
Merchant Ale House?

GUELPH
Woolwich Arms

[Gunny]

The Golden Kiwi in Cambridge has three beer engines dispensing Fuller's.

[old faithful]

I would think (but would be happy if I am wrong) that the Fuller's in Cambridge is keg beer dispensed through a hand pump. If it is true unfiltered Fuller's allowed to condition in the cask, I know where I am having lunch tomorrow.

That list of Toronto pubs serving cask beer looks complete. One of the things I wonder about is whether all the local craft beer served on handpump is actually conditioned in the cask. Sometimes it seems to pour clear with no noticeable yeasty tang, although often the brands are clearly cask-conditioned, this is evident from the light (and sometimes not so light) veil they usually have. But I wonder if some cask beers are actually racked clear into a cask and dispensed through hand pull. In other words, can we take it, when we see a beer sold through a handpump here, that it is always getting a secondary fermentation in the cask and clarified with finings?

Gary

[borderline_alcoholic]

I would think (but would be happy if I am wrong) that the Fuller's in Cambridge is keg beer dispensed through a hand pump.

I would be very surprised if you are wrong. As far as I know there is no cask-conditioned Fuller's ale in Ontario currently.

[midlife crisis]

But even keg Fullers served through a handpump gets us half-way there. There's no secondary fermentation, true, but at least it's not full of CO2 and probably it's closer to proper cellar temperature.

[PRMason]

The "hand-pump" in question may be a "cheat pump", that is a C02/nitro pump that looks exactly like a beer engine. The easy way to tell... if they only have to pull the handle back once to dispense a pint its a cheat. These pumps are very popular in certain areas because they are attractive and give a more "authentic" look to the bar, but true cask drinkers will be able to tell the difference.

[PRMason]

The "hand-pump" in question may be a "cheat pump", that is a C02/nitro pump that looks exactly like a beer engine. The easy way to tell... if they only have to pull the handle back once to dispense a pint its a cheat. These pumps are very popular in certain areas because they are attractive and give a more "authentic" look to the bar, but true cask drinkers will be able to tell the difference.

[Gunny]

I have witnessed multiple pulls for a fill. However, I can't comment on the other possibility mentioned but I will definately inquire. The carbonation I have experienced in the beer I have had from the Kiwi is mild IMO and the head lacks the density that I attribute to gas dispensed beers.

[borderline_alcoholic]

AFAIK, the Fullers beers are indeed gas-dispensed. They just pull the handle a couple of times to further emulate a "beer engine".

It is absolutely no closer to being cask beer, but apparently it looks authentic and that is the main thing.

[old faithful]

Fuller's IS available in bottle-conditioned form in Ontario in the form of the matchless Fuller's 1845.

I hope there are still some left although I haven't seen any lately, and am down to one bottle. This is almost exactly like Fuller's ESB cask in London. I half-chill it, sip, and immediately thoughts of crowded sidewalks, black cabs and English auto fumes enter my head - it is like being in a local in London.

Whoever brought this beer in, Sir, bring more.

Gary

[midlife crisis]

They still have some 1845 at Volo, I believe.

[Cask]

The Pour House at St. George/Dupont has Arkell on cask (unless if they've taken it off recently -- haven't been for a while). Dora's definitely does have a Durham cask, as well as Fuller's London Porter from a handpump; seems to be on cask because it takes quite a bit of effort for them to pull a pint ... but I'll let those better versed in these matters weigh in.

[midlife crisis]

That's interesting ... I'll have to get over to Dora to check it out. Closer than Cambridge!

[Rob Creighton]

The Fullers product at The Kiwi is in fact keg beer (I've looked at the system) and it does provide a very good presentation at the tap. I did not look at the pump.

I was curious as to how this was achieved (beer gas level?) but the trick must be in the pump/valve. You're still using beer gas to drive the product out of the keg to the tap but what then? I will ask Mike or Jeff from Premier next time I encounter them or maybe they check out the site and will respond.

[borderline_alcoholic]

The Fullers product at The Kiwi is in fact keg beer (I've looked at the system) and it does provide a very good presentation at the tap.

If your idea of a good presentation is something which takes longer and more effort to pour a beer to no meaningful advantage and which fools some of your clientele into thinking they are drinking cask ale when they are very clearly not...

I was curious as to how this was achieved (beer gas level?) but the trick must be in the pump/valve.

Pure speculation, but I would be surprised if it did not work in such a way that one pull on the "pump", which does indeed appear to take some effort to pull presumably for more "authenticity", simply opens the valve briefly to allow a certain amount of keg beer to come out. And then repeat until glass is full.

I am fairly certain that the "pump" does no actual pumping at all.

The joys of marketing.