This past weekend I attended a beer festival unlike almost any other in this country, the 2000 Real Ale Festival(tm) in Chicago, Ill. The concept of " real ale" might strike some people as being rather odd -- after all, no one wants to drink "fake" beer -- and does anyone really make "fake" beer? Although it could be argued that certain commercial brewing giants make "fake" beer, there really is no such thing. There is only  "real" ale, which  describes beers that are prepared and served following certain conditions. These conditions include the following:
1) That the beer reaches its final maturation in cask or keg. 
2) That the beer gains its carbonation naturally as a by-product of fermentation.
3) It is served from a cask via a handpump or beer engine, or is bottle-conditioned (meaning the beer is bottled with  its yeast and not filtered.)

   During the past several years real ale or cask ale (as it also is called) has become rather popular among American microbreweries and brewpubs. Their brewers have learned to make and serve cask-conditioned ales and the pint that results has caused a revolution among some beer drinkers. This is because the beer that results from cask-conditioning is typically low in carbonation which pronounced flavors, chief among them being the bitterness or spiciness of the hops.

   The festival that I visited in the Wrigleyville part of Chicago this past weekend presented beer drinkers with the opportunity to quaff half to quarter pints of cask ales from around the country. The festival represented the largest gathering of cask-conditioned beers anywhere outside of Great Britain. Among the 150 or so beers presented, I tasted at least a dozen or so, and among that dozen I found some of the best beer around!

   The standard real ale is usually a form of English bitter.  These styles include Ordinary Bitter, Special Bitter and Extra Special Bitter (ESB). Other ales commonly served via handpump in England or Mild and Brown Ales.  At the Chicago fest I found the Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild to be very full-bodied with an almost treacle-likesweetness. I was informed that the sweetness was due in part to the beer mingling with its yeast and the cask being nearly empty. I also sampled a Nut Brown from the Olde Hickory Brewery that was very "nutty" and quite malty with just enough hops to prevent the maltiness from being overbearing. 

   Of particular interest to me where the IPAs, stouts and porters. Among the IPA category I found the best beer to be the Pizza Port IPA. The judges at the festival didn't agree with me on this beer, selecting the Goose India Pale Ale, but I thought the Pizza Port (of Carlsbad, CA) had a really big hop character with a good malt backbone to boot. It's possible that judges thought the beer was too extreme, but I think that's what microbrewing (and homebrewing) is all about.

   Among  the porters and stouts tasted, I took a fancy to the Stone Smoked Porter and the Smoldering Coals Imperial Stout. Both of these beers exhibited a strong smokiness, something I like a bit of in my really dark beers. Of course, I'll never shy away from a good, roasty, chocolatey dry stout, but a little smokiness is nice, too. As I recall, drinking the Stone Smoked Porter was almost like being at a campfire, it was so smoky! A smokiness of this sort is certainly an acquired taste, (some people say smoked beer can taste too much like sausages) just as the liberal use of hops often throws people who aren't used to it.

  If all this talk about cask-conditioned beers has gotten you interested in where to find some yourself, then read on. If you live around Chicago and excellent place to try cask-conditioned beer the Goose Island Brewpub Clybourn location or the Map Room.

   Like this article? Have questions? Send your comments to marc@marcobrau.com.