OnTap Magazine

CASK ALES The brewers The Deck The menu S aturday, July 22nd was a crisp, sunny Cape Town winter's morning, and it was on this morning I ventured into the southern suburbs to Banana Jam Cafe' and A Festival Of Cask Ale. Hosted by the Afro Caribbean Brewing Company, the day involved five local breweries, each of which with a cask beer on “hand-pulls.” Placed on the deck area: a make shift bar with five casks, beer engines and hand pulls. THE MENU ACBC's Rainy Day Pale Ale. Aegir Projects' Mosaic Hazy Pale Ale. Shackleton's Cocoa Oatmeal Stout. Soul Barrel's Tropical Parade. Devils Peak's Kings Blockhouse. Although cask ales have lower carbonation, they all poured with the most amazing dense head, which also resulted in great lacing. This also means that the beers go down really easily, and it was without a struggle that I managed to have a pint of each (and a few more) over the course of the afternoon. Apart from Banana Jam's usual great menu, this festival had the added delicacies of mini pies, each paired with a taster of the beers above. And it is worth noting that all brewers were in attendance, as well as notable craft beer industry personalities. Stephen Peel of Shackleton explains to me how the beer is mixed with air in what is called a “sparkler” during serving, and the importance of “cellarmanship”, otherwise described as knowing when to tap the keg, and ensuring it is consumed within 2 days of going on tap. This all in the aid of ensuring the beer is fresh. On the day, it was only a matter of hours before the first cask was emptied, with the rest also being sold out during the course of the day. Greg Casey, owner of Banana Jam and ACBC put the success of the day down to, “having top class breweries take part, “and people recognising the effort of a style of beer, that takes extra time and patience.” It’s only a matter of time before we see more cask festivals popping up across SA. I'll be revved up for that! US A RUNDOWN OF ONE OF THESE FESTIVALS. IN SOUTH AFRICA, WE ASKED ANDREW DELL TO GIVE THERE IS A LOVELY CASK ALE INTEREST DEVELOPING START YOUR BEER ENGINES! ANDREW DELL A pie and cask ale tasting GROWING TREND HAPPENING IN SA CASK BEER ANDREW DELL & BRANDON GOSCH 38 | Spring 2023 | ontapmag.co.za