Ohio Rolls Out Real Ale
Mayor on hand as Willoughby learns just what a 'beer engine' is
April, 1998by Thomas Cizauskas
"How are you going to fit that fire engine in through the door?", the incredulous customer asked. He had misunderstood.
Matt Danford, co-owner of the 1899 Pub, had instead just informed him that the pub would soon be using - not a hook and ladder - but a traditional beer engine to hand pump its 1899 Craft Conditioned Real Ale from casks in the cellar up to the bar.
A few nights later, Monday evening, 19 January 1998, the 1899 Pub, in downtown Willoughby, Ohio, a town just east of Cleveland, played host to an historic event.
That night, beer lovers, local businessmen, an enthusiastic crowd, Mayor Dave Anderson of Willoughby, brewers from Wallaby's Brewing Company, and owners Mark and Matt Danford were in attendance as the 1899 Pub became the first restaurant in Ohio not affiliated with a brewery, to serve cask-conditioned Real Ale since Prohibition was repealed.
Employees carefully carried a firkin of 1899 Cask-Conditioned Real Ale to the bar and gently placed it upon a trestle. Mayor Dave Anderson, stepped forward. Bravely declining the use of an apron, he swung a rubber mallet and deftly tapped in the spigot, not spilling a drop!
Customers then eagerly enjoyed pints of 1899 Cask-Conditioned Real Ale poured directly from the firkin. (A firkin is a cask containing 10.8 US gallons or 9 British gallons.) After the cask was drained, the next firkin was served by beer engine, pumped up from the cellar. 1899 Craft- Conditioned Real Ale will continue to be offered as a regular daily feature at this Willoughby, Ohio pub.
Cask-conditioned ale is known variously as Real Ale in Great Britain and Sparkling Ale by its major practitioner in Australia.
Before the widespread use of kegs and bottles, most beer was Real Ale. Breweries would rack their beer while it was still fermenting, directly into casks, delivering them that day to pubs and restaurants. The pubs would store the casks in relatively cool cellars, dug into the earth. From there, the beer would be hand-pumped up to spigots at the bar with devices called beer engines.
Physically, a beer engine resembles a modern tap handle, except for a small piston mechanism beneath the bar top. When the pump handle of a beer engine is pulled, the piston moves, tugging the beer from the cask through the lines to the tap. Many beer engines sparkle the beer as it is poured, creating a lacy collar of foam that continues to the end of the pint.
"Willoughby is a pro-business city," said Mayor Anderson. "Events like this, and establishments like the 1899 Pub, are good community assets." Local businessman Pete Simm was pleased by the good turnout, a sign of a developing downtown. Patron Scott Braun was curious to sample the Real Ale. He pronounced it very drinkable and novel and was pleased that the pub would continue to serve it. He said, "It's like a small Octoberfest in here tonight... only in January!" To accommodate the enthusiastic crowd, the pub opened its side doors, yielding a sneak preview of its beer garden to be opened in late spring 1998.
The Danfords commissioned Wallaby's Brewing Company of Westlake, Ohio to brew this special ale exclusively for them. "I had been searching for a brewery to produce a cask beer for our pub since we first opened. I wanted a beer similar to the cask-conditioned ales I tasted on a recent vacation in London," said Mark Danford. "It was like a marriage made in beer heaven," he continued. "I think brewmaster Tom Cizauskas of Wallaby's was as excited to find an account willing to serve a cask beer in the traditional manner as I was to discover a brewery which would produce one."
1899 Craft-Conditioned Real Ale is light amber in color. New Zealand Hallertau hops, imported directly from Christchurch, New Zealand, are added directly to the casks, in a process called 'dry-hopping', contributing a unique, fresh aroma. Mild Ale malt, imported from Great Britain, provides balance with a sweet cookie maltiness. Alcohol is 5% by volume.
Real Ale is living beer. The only beer fresher would have to be consumed directly from the fermenter.
Because it is transferred directly to cask without filtration, Real Ale retains some yeast, which acts to naturally and gently carbonate the ale, within the cask itself. The resultant beer is bright, creamy, and smooth, with intricate layers of flavor. Even after the cask is tapped, the flavors of Real Ale continue to subtly develop and evolve.
Most standard beers today have high levels of carbonation, sometimes two to three times that of Real Ale. Today's standard CO2 taps even impart additional carbonation 'bite' to kegged beers. Also numbing the sense of taste are the excessively cold temperature at which most of today's beers are served. 1899 Craft-Conditioned Ale is served at traditional British cellar temperatures (45-53¡F) and without extraneous carbonation. And although the beer is unfiltered, proper cellaring techniques practiced by the brewery yield an ale as clear as today's standard beer.
There are several pioneering brewpubs in Ohio which have introduced cask beer to their patrons. Among these are Liberty Street in Akron, Barley's in Columbus, John Harvard's of Cleveland, and Wallaby's Brewing Company's sister pub, Wallaby's Grille and Brewpub, also of Westlake. Yet it is the 1899 Pub which is the first non-brewery restaurant since Prohibition to return cask-conditioned Real Ale on a regular basis to the Buckeye State. The Danforths have committed themselves to be pioneers of a small yet burgeoning Real Ale movement.
The 1899 Pub serves 18 taps of micros and 99 bottled beers. Two additional taps have been added: Murphy's on a nitrogen tap and, of course, 1899 Cask- Conditioned Real Ale. Open 7 days a week, with light meals, lunch and dinner. Located at 38288 Glenn Avenue, Willoughby, OH 44094. Ph. 440/269-1899.
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The author, Thomas Cizauskas, was a judge at the 1997 US Real Ale Festival. He is currently brewmaster for Wallaby's Brewing Company. He freely admits his bias... towards Real Ale, and is proud to be part of its historic return to Ohio.
