Slowly but surely our American palette is changing. We are once again transitioning back to how beer used to be served, at room temperature. When you ask someone if they’ve had a cask ale, the usual response is a frowned forehead. Warm beer, no I like my yellow beer cold cause it tastes horrible warm. There in lies the problem, when people think of warm beer, they think of that can or bottle they had at a party which got warm which then resulted in them throwing up most likely.
Cask ale is not your crap flat and bland yellow beer. It’s like a punk rocker turning it’s back on organized trends, the trend being flavorless beer made by big international firms. If you feel you have some rebel in you, and want to help the little guy, two great spots are The Chipshop and The Brazen Head.
The Chipshop as its name suggests sells British style Fish and Chips, along with some great ales both American and British. The staff are very welcoming, and the bartender is knowledgeable about his trade, you’ll also find that they have two hand drawn beers, just as you would find in an English Ale House.
The Brazen Head has a decent selection of beer on tap and cask, in addition you’ll find a welcoming scotch selection. The Brazen is home to the tri-annual cask ale festival organized by the cask maestro Alex Hall. The next cask festival will be held Nov 6th 2009.
