Pale Ale with Amarillo hops
Cask-conditioned beer, sometimes called "real ale", is beer that is brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it's dispensed and served without the use of additional carbon dioxide pressure typical of kegged beers. It is fresh and unfiltered, and served at the CBC from small stainless casks which are maintained at "cellar temperature", or 55 degrees, to maximize flavor and aromatic impact on the palate. Drawing the beer by hand through a swan-necked pump known as a beer engine agitates the beer which not only releases complex aromas, but also creates a cascading effect of carbonation which layers into a dense, creamy head. Cask beers only last two to four days once breached, and over the course of service a controlled amount of oxidation takes place which caused the overall palate of the beer to change and mature.