What is Real Ale?

Real Ale is the name given to beer brewed in a traditional way and which is then put into the cask or bottle it will be served from. Real Ale undergoes a secondary fermentation in the cask or bottle that gives Real Ale its sparkle and condition. It is served at about 58 degrees Fahrenheit, 10 degrees centigrade to allow you to taste the subtle flavours that develop during this secondary fermentation.

What Exactly is not Real Ale?

Keg and smoothflow beers and lagers are not real ale. After they have been fermented, they undergo a filtration and pasteurisation process. Thus they are dead and cannot further develop new tastes and aromas during a secondary fermentation as real ale does. Keg, smoothflow and lagers cannot condition in the containers from which they are forced so carbon dioxide is dissolved into them and carbon dioxide or nitrogen is used to push them out of the containers from which they are served.

And because these processes kill the beers, they are often sold at very cold temperatures to disguise the lack of taste. Cold kills the taste buds! 

If you imagine beer sold in an aerosol can, then that gives you some idea of what keg, smoothflow and lagers are like!

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