The bartender needs to decide when the
beer is ready to serve, and when the time
is right the beer is poured with a manual
hand pump, without the aid of a pressurized keg and gas-powered tap.
Increasingly, bars are specializing
in cask beer. Churchkey, a stylish beer
bar in Washington, D.C., is one notable
example, with five cask lines.
“Cask beer is the ultimate expression
of the brew master’s intent,” says Greg
Engert, the beer director at Churchkey.
“I wanted to create a place that had
enough casks where people could come
in and just drink cask beer all night if
they wanted to.”
Now that sounds like cask beer
done right.
WhErE TO FiND
GrEAT CASk BEEr
Blind Tiger Ale House
New York City
One of the city’s best
beer bars, with a prime Greenwich Vil-
lage location and two changing cask
lines (281 Bleecker St., 212-462-4682,
blindtigeralehouse.com).
Beer Table
Brooklyn, N. Y.
A snug but stylish space with a menu
of rare beers, one rotating cask and
bar snacks such as cheddar toast and
caramelized bacon (427B Seventh Ave.,
718-965-1196, beertable.com).
Standard Tap
Philadelphia
A convivial neighborhood pub in the
Northern Liberties section. There is
almost always a local brew, Yard’s
ESP, on one of the two cask lines
(901 N. Second St., 215-238-0630,
standardtap.com).
Churchkey
Washington, D.C.
The décor (vintage wall-paper and
chandeliers) is as much a draw as
the beer selection, which includes
five cask beers (1337 14th St. N. W.,
202-567-2576, churchkeydc.com).
