Coming Soon to Thomas: Cask Ale

Coming soon, Mountain State Brewing Co. in Thomas will be serving up cask ale. Cask-conditioned beer, by many referred to as ‘real ale’, is brewed only with traditional ingredients, and is ‘casked’.

Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is defined as an unfiltered, unpasteurized product that’s conditioned, with a secondary fermentation, and with no additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure.  This purist’s brew is then traditionally served from a wooden barrel, or cask.  In standard brewing, keg and bottled beers are either filtered, pasteurized - or both. But brewed beer using the cask method, is simply ‘racked’, or poured, into the cask in its natural state.

Cask-conditioned beer is brewed from only traditional ingredients, and allowed to mature naturally. Once casked, the beer still contains live yeast, which continues conditioning the beer as secondary fermentation. This process creates a smooth, natural CO2 carbonation, allowing the malt and hop flavors to mature and develop, resulting in a richer, more characterful tasting experience. Cask ale is typically served at room temperature.

Stay tuned for more brewer’s news, and we’ll keep you updated on the progress. Soon we hope to tap a new firkin of cask-conditioned ale weekly, on Thursdays!