Mystique and romance. Gimmicks and stunts. Delicate and sublime. Warm and flat. The perception of cask-conditioned beer is as cloudy as the pints of IPA that have pushed the perennially struggling subculture into an even smaller corner of the beer world.
The outlook for cask beer in America is murkier still. Already relegated to scattered bastions run by a seemingly dying breed of brewers, publicans, and cellarpeople who nurture a fervent ardor for its traditions and distinctive qualities, cask took further blows when the coronavirus pandemic shuttered tasting rooms and pubs around the country.
Is there still a place for these quiet and contemplative beers among the bluster and enthusiasm for all things hoppy and hazy?