Santa has selected an amazing range of locally brewed Cask Ale and Craft Beer for you to try.
Cask Ale or ‘Real Ale’ is the traditional form of British Beer. It is a “living” product that continues to ferment in the cask until it is served and according to CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, it represents the “pinnacle of brewing art”, critics would categorize it as “flat & warm”!
The term Craft Beer originated in the USA. Mass-produced bland lager led to the growth of small independent brewers being formed to brew beer with great taste. The predominant style was based on India Pale Ale (IPA) originating from England but these new brewers experimented by adding loads more hops and a range of other ingredients. More recently, they have similarly experimented with other traditional beer styles. They coined the term ‘craft beer’ and defined it as beer brewed traditionally by small independent brewers. Craft beer is force carbonated and served chilled – “cold & fizzy”.
To help you choose your beer we have categorized our “Cask Ale” and “Craft Beer” as shown below:
Lager |
Lager is a fizzy beer served chilled that has a reputation, at least amongst beer nerds, for lacking taste.We have selected a Craft Lager for the festival that shows that this doesn’t have to be the case! Perfect for those who prefer a chilled fizzy drink. Real ale drinkers should try it to see how good lager can be.
Check out our Craft Lagers. Lager is not available as a Cask Ale |
Pales & IPAs |
India Pale Ale was first brewed for the colonial market and is strong in alcohol and high in hops to survive the sea journey. Look for juicy malt, citrus fruit and a big spicy, peppery bitter hop character, with strengths of 4% upwards.
Golden Ale was developed in the 1980s as a lower strength refreshing summer drink to tempt lager drinkers. Golden ales are lighter hopped and hence less bitter that IPAs. Check out our Cask Pales and Craft Pales. |
Bitters |
These are the traditional English beer style. Look for a spicy, peppery and grassy hop character, a powerful bitterness, tangy fruit and juicy, and nutty malt.
Best Bitters are stronger than Bitters and the malt and fruit character tends to dominate. Check out our Cask Bitters and Craft Bitters. |
Milds & Stouts |
Mild is the oldest beer style in the country but out of fashion until recently. It has a taste all its own. Look for chocolate, fruity and nutty flavours. If you have never had Mild before, give it a try!
Stouts have a profound dark and roasted malt character with raisin and sultana fruit, espresso or cappuccino coffee, liquorice and molasses, all underscored by a bittersweet taste. Check out our Cask Darks and Craft Darks. |
Sours |
Sour beer is a type of beer that has an intentionally tart, sour, or acidic taste. It’s made using wild yeasts or acid-producing bacteria. Fruit can be added to sour beers to make them taste more tart. The flavor of sour beer can range from light and fruity to intensely sour, and it can also include familiar beer flavors like malts and hops.
Check out our Craft Sours. |
We also have Alcohol-Free (AF) and Gluten-Free (GF) beers available.
Some of our beers are suitable for Vegans (Vg). Check out our Vegan Cask Ales and Vegan Craft Beers.