Craft Beer in Kegs
15.04.2010
Craft beer in a keg? Although the industry standard for craft beers around the world, this is almost unheard of in the UK with 99.5% of Britain’s craft brewers sticking exclusively to cask. We love craft beer in kegs and for a while now have been sending our beer in keykegs to some of our export markets.
Furthermore we have recently started putting Punk IPA, 77 Lager and 5am Saint into kegs for the UK market. We feel a lot of the beers we brew are better suited to being carbonated and served colder from keg as opposed to dispensed as real ale from a cask. It is a great way to serve craft beer and hopefully an area which will develop in the UK the same way it has in the US.
This is proving a pretty tough sell for us at the moment as it is such an unusual proposition for most UK bars to offer a domestic craft product in keg format, especially up in North East Scotland.
What are your thoughts on craft kegs? Would you prefer your 5am Saint or Punk IPA from a cask or keg? Will Camra kidknapp all the BrewDogs for this blasphemous suggestion?
Want to get your grubby little paws on some BrewDog in kegs? Email richard@brewdog.com
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Comments
- I drink 77 on tap at Duke's Corner pretty much every week and I love it. Punk IPA at Hollyrood 9a is absolutely awesome too. It adds a new dimension that the bottled beers don't have and casks can't give that same experience. I can appreciate it's a difficult sell but that's why you emply Jo and Tom. I'm sure BrewDog fans will be happy to provide leads i.e. our favourite untied watering holes should you put an eform on the website somewhere. John25.04.2010
- I'm not a cask fetishist. I just usually prefer the taste of a cask beer over the same beer kegged. You don't get to compare many beers served all three ways, but I've had Punk IPA from cask, from keg and from bottle and the cask version is the best; even the bottled version is better than the keg one. Similarly, 77 is amazing from the bottle and merely good on keg.
So I don't really agree in the first place that hoppy beers are better kegged. Having said that, kegs can get better beer into outlets that would never touch real ale -- Meantime and West have had some success doing this. I'm all for that if it means I don't have to drink a thousandth boring bottle of Erdinger as the least bad option.
Barm20.04.2010 - Personally I think the cask being the daddy of the craft beer over here is a massive hindrance. Using kegs gives longer shelf life so less chance of bad pints and pubs more likely to take the beer on as they don't have to worry about selling it within a week or less.
Not to mention many beers, especially the new world type IPA's go much better chilled and carbonated, it really lets the hops shine by mildly suppressing some of the malt characteristic.Will16.04.2010 - You brew the best cask beers in the UK.
Why on earth would you want to spoil a superb product by filling it up with Co2 and/or nitrogen?
Keg might be necessary as a last resort, and good beers can survive kegging, especially if unpasteurised, it but should never *ever* be a first preference. ugh. just, ugh.
Benjamin16.04.2010 - I am currently working in a Traditional British Pub in upstate NY on internship and I have to say that the Kegs we had in went down a storm.
The Punk IPA sold out within a couple of days, the Dogma (which is an amazing and unique beer) was a huge hit, the only one that took some time to kick was the Bashah, but I think that is due to the nature of the beer.
Also being a bar manager and having to move kegs around quite a bit, the disposable kegs you use for exporting to here are a god send!Andy Young16.04.2010 - Keg! Keg! Keg! Although I was quite excited when I thought Nottingham woudl be awash with keg Brewdog, that never really took off. Reluctant Scooper16.04.2010
- This would be very good for us BrewDog fans based outside of UK.
My natural preference would be cask, but due to logistics, kegs are a good solution for getting the goods around.
Do both!:-)Mikko16.04.2010 - Depends on the beer I reckon. When I had 5am saint on cask it was amazing. Much better than the bottles, which I can take or leave. Zeitgeist, 77, Punk etc would be good on keg I reckon Kevin Burges16.04.2010
- Guys.
Will you be providing beer for the Great Grampian Beer Festival this year?Graeme15.04.2010 - Im firmly in the CASK is better camp. I much prefer the mouthfeel of cask. Saying that i did the the Keg version of the Punk IPA was very impressive none the less. As for US wise ive always found there beers to be way to over carbonated on draught so maybe if the carbonation wasnt so high. Keg wouldnt be so bad. craig garvie15.04.2010
- Been saying this for years, ever since experiencing the range of quality draughts available in so many bars when i lived in Colorado. Craft in kegs will do more for craft beer's popularity with younger drinkers in the UK than any 'racy' camra promotion ever will. Down with the beards!! martin15.04.2010
- I love having a proper pulled pint, its part of the magic of spending all my hard earned cash at the bar... its why I love pubs like the Prince of Wales, Moorings, TWig, and under the hammer... Ales are always better that way... although, lager, yeah needs to be keg... otherwise Carbonation? Dale15.04.2010
- Keg keg keg... anything that brings us closer to the US way of doing things is good with me. Down with the real ale tw@ts... tim15.04.2010
- Any chance of kegs in the US? Our adult kickball team usually rolls to games with a keg of Stone but if Brew Dog is available then we can give it a try. Tim15.04.2010
- a would drink it oot the mooth oh a scaby dug hahahahahah anarchy99915.04.2010
- Well i lot of people seem to have drunk brwdog on draught but im affraid quite a few of you guys are confused and are actually drinking from cask. Wetherspoons for example were definatly selling from cask not draught i know this as i work there but it is a wonderfull thing to sell a quality local beer.
As someone who sells the stuff i much prefer it from the cask, draught is so boring to pour!Jamie15.04.2010 - I had BrewDog on Draught in weatherspoons - they are one of the festivals beers - It sold out in under a week! (Trashy Blonde). So yes I think it would be great (also kegs would be good for partys) Callum15.04.2010
- It's a great idea. I prefer my beer (especially BrewDog) on the cooler side. And with craft beers I think we should do things the US do as they do it really well. Francis Gilbert15.04.2010
- Yes, please do! I was just commenting the other day how here in the UK it seems most craft beer must come from a cask or a bottle, while the taps are reserved for bland, corporate lagers... However, the opposite is true in the US, where craft beers abound on rows and rows of taps! (I'm sure camra has something to do with all that, and i'm sure you would be crucified for your attempt to bless the market with craft kegs, thereby threatening the prosperity of their cask conditioned goodness.) (I do love cask ales, so please don't crucify me for that comment, I just believe everything has its place!) I would love to get my hands on a nice, cold pint of punk IPA with a billowing head and lively bubbles tickling my glass... Justin15.04.2010
- Zeitgeist on draught at the Holyrood 9A is awesome.... Sierra Nevada IPA is readily available on draught and Punk is way tastier than that.....Ive had Punk on hand pull and it was fabulous, but I still think I would prefer it from a keg....I'd also like Tokyo in a half pint measure from a keg, and a pillow please
Chris15.04.2010 - i agree with Tony, it would be great just to be able to order a pint of Brewdog! does anyone know if there is anywhere in Aberdeen that regularly stocks Brewdog on tap? Jamie Cowie15.04.2010
- I agree with tania_nexust, there is something about cask beers that is much more pleasing that kegged, maybe its the beers ive had on keg (usually rubbish) compared to cask but i cant help but think if you want a beer served kegged you might as well buy it in the bottle?! Calum Robertson15.04.2010
- The Punk IPA on keg at The Rake last weekend was great!! Mo15.04.2010
- Very hoppy beers are best served cold with a lot of carbonation ... in my opinion. Keg makes this much easier than cask ... BeerBirraBier15.04.2010
- I'd just love to see more BrewDog on draught anywhere, anyhow. Tony Kiernan15.04.2010
- Had a Brewdog from The Sheffield Tap, cant even remember what it was, but it wasnt great. Had that been my first Brewdog not sure I would have bothered again. Fortunately I know better. I volunteer for tastings as well. Fairzo15.04.2010
- Had some Zeitgeist on Draught in Edinburgh a couple of weeks ago and it was fantastic. More choice at the bar please!!!! Badger15.04.2010
- I have to say that while I really love your bottled products for the home market, what really floats my flavour boat is getting a great pint of your beers on cask - somewhere like the Black Eagle in Birmingham - it just adds an extra conditioning to the beer which makes it more 'alive' in your mouth.
I had some bottled 5AM Saint recently, and loved it, but my first thought on tasting it was "great beer, now where can I get it on cask?"tania_nexust15.04.2010 - Keg is good if it means new markets. Had some of your Dogma in a cask though and it tasted divine.
I volunteer for a side-by-side tasting.Rich15.04.2010