Well, that great CAMRA basher BrewDog is at it again in an odd kind of way. The prolific proclaimers of keg are taking a stall at the GBBF to peddle their cask wares.Is this a case of a sinner repented? Have they seen the cask ale light? Unlikely. Is this a case of not wishing to miss the exposure to 80,000 beer drinkers? Likely. Is it a good thing? Yes, as their cask beers - oh yes they brew them all right - are in my opinion a lot better than their keg products, though you are welcome to disagree.
Whatever way you look at it, it seems that CAMRA aren't quite so irrelevant as some people think, if the great Gods of keg come to worship at our altar.
Thornbridge will have a stand too. Excellent.
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And Fuller's and Shepherd Neame, to name just two much weightier Gods of Keg. BrewDog and Thornbridge barely rank in that pantheon.
I think it depends which beer.
5am Saint, Edge and Trashy Blonde I think are better on cask but their higher abv beers such as Hardcore IPA better on keg.
Punk is probably the peak of the curve for me, can't decide whether cask or keg is better. Both are damned good.
Fair comment probably.
Of course CAMRA aren't irrelevant, the Campign is quite influential, that's why there is controversy regarding the organisation.
Anyway, the rumour on the street is that my good friends up there in Fraserbourgh are considering ditching cask altogether. Perhaps this shows that the rumour is not true. Or perhaps they are going to serve keg and pretend it's cask and then go "TADA!!, fooled you all!!" afterwards.
So BrewDog pitch up at Earl's Court, start installing keg taps on their bar and promptly get thrown out. Imagine the publicity!
The interesting thing to note...
In the US where keg and bottle have been the mainstay, it is becoming more and more common for breweries to have a cask option.
I can't say I've been impressed when I've tried Brewdog beers on cask compared to some of their bottled offerings.
With one exception (How To Disappear Completely, which was a weird beer) I've liked every BrewDog cask beer I've had, and liked some of them a great deal; the cask has come out well ahead in cask/bottle (Zeitgeist) and cask/keg (Saint) comparisons, too. So I hope they're going to the GBBF to sell cask beer, not to play silly buggers.
So BrewDog are 'the Great gods of keg', are they? High esteem you put upon them...
Like The Beer Nut said, BrewDog's keg output is nothing compared to other breweries who showcase their beers. But who said this is about keg vs cask? And why shouldn't they serve keg - the German bar sells it, right?
It'd be good to see them there. And I'd put money on them having the longest line for the whole weekend - they'd better bring a lot of beer!
They might actually brew the cask stuff themselves. A significant proportion of what they are selling in bottle and can is contract brewed by Meantime and other less radical regional brewers.
They can't lose, can they?
Scenario 1: the beer doesn't sell because CAMRA members are alienated by four years of verbal abuse from BrewDog. Press release: "Our awesome craft beer has too much flavor for fat bearded CAMRA stick-in-the-muds!"
Scenario 2: the beer sells like hot cakes. Press release: "Our awesome craft beer even convinces fat bearded CAMRA stick-in-the-muds!"
I have never seen keg Brewdog, only cask. If they are the gods of keg, it's odd I've never come across it, despite drinking in quite a few places.
Anon: that's interesting. People seem to fall over themselves to worship at the feet of Brewdog (suitable, I suppose for the gods of keg) - people who would regard contracting out production by any other brewery as a sell-out.
Fair bit of keg Brewpooch up here Nev, in bars that can't be bothered with cask.
Mark has left a new comment on your post "Come and Join Us":
So BrewDog are 'the Great gods of keg', are they? High esteem you put upon them...
Like The Beer Nut said, BrewDog's keg output is nothing compared to other breweries who showcase their beers. But who said this is about keg vs cask? And why shouldn't they serve keg - the German bar sells it, right?
It'd be good to see them there. And I'd put money on them having the longest line for the whole weekend - they'd better bring a lot of beer!
The previous post was recreated by me. It was from Young Dredge.
I doubt if they'll have the longest queue (line??). Still we'll see.
I was informed that in order to work behind a bar at GBBF you need to be a CAMRA member (for insurance purposes). Does that mean James, Martin and the rest of the BrewDog crew will have to sign-up?
I think that's still the case.
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