- Bottoms Up (RSS)Building a list of pubs, brewpubs in Northern California that serve real ale on handpump
By William Brand
Monday, August 4th, 2008 at 2:11 pm in Uncategorized.
Here’s an idea…cask conditioned, real ale, UK style, often served on handpumps, is becoming common in the Bay Area. So…I’m trying to build a list of pubs that offer real ale…
What’s cask conditioned? According to the British Campaign for Real Ale, It’s a living beer, not altered by filtration or killed by pasteurization. Because yeast remains in the beer, a slow, secondary fermentation occurs in the cask. Casks are tapped in the pub and when a handpump is used, beer is drawn from the cask by air pressure alone, no C02, no nitrogen.
Critics say the beer is flat. I tell the critics, “Go suck on a Bud.” Done right, and served just when it is ready, fresh cask ale is one of the beer world’s wonders. If the cask goes stale, it ain’t so good. That’s why in the UK, most pub companies went to keg beer. Keg beer’s often pasteurized, stays in a sterile environment, then is pushed into the tap by a surge of gas. It never changes, it’s a fairly stable product.
Cask ale, on the other hand, is tricky, Kegs (casks, whatever) have to be tapped just as the beer reaches its prime. They have to be taken off with a few days because oxidation kills the beer. This is just a hasty overview, there are many good sources and many, many discussions about real ale.
OK, to start the list here are three of my favorite place to drink cask:
- Pacific Coast in Oakland almost always has something on handpump. Right now it’s Emerald Ale, a malty 6 percenter.
- Triple Rock in Berkeley, usually has two handpumps in operation. Today, they’re not tapped, but they usually are.
- Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery, San Francisco. This was the original Bay Area source of cask ale. Owner-brewer Dave McLean serves a variety of English-style ales, including a low-alcohol mild, a style of session beer that has faded in England. Right now there are five ales on handpump, Cole Porter 3.9 percnt ABV, Prescription Pale Ale 5 percent, The Proving Gournd IPA, 7.2 percent, Sara’s Ruby Mild, 3.7 percent and Big Cyrpus Brown, 5.3 percent.
- Thirsty Bear, San Francisco, This cool brewpub in the shadow of Moscone Center, has “cask Tuesdays.” They sell imperial pints (20 ounces) for $3, pumped from a British fikin, a 9.5 gallon keg
OK there’s a start. What’s your favorite place. Post it here or send me an email at whatsontap@sbcglobal.net
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August 4th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Hello,
Please try “The Englander Sorts Pub and Family Restauraunt in San Leandro @ 101 Parrot St. They have at least 6 Hand Pump varieties at a time, as well as close to 100 beers on tap. Enjoy with a Cottage Pie!!!
August 4th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I forgot to metion the 40 HD Flat screens with any sporting event you can think of. Give em a call, 510-357-3571, http://www.englanderpub.com/
August 4th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Excellent choice. The proprietor, Jot Mangat, is a big English beer fan and his craft beer selection is vast. On a recent visit I had a pint of Young’s Special London Ale, follwed by, I think it was Green Flash West Coast IPA.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
That is, The Englander Sports Pub
August 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Cato’s in Oakland always has something good on cask. Usually it’s something from Moonlight,mmmmm.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
The Trails Pub http://www.trialspub.com/ in San Jose has three Cask Conditioned beers on tap. They are all English Ales beers, http://www.englishalesbrewery.com/ . I think they are Monks Brown ale, Black Prince Porter and Ramsay’s Fat Lip Amber ale.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Here are some more, not in any particular order:
Toronado (of course)
Pig & Whistle (SF)
Steelhead (Burlingame)
Barclay’s (Oakland)
Trial’s Pub (San Jose)
21st Amendment (selected nights)
Rose & Crown (Palo Alto)(getting started with handpump; having trouble getting beers in on regular schedule, but working on it)
Lanesplitter (Berkeley)
Faultline (Sunnyvale)
August 4th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
To Dave. It’s Trials Pub, Trials Pub, 265 North 1st St., San Jose, CA 95113, 408-947-0497. . And yes, those are the right beers. They’re all from the English Ales Brewery in Marine-Monterey (The old Fort Ord). When those beers are fresh, they’re excellent. Not terrible special, but very drinkable. I really like Trials, by the way. Unfortunately, except for the cask ales, the beer list is very corporate. Top seller: Stella.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Iron Springs in Fairfax often has a cask ale available, and now that Christian from Triple Rock (home of the Firkin Fest) is the head brewer there, I expect to see the program expand.
August 4th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Good list from Anon.
Pig & Whistle, Pig & Whistle
http://www.pig-and-whistle.com, 2801 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94118, (415) 885-4779
Steelhead Brewing Co at Burlingame Station
http://www.steelheadbrewery.com
333 California Dr, Burlingame, CA 94010, (650) 344-6050
Brewer Emil Caluori usually has something very interesting on cask. Also, it’s right across the street from the Caltrain stop.
Barclay’s Pub & Restaurant,
5940 College Avenue | Oakland CA | 510.654.1650, http://www.barclayspub.com. Gret place. Good food. A lot of brewers make Barclays their local. So does Beer-Chef Bruce Paton.
21st Amendment Brewery – Restaurant – Bar, 563 Second St.,, San Francisco CA 94017, 415-369-0900. I write about this primo pub lots. If its on handpump, it’ll be big. Their beers tend to be big and deliciously West Coast American.
Rose & Crown.547 Emerson St., Palo Alto CA 94301, 540-327-7673. http://www.roseandcrownpa.com
Proprietor Kasim Syed bought this venerable pub a couple of years ago and has resuscitated it. Interesting, varied, rotating beer list. Palo Alto, unfortunately, has fallen out of the good beer loup in recent years. Kasim’s working hard to change that.
Lanesplitter,
http://www.lanesplitterpizza.com
2033 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702, (510) 845-1652. They usually have two or three ales on handpump.
Faultline Brewing, 1235 Oakmead Parkway, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, :408/736-2739
http://www.faultlinebrewing.com.
Always something on handpump. Often an IPA. Reviews on this place used to be routinely negative, but recently visitors who emailed me have praised it. Plan a visit soon.
August 4th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Los Gatos Brewery typically has a cask on the pump.
The server knows to warn people that the beer is supposed to be served “warm and flat”
* * * * FLASH! The Englander Sports Pub and Family Restauraunt in San Leandro …. at least 6 Hand Pump varieties at a time, as well as close to 100 beers on tap. * * * * How is it possible this is the first I have heard of such a place?
August 4th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Oakland’s Lanesplitter also has a handpump.
August 4th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
thanks Tim. Of course both Lanesplitters
August 4th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
To brewnot. Don’t know where you live, but the England is tucked away, about a block east of East 14th Street, kind of hidden behind the Pelton Center. It’s been open about 11 years. Jot is a native of the UK. It’s a great place for a pint; on warm afternoons, there’s an outside patio.
August 4th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Well…this will do no one any good, but in Indianapolis Indiana there is a downtown restaurant called J. Gumbos. Oddly enough, it’s a franchise, but the owner used the location as a beer bar before it was franchised out. So the beer selection is still phenomenal and they have 2 handpumps. In the winter they had Bell’s Hopslam and Founders Devil Dancer.
Just my two cents, but as a midwesterner, I’m happy they have it!
August 4th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
RE: The Englander
Such a short walk from BART, and Pliny on tap. Why haven’t I taken advantage of this??
http://beerbybart.com/why/the-englander-san-leandro/
August 4th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Beware, there’s a growing National trend to serve these beers from a keg rather than from an actual cask.
Just ’cause you see a Hand Pump on the bar doesn’t necessary mean the beer is cask conditioned anymore.
August 4th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Well, Big Tee ut’s nice to know there’s good beer in Indianapolis. Shows the craft beer/good beer movement is putting down roots. You need to back the restaurant and let them know how pleased everybody is that they;ve keot the good beer on.
August 4th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Yes, if you’re not a regular, it;s always best to ask. Most Americans who work in pubs are unclear on the concept. The brewer may be the only one who understands., When I was reporting the top of this story, one person who answered the phone at a pub thought I was talking about plumbing. You know handpump equal uhh….
August 4th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
“Beware, there’s a growing National trend to serve these beers from a keg rather than from an actual cask.
Just ’cause you see a Hand Pump on the bar doesn’t necessary mean the beer is cask conditioned anymore.”
It is my understanding that very few beers will be conditioned in a wooden cask.
When brewers say cask conditioned, it means natural carbonation (not forced CO2) aged in the serving cask, and not filtered or pasteurized, served by means of gravity or drawn by means of a beer engine.
The “cask” can be a stainless steel keg.
At the cask condition festival in Berkeley this year, I do not remember seeing a single wood cask. They were all conventional stainless steel kegs. I do not think that the beer suffered from this.
brewnot
August 4th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
No north bay love (Rob excluded)? Moylans, Marin Brewing and Aleworks all have cask conditioned brews available. Moylans has their Dragoon’s Dry Stout and Tippery Pale on Cask right now. Marin and Aleworks don’t have current taps online.
And William, as a Seaside native I have to correct you. English Ale is on Reindollar in Marina. This is the first street north of the old Fort, but not actually on the Fort. The pub is pretty cool, the beers are…well, they’re the best you’ll find brewed on the Monterey Penninsula.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Sorry, I should have been more clear.
I didn’t say the cask had to be made of wood, of course a stainless cask is still a cask.
What I meant was the increasing trend of hooking up a hand pump to a plain ol’ keg via a Sanke (or similar fitting).
Casks can be very hard to find and relatively expensive so some places have resorted to buying CO2 charged kegs that would just as easily pour off their regular draft system and run them through the converted hand pump instead.
If you see the cask on top of the bar with a faucet sticking out of it, like at The Firkin Fest, you can be pretty sure that’s going to be a cask conditioned beer! That one is tough to fake!
If the bartender is actually “drawing” the beer with the pump (working the handle up and down), that’s a pretty safe bet as well.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:05 am
To Mario…thanks for the local info Mario. Were you an Army brat?
August 5th, 2008 at 7:07 am
About casks. Of course, it’s become generic term. They’re almost never wood are they.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:32 am
Did you try Barklay’s on College in Berkeley? They have quit a few beers on tap and a couple that use hand pumps. great food too!
Jason Wheeler
August 5th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Yup. We got it. Excellent place. I go in there fairly often/
August 5th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Jack’s Brewing in Fremont has or did have Thursday cask night. Great when the porter is on
August 5th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Yoiu;re correct Tom. Just talked to Kurt Anderica at Jack;s ( 39176 Argonaut Way
Fremont CA 94538, 5109-796-2036). They put a new beer on handpump every Wednesday and usually keep it on through Thursday. This weeks its gonna be an amber ale. This is cask conditioned ale. By the way, if you stop in at Jack’s, be sure to order the garlic fries.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:00 am
As of last night, Lanesplitter in Oakland had a great cask ale from Iron Springs on tap. Epiphany is an amber ale dry hopped with cascade. Anyone know if this is Christian’s first cask offering from Iron Springs? Really good stuff.
August 16th, 2008 at 2:33 am
Update from the northern lands. Hopmonk has 2 handpumps. Had The Lagunitas IPA and it was great.
August 16th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Hi Bill,
Thanks for checking out the cask ale at ThirstyBear. It’s something I started when we opened 12 years ago using old Golden Gate kegs at the time. Our Brewmaster Brenden has it dialed in with the Firkins. Wait until the wet hop harvest ale goes on! Hope to see you around. Take care,
Ron Silberstein