Pratt Street Ale House » real ale

Cask at the Columbia Firehouse, Alexandria

Steve — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:14:34 +0000

Next Wednesday I’ll be hosting what is being billed as a “Cask Ale Masterclass” at the Columbia Firehouse in Alexandria. Details lifted from Mr. Cizauskas’ web page are below:

Cask-conditioned ale will be the topic on Wednesday evening, 16 February, 5:30 – 9pm, at Columbia Firehouse, in Alexandria, Virginia.

Steve Jones, brewmaster for Oliver Brewery at Pratt Street AleHouse in Baltimore, Maryland, will present a master class on cask-conditioned Real Ale: how to brew it, how to serve it, AND how to enjoy it.

Steve will tap and serve from a unique glass-bottomed firkin of his IronMan Pale Ale (6.2% abv). Participants will be able to actually see the beer and hops WITHIN the cask, and then observe what happens as the beer is poured! There is no formal agenda; Steve will be on hand from 5 until 9pm to talk about the cask and answer questions.

The official tapping will be at 5:30. The evening will include fresh cask-conditioned IronMan Pale Ale, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and one souvenir glass per participant, while supply lasts. There is no admittance fee; simply pay for the beers you order. At the main bar, another of Steve’s cask beers —3 Lions Brown Ale (7.5% abv)— will be available, served handpulled through a traditional beer engine.

So, if you’ve ever wondered what the inside of a beer engine looks like or what the Hell a cask widge dispense is or, if you just want to enjoy a couple of pints of fresh cask conditioned ale, come along. I’ll be there between 5 and 9pm to discuss any and all aspects of cask conditioned ale and answer (if I can) any questions that you may have.

Cheers

Real Ale Festival News

Steve — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:17:10 +0000

I’m very pleased to announce that due to the overwhelming demand for tickets to this coming Saturday’s Real Ale Festival at The Pratt Street Ale House, a further 25 have been made available. They are available through advance purchase ($35) through www.spbw.org . A limited number of tickets may be available on the door ($40) on a first come first serve basis. The beer line-up is as follows:

Oliver Ales : Hot Monkey Love

Oliver Ales : Oak Aged 3 Lions

Oliver Ales : Mocha Java Porter

The Brewer’s Art : Resurrection Ale infused with blackberries

Flying Dog : Gonzo Imperial Porter

Pub Dog : Golden Belgian Ale

Stillwater Artisinal Ales : Stateside Saison

Arcadia : Angler’s Ale dry hopped with Goldings

Arcadia : I.P.A. dry hopped with Cascade

Weyerbacher : Hops Infusion

and providing the container is cleared by customs in time a cask from Craigmill (Scotland).

The festival runs from noon through 5 pm and as always sampling is unlimited (until the casks are empty).

Hope to see you all on Saturday.

cask ale news

Steve — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:54:30 +0000

Ever wanted to know a little bit more about cask/real ales? Ever wondered what happens inside the cask? Well you won’t have to wait too much longer. Sometime in the New Year (date to be confirmed, most likely early February) we’ll be having a beer tasting with a difference at The Pratt Street Ale House. It will be a sort of informal seminar about cask ale production and cellarmanship with tastings of a few casks prepared especially for the occasion. Of special interest will be the chance to see how the yeast forms a sediment in the cask using a glass ended firkin generously provided for the occasion by Steve Parkes, brewing guru and main man at the American Brewers Guild. The event will most likely be ticket only and will be held in the upstairs Library Room. More details will be posted as they are finalized.

Speaking of casks we will be sending out more firkins of Best Bitter and Dry Hopped Ironman Pale Ale to ChurchKey and Best Bitter and E.S.B. to Pizzeria Paradiso in D.C. so look out for those if you’re in the D.C. area.

a call to arms for cask ale lovers

Steve — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:04:46 +0000

It has been brought to my attention that Greene King, the English Brewing Company that produces Old Speckled Hen is doing the dirty on cask ale. They are pushing fake hand pumps in the American marketplace to serve filtered, kegged O.S.H. rather than a cask conditioned version. It seems to me that cask conditioned ales are doing very nicely in the States right now and there is certainly no need to muddy the waters and confuse the beer drinking public …. there are many of us associated with the beer industry trying very hard to educate beer drinkers about the marvels of cask conditioned beer so this is a giant leap in the wrong direction. Please check out Alex Hall’s website, www.gotham-imbiber.com for more details, join the facebook site to make your opinion heard!