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Is Cask Ale Viable?

Here is another BSP, read THIS first, then come back to what my humble opinion is….

….OK, now that you are armed with the latest on cask ales, I would like to add my two cents (depending upon inflation) on the matter.

First, I am a fan of cask ale and I think it is is important that it does not become a museum piece.  But in 2024, looking back, even when craft beer was roaring, it was an oddity, much in the way I think side pour faucets are.  At least, here in the states, brewers are not welded to moldy cellars and no aspirators and can present a product that is consistent at whatever quality level it is at.

The U.S. problem is simply that the styles most suited or traditional in that dispense are just not best sellers and most American breweries would probably make more money buying a slushie machine or Micehelada mix instead.

The British have the extra problem of staying in traditional boundaries of CAMRA whilst also absorbing the extra cost in people power and spoilt beer.  

Not an enviable position to be in.

We can wait for the next generation of drinkers to throw off more drinking shackles of their parents and grandparents and then rediscover cask as a minor rebellion or lean into gimmicky beers in cask or get more casks into taprooms and beer bars so that they are at the very least seen as part of the beer scene.  

This will need to be driven from the brewery side though because I do not see a cask ale groundswell coming.

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Sister City Brewery # 3 – Yeccan Cerveceria

Our last Los Angeles sister city stop is in Mexico City and Yeccan Cerveceria in Roma Norte.

They have a restaurant as well and their Instagram feed will get you hungry and thirsty. Here are four beer choices for you…

Nerds – a Berliner Weisse with that sour candy taste for “your inner child”

Descarada – a pastry lager at 4.5%. maybe a new style in the offing?

Old Boy – imperial Red ale with smoky notes and a touch of caramel.

Better A Made in Hell – coffee Imperial Stout clocking in at 12% abv.

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NBA Draft – Blazers Edition 2024

The first bit of business to unpack is that my beloved Blazers sent Malcom Brogdon, the 14th pick (which became ) and future picks (a first and a pair of seconds) to the Washington Wizards for 23 year old Deni Avdija. A tall shooting forward (yeah) coming off a real good year. This move is good in two ways as it lowers the wage bill and it frees up space for our large group of youngsters to get playing time as we essentially free up two roster spots.

Now with just one pick in the lottery, it was just a matter of who would fall to #7 and wasn’t a 6’9″ forward. That person was NCAA Champ and second UConn Husky off the board, Donovan Clingan. A 7’2″ center with a strong all around game that could be a real strong piece for the Blazers. Might be considered a safe pick but a good start.

The newly split draft continued on Thursday and Portland kicked the 34th pick down the road for future picks, then cashed out on the 40th pick and during the wild and confusing ride that was the 2nd round trade-a-thon, also cashed out on pick 52. I would have liked to see them pick up Jamal Shead from Houston or Cam Spencer from UConn for backcourt hustle but it was not to be and now we see if we can trim a few veteran players off so that all of our young-ins can get some court time.

I guess I will need to find a Connecticut beer for Clingan and Israeli beer for Avdija.

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Old Guardian Returns

Stone Brewing has done a good job of retiring then bringing back old favorites by not going too overboard on but also not letting interest flag in beers like the newly back Old Guardian Barleywine.  Though I do think that a 12oz can would be better for such a big beer.

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Beer Cocktail Day – Guinness Punch

Well, I will need to try this during the summer….

Screenshot

A few years back, I was instructing at a summer school on the culinary history of the Caribbean. During the interactive workshop, students devised food rituals, summoned significant food memories, and crafted a Caribbean cocktail. They chose to make a Guinness Punch—a favorite on several British-colonized islands. This mixture of strong stout beer, creamy, sweet condensed milk, and a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg is a delightful fusion of flavors.

Guinness was known to me through both sides of my family. The Irish connection was apparent since Guinness was founded in Dublin, but why was it also known from the Caribbean side? As it turns out, in the seventeenth century, the Irish were engaged as contract laborers on plantations in the Caribbean. Due to their substantial presence in the area, Guinness decided to export beer there—with more alcohol and hops, ensuring it stayed good during the transatlantic journey. When I learned this, I felt a strong sense of connection: the unlikely merging of two clashing cultures had given rise to something beautiful and tasty and no, I’m not referring to myself!

Ingredients 

  • 1 bottle (500 ml or roughly 2 cups) of Guinness West Indies Porter
  • 1 cup (250 ml) (oat) milk
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) of condensed milk
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons overproof rum (high-alcohol rum; optional)
  • ice cubes, to serve

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients, except the ice cubes, into a blender and pulse several times. Serve in glasses with ice cubes and a sprinkle of freshly grated nutmeg on top.

Heard this on the Good Food podcast. Which I highly suggest listening to.

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Beer Cocktail Day – Beer Jello Shots

I have never been a “shots” type of drinker.  I prefer to analyze and enjoy the first few sips of beer or a spirit before then relaxing into it.  The whole down the gullet thing never appealed.  Candy-fying it with jello seems even weirder still but for those that love their gelatin and alcohol mixed, there is…..THIS.

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Italian Bruery

Ya’ gotta admire The Bruery for sticking with sours whilst also doubling down on pastry flavors at the same time.  The latest to get my attention is a sour blonde ale, Hold the Cart.  This beer brings together tangerine flavors, milk sugar and pistachios.  An Italian sorbet of a beer.

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Review – 7-ish from Los Angeles Ale Works

It is still close enough to L.A. Beer Week to sneak in another L.A. beer review so here we go with 7-ish from Los Angeles Ale Works…

This special anniversary IPA pours a dark orange color with yellow highlights at the bottom of the glass. The aroma is a little spicy and little orange. Getting a bit of a dankness and citrus on the first sip. The juiciness does linger if it is not super strong. It also lands a bit heavier on the palate which I kinda expected since I am tasting this not super fresh and some of the early vivaciousness might have worn off.

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Absolute 10

Absolution, the Torrance based brewery will be celebrating double digits this year with a big 10th anniversary party.  Might be a good time to re-acquaint yourself, if like me, you get stuck at Smog City and Monkish and have a hard time moving past.