#124 | A call for cask

If you’ve ever entertained a visiting brewer from overseas, one of the first questions you are normally asked is – where can we go for a great pint of cask beer? As decorated author Des de Moor tells us in his new book, cask beer is a unique format of fresh, live draught beer that, at its best, delivers a taste experience unmatchable in any other way. But despite it being revered by fans across the globe, sales of cask beer in the UK continue to suffer.  In his latest article for The Brewers Journal, former Fuller’s brewing director John Keeling observes that throughput is down, inspections are less rigorously enforced, and training is intermittent. He also asks how we can change this situation… In this week’s podcast Paul Davies, the founder of AleHunters Brewery Tours, leads a panel discussion with a revered group that share their experiences and expertise working in and around cask beer. Recorded at our Brewers Congress event last month, he was joined by Alice Batham, the head brewer at Bathams in the West Midlands and also Janos De Baets, the co-founder and head brewer of Dok Brewing Company in Gent, Belgium.  Also on the panel was Rob Lovatt, the head brewer and production director at Thornbridge and Des de Moor, one of the UK’s top beer experts, and author of the new book Cask: The real story of Britain’s unique beer culture. In this episode, Paul leads a passionate and informed discussion about this beloved beer type featuring input from some of the people that know it best. Photo: Noelia Amado