Black Oak Pale - CC

[Tapsucker]

The other day, I was pleasantly surprised to see Black Oak Pale Ale available in cask conditioned form at the Bow and Arrow.

I really enjoy CC beers and I love Black Oak's pale ale. A great beer in a great state of taste I thought to myself...

Alas, I was totally disappointed. The beer tasted like cheap watered down whiskey. What has gone wrong? A couple of other patrons that night confirmed their disappointment. Was that a bad cask? Is this a failed recipe? Is the B&A not handling it right?

Anybody else find the same thing?

Even if this is a failed experiment by Black Oak, they have done so well by me, I'll let it slide - this time.

[sstackho]

C'est What had the Black Oak Pale Ale on cask for a while - though it frequently was sold out.

There is some confusion as to whether the cask version is the "Hop Bomb" version or not.

But, at times, the Black Oak on cask at CW was The Most Wonderful Beer Of All Time. SO much fresh hop aroma. Generally, I tend to switch up my drinks through a night, but when the Black Oak was on the mark, I couldn't possibly switch away from it.

However, the quality did vary. Some nights certainly seemed better than others.

But then again, it could be my tastebuds. I'm always surprised at how my feelings toward a beer can vary from one day to another - even from the same batch.

[tuqueboy]

The other day, I was pleasantly surprised to see Black Oak Pale Ale available in cask conditioned form at the Bow and Arrow.

I really enjoy CC beers and I love Black Oak's pale ale. A great beer in a great state of taste I thought to myself...

Alas, I was totally disappointed. The beer tasted like cheap watered down whiskey. What has gone wrong? A couple of other patrons that night confirmed their disappointment. Was that a bad cask? Is this a failed recipe? Is the B&A not handling it right?

Anybody else find the same thing?

Even if this is a failed experiment by Black Oak, they have done so well by me, I'll let it slide - this time.

knowing black oak, and knowing the bow and arrow, i'd hazard a guess it was probably the pub's fault for not keeping the cask stuff in good condition, or trying to serve stuff which had gone stale. i've had some pretty lousy pints in there lately, and don't even get me started bitching about their food.

[Derek]

I've enjoyed it at C'est What as well, always in top condition.

Sadly, I've had off-pints at the Bow as well (even a fresh cask). I'm not sure if their lines need a thorough cleaning or what? I haven't been back for at least 6 months.

[Tapsucker]

The other day, I was pleasantly surprised to see Black Oak Pale Ale available in cask conditioned form at the Bow and Arrow.

I really enjoy CC beers and I love Black Oak's pale ale. A great beer in a great state of taste I thought to myself...

Alas, I was totally disappointed. The beer tasted like cheap watered down whiskey. What has gone wrong? A couple of other patrons that night confirmed their disappointment. Was that a bad cask? Is this a failed recipe? Is the B&A not handling it right?

Anybody else find the same thing?

Even if this is a failed experiment by Black Oak, they have done so well by me, I'll let it slide - this time.

knowing black oak, and knowing the bow and arrow, i'd hazard a guess it was probably the pub's fault for not keeping the cask stuff in good condition, or trying to serve stuff which had gone stale. i've had some pretty lousy pints in there lately, and don't even get me started bitching about their food.

The food has definitley lost it's charm. I wish they care more like they used to

I wouldn't call the pint I had stale, more like contaminated. Too bad. There were at least 4 people there on an off night sampling the Black Oak and all had a negative comment. I know it's hard to move quality product to the kinds of people in a sports bar (that the B&A has unfortunately become), but for an off night it suggests there is an audience. They should just treat them better.

I was ready to give them the benefit of the doubt, but if you say C'est What has an impressive pint, I guess it was the pub.

[Asst. Grain Shoveller]

I'll look into the line situation at the Bow & Arrow.
Very sorry about that.
Please note it was a cask of pale ale with no additional hops.
The hop crisis has curtailed our hop bomb edition until more hops become available or we increase the hop bomb price by 400%.

Cheers
Ken