Volo Cask Days

sstackho · Post by **sstackho** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:56 pm

I see from pictures that the casks are kept on the patio - at outdoor temperature, I assume.

So, I'm wondering - will the beers necessarily be at the appropriate temperature for cask ale? Looks like Saturday and Sunday will have highs around 20C.

I don't want my cask ale to be fridge cold, but I feel cask ale should be cellar temperature as opposed to room temperature.

grub · Post by **grub** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 11:14 pm

yeah, that's the way it has been setup the last two years. the casks are outside all night, so they do take a while to warm back up to ambient temp. i remember the temps being just fine last year (the previous year is much more blurry).

i just checked, and saw 20C predicted for sunday, but only 15C on saturday. the other thing to consider is it's not going to be that warm all day, and with the predicted wind + rain they should stay fairly cool.

bestbitterman · Post by **bestbitterman** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:19 am

When I attended the cask ESB tasting in the Spring the casks were much too cold leaving the beer tasting less than optimal...hopefully they are closer to room/cellar temp this time around.

Also, I am a newbie to the cask days and will be attending on Sunday from 1-5pm...do I need to get there much earlier than 1pm? I am just trying to plan my day.

Can't wait!

grub · Post by **grub** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:23 am

bestbitterman wrote:When I attended the cask ESB tasting in the Spring the casks were much too cold leaving the beer tasting less than optimal...hopefully they are closer to room/cellar temp this time around.

too cold is much easier to cure than too warm. you can hold it in your hand for a few min or just let it sit. no such luck if they're too warm. i didn't find any issues with warmth the last two years.

at last year's cask days i found that the second pin of hopocalypse was too cold. it had stayed down in the basement of volo all day waiting for the evening session and was at fridge temps rather than cask temps. great after warming in your hand for a few minutes though.

bestbitterman wrote:Also, I am a newbie to the cask days and will be attending on Sunday from 1-5pm...do I need to get there much earlier than 1pm? I am just trying to plan my day.

not really. there is always a small lineup before the session opens, but as soon as the doors open it disappears pretty quick. i wouldn't bother showing up more than say 15min early, and even that isn't necessary.

Duct Tape · Post by **Duct Tape** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:39 pm

grub wrote:hey all. i noticed that the "preview" was listed as "10p-4p" last week, and just got clarification on the timing. if you paid for the $45 "session 1 with preview" you get to attend both the 10am-11am breakfast and the 11am-12pm preview. i think everyone was planning to attend starting at 11am, so i wanted to clarify this. carl has also updated the webpage to clarify this:

Saturday Oct 20 : Session 1 Breakfast: 10a-4p
Saturday Oct 20 : Session 1 Preview: 11a-4p
Saturday Oct 20 : Session 1: 12p-4p
Saturday Oct 20 : Session 2: 6p-10p
Sunday Oct 21 : Session 3: 1p-5p

see you all there. if we've never met, say hello. here's a photo from last year's event. i look about the same, except without the hair.

Thanks for the heads up, good thing i thought to check here today, i may have showed up at 11am and missed the breaky!!!

See you tomorrow!

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 2:45 pm

Tonight there's a low of 12; tomorrow it's a high of 15 (that's 54 to 59 F).

"Cellar" Temperature is 55 F, so it looks like the weather will be perfect!

Sunday will be a little warmer, but with a HIGH of 70F it should be fine (and nice patio weather).

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Fri Oct 19, 2007 5:52 pm

Fantastic event again this year. Lots to choose from, but my (unexpected) favourite was Magnotta Fog on the Tyne. Also really liked Biergotter Imperial Porter.

Pub Style · Post by **Pub Style** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:00 pm

WOW!!!!!

HogTownHarry · Post by **HogTownHarry** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:02 pm

Before I go back to lurking, I want to say "hey hey!" to everyone I saw today at Volo - as usual, a great afternoon, a special event and - if it really happens this time - something we'll all miss mightily when it doesn't come around again.

Peace and love, props to the Biegotters and their fantastic brews, Ralph and family for going the extra mile and forgoing sleep to make it a memorable day (those of you who didn't go for breakfast --- your loss!!! mmmmmmmmm).

Quite a day - next year, if there is one (?), I'm making sure my wife comes along.

Back to the weeds for me now - don't want to rub any feathers wrong or piss off anyone.

- Harry

skaghevn · Post by **skaghevn** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 7:45 pm

HogTownHarry wrote:Back to the weeds for me now - don't want to rub any feathers wrong or piss off anyone.

You only do that by being anti-social and sticking to lurk mode...

Jon Walker · Post by **Jon Walker** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:11 am

Once again, a huge thanks to Ralph, family and staff at Volo. I had a great time yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed the event. I hope it all goes well today and that the warmer weather doesn't spoil any of the beer.

DougShoemaker · Post by **DougShoemaker** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:33 am

Yes indeed!

The entire team at Volo did a marvellous job. First rate beer, excellent nosh, and as always, terrific company. I look forward to a great afternoon today, with more of the same. It was very nice seeing so many old and new friends too.

Cheers, Doug

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:01 am

Excellent event, as usual. Thanks to Ralph and the Volo team for putting on such a great show, and the brewers for the great brews.

Here's some pics I took:

http://www.bartowel.com/pics/caskdays2007/

sstackho · Post by **sstackho** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:18 am

midlife crisis wrote:Fantastic event again this year. Lots to choose from, but my (unexpected) favourite was Magnotta Fog on the Tyne. Also really liked Biergotter Imperial Porter.

Similar feelings here. It was a fantastic event with some very very good beer and a great social atmosphere. Was nice to chat with many of you last night.

I loved the Fog on the Tyne. I wound up getting that one three times, and I'm usually hell bent on trying as many different beers as I can.

I also really enjoyed the Biergotter Imperial Porter. Mmmmmmm, hops.

I even got to bring home some cheese from the event, so that made the wife happy!

Toronto needs this event! I really hope it takes place again next year.

Duct Tape · Post by **Duct Tape** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 12:29 pm

I'd like to throw my Kudos to Ralph, the whole Volo Team and the Brewers for another great event. Definitely the highlight of the beer year for me again.

My pictures are now posted

http://www.flickr.com/photos/55976115@N ... 592420095/

Great work to all who worked so hard to make this event so much fun!!!

The Bar Towel

Volo Cask Days

Re: preview/breakfast clarification