Keg? Barrel? Cask? WTF?
Beer comes in many shapes and sizes, and the language used to describe these vessels changes from person to person. But what is the difference between a keg, a barrel and a cask of beer?
Some folk like to refer to any large vessel of beer as “a barrel of beer” (as in “I’m just going to run down to the cellar to change the barrel”). “Barrel” is a fairly generic term, and in this context could refer to a keg or a cask. You might be able to infer which from the tap dispensing the beer, but the main thing being conveyed is that whichever it is, it’s run out and needs to be changed. But neither a cask nor a keg is a barrel in the beer sense of the word, so what is a barrel?
Barrels are often used to condition or ferment beer in while at the brewery. Typically, barrels used for beer would have housed wine or even spirits before being pressed into service for beer. Allowing beer to ferment or age in these used barrels allows the beer to pick up the flavourings of the wood, as well as some characteristics of the former occupant.
Barrel aged beers are often rich and complex in flavour, at least in part thanks to the microscopic critters that live in the barrels. These little critters are highly prized for the flavours they can impart on the beers that come into contact with them, and no two barrels are the same. A good barrel is highly prized.
So what is “cask” ale? Cask ale, my friend, is a wonderful thing. When brewed well and kept correctly, some would argue that there is no finer way to serve beer, and we Brits do cask ale better than anyone else. Probably.
Beer in cask is still very much a work in progress when it reaches the pub in which it is to be served. Before the beer is ready to be drunk, it’s left to “condition” (finish turning into beer) in the pub’s cellar. When the time is right, the knowing bar staff “tap” and “rack” the keg, only allowing the beer to be served when it hits its very peak of its flavour profile. But be quick! Beer in cask will continue to evolve and spoil rather quickly. A good cask beer pub will get through their casks in just a few days, and the potential for wastage is increased if they don’t.
Kegs, on the other hand, are a more modern take on storing beer. Initially villainized by ale fans due to the influx of cheap, bland, fizzy lager from the continent (and Watney’s Red Barrel, as readers of a certain age will no doubt lament), kegged beer had a bad reputation for a long time. However, it’s not the method of dispense that was at fault!
With the “craft beer revolution”, and with particular influence from the US craft brewing scene, kegged beer gained fans among brewers for the ease of use, prolonged shelf life and consistency of service of their beer.
No longer did the quality of the final product rest on the shoulders of the beer savant that may or may not be choosing to offer the beer to punters at the correct moment in time. Kegs allowed brewers to send their carefully crafted beers out to the trade knowing that they were in tip-top condition and, as long as they were stored at a reasonable temperature, would be delicious when served to the final customer.
And so it’s kegs we chose to use for our office draught beer service, KegHop. Specifically, we settled on 30 litre KeyKegs for a couple of reasons.
KeyKeg is a brand of keg and is what is know as a “one way” plastic keg. Unlike the steel kegs you might see piled up in the corner of a pub beer garden, KeyKegs are not intended to be returned to the brewery. Instead, we collect them for you, empty them of any remaining liquid, and then ensure they are recycled.
Being 30 liters in size is also a plus for us. A typical steel keg is 50 liters in size, which we have found is a bit too much for the majority of our office customers to consume before the beer starts to noticeably deteriorate. 30 liters is still a lot of beer (about 52 pints, give or take a bit of spillage), so still plenty to go around.
So there you have it. Kegs, barrels and casks. It’s all beer, just in slightly different forms.
