The Bar Towel

I'm not sure I understand the whole "FUCK YEAH CASK BEER" thing. I mean, how many of these styles on showcase are actually suited to be served on cask? Alternatively, how many of these beers would be better if served on draught with CO2 instead?

I think the sole fact that there are so many potentially fantastic beers here that I can guarantee would be better on draught really sets a ceiling for how good Cask Days can be, relative to the other top-tier festivals around North America.

A wrote:Can there be any doubt at this point that this event is World Class? I'm not sure if any other single festival world wide could be considered to have a substantially better lineup than this.

Go the the Michigan Craft Brewers Guild festival next year. They have 'em four times a year, and they absolutely demolish this festival. And that's only in Michigan. $40 for >80 breweries and >800 beers available on draught. Cask Days doesn't even approach a quarter of that.

In 2013, Dark Horse had 99 UNIQUE beers pouring.

liamt07 wrote:I'm not sure I understand the whole "FUCK YEAH CASK BEER" thing. I mean, how many of these styles on showcase are actually suited to be served on cask? Alternatively, how many of these beers would be better if served on draught with CO2 instead?

I think the sole fact that there are so many potentially fantastic beers here that I can guarantee would be better on draught really sets a ceiling for how good Cask Days can be, relative to the other top-tier festivals around North America.

Could not agree more.
Personally, while the allure of a variant to a beer by putting it on cask is enticing I have been let down more times than I can recall. In fact, I have yet to have a brew on cask that I preferred to its draught/bottle version.

But its old timey, ya see!

Cass wrote:

A wrote:Can there be any doubt at this point that this event is World Class? I'm not sure if any other single festival world wide could be considered to have a substantially better lineup than this.

Clearly world class, but it depends on what your definition of 'better' is. GABF boasts 700 breweries and 3,000 beers. But yeah, the combination of selection and overall experience puts CD up there for sure.

FoBaB last year had 200+ beers and was the 'best' selection IMO that I was privy to in 2013.

Right - there's something to be said for a curated, quality vs quantity list. For example, Michigan is an incredible beer state but I don't think there are 70 amazing brewers there. FoBaB, there's only so many barrel aged beers you can drink before your pretty much chewing on a piece of lumber

Regarding cask ales, I'm not a particular fan either but I think the time of year they do cask days it matches up perfectly.

It's worth pointing out that Cask Days started out as a little festival at Volo. I doubt they ever expected it to grow into the behemoth it has become. So while I agree that many of the beers there (I prefer almost any IPA in a keg vs a cask, just for starters) aren't well served by the format, the reality is the festival grew to the size it did because people liked it and demand drove it to larger and greater things.

FEUO wrote:

liamt07 wrote:I'm not sure I understand the whole "FUCK YEAH CASK BEER" thing. I mean, how many of these styles on showcase are actually suited to be served on cask? Alternatively, how many of these beers would be better if served on draught with CO2 instead?

I think the sole fact that there are so many potentially fantastic beers here that I can guarantee would be better on draught really sets a ceiling for how good Cask Days can be, relative to the other top-tier festivals around North America.

Could not agree more.
Personally, while the allure of a variant to a beer by putting it on cask is enticing I have been let down more times than I can recall. In fact, I have yet to have a brew on cask that I preferred to its draught/bottle version.

But its old timey, ya see!

Seriously? You can't possibly mean this. Fuller's London Pride? Deuchars IPA? To take an example closer to home, GLB Canuck vs cask Canucklehead? There is absolutely no comparison (IMO, of course). The intervention of the CO2 flattens out the flavour and completely wrecks the mouthfeel. Again, IMO.

Having said that, I agree that only a narrow band of styles take to cask conditioning or are improved by cask conditioning. Pale ales, basically. And milds. I have certainly had stouts that seemed to be preferable on nitro dispense. And I suspect the intervention of a beer engine (as opposed to gravity pour which is the case by necessity at Cask Days) might also help a bit? Not sure about that one but I've often wondered.

Kish84 wrote:THIRTY TWO INDIA PALE ALES FROM MICRO BREWERIES ACROSS CANADA GO HEADS UP IN A SINGLE ELIMINATION BRACKET TOURNAMENT. ALL IPA'S WILL BE SERVED BLIND AND ON CASK. DETAILS WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON!

I do like trying them blind when there are fewer in one place, but with so many beers to try at Cask Days trying stuff blind is just not my thing. I'm sure there are others that are excited to do it though so to each their own I guess!

midlife crisis wrote:And I suspect the intervention of a beer engine (as opposed to gravity pour which is the case by necessity at Cask Days) might also help a bit? Not sure about that one but I've often wondered.

All one has to do is go to the King Edward in Ilderton to have the most perfect pull of your entire life. If all cask beer tasted like it does here, no one would question cask vs draught again.

Excellent point. I have been lucky enough to have been there a few times as I have family in London. First rate.

Does anyone have an extra session 2 (Saturday afternoon) ticket?

The Cask Days excel list is out.

Are the listings for what's available at which session correct? There's only 10 that are exclusively available at session 3, seemed there were a lot more last year.

Definitely happy I got a ticket to session #1 now...I know a number of casks will be cut off and saved for session 2, etc....but looks like session 1 peeps get the best of the lot so to say.

Yes; though a beer that would be in my personal top five, Full City Tempest, is held back to session two, so you can't win 'em all. Oh well there is lots of beer for everyone!

midlife crisis wrote:Yes; though a beer that would be in my personal top five, Full City Tempest, is held back to session two, so you can't win 'em all. Oh well there is lots of beer for everyone!

Really liked the El Jaguar last year, sucks to miss that in Session 1, hopefully some left on Sunday

icemachine wrote:

midlife crisis wrote:Yes; though a beer that would be in my personal top five, Full City Tempest, is held back to session two, so you can't win 'em all. Oh well there is lots of beer for everyone!

Really liked the El Jaguar last year, sucks to miss that in Session 1, hopefully some left on Sunday

Funny, those are also the two that I saw for session 2 and am sad to miss. But...after going over the entire list of beers I want to try....I'll never get too all of them in one session anyways!