TOPIC:

I think special events are counter-productive in a way. People go along to a Particular Place at a Particular Time and suspend their normal drinking rules. As soon as it's over it's very easy to go back to familiar habits. Having a cask beer in the familiar surrounds of a pub -- even if it's only occasionally -- is more likely to drive demand and raise awareness of the format, I reckon.

Drinking habits can only be changed if the drinker is offered a choice which includes their regular brand. Getting them to try something new is easy; it's getting people to [i:tzowkwp0]stop[/i:tzowkwp0] drinking crap that's the challenge.

"You there: stop drinking crap!"

"TheBeerNut":1objal89 wrote: it's getting people to [i:1objal89]stop[/i:1objal89] drinking crap that's the challenge.

"You there: stop drinking crap!"[/quote:1objal89]

That might work if you also wave a big stick at them

Geoff suggested tonight a cask might become a regular weekly or so occurrence at the bar. Sounds good to me.

As an aside, Leann Follain cask and bottled are surely different stouts. I got not a hint of the bottle flavour, which surely should have been greater because the cask in unfiltered.

I thought there was a hint of that oaky-vanilla flavour when it was fresh. It got covered by the yeastiness while we were cleaning out the dregs. Could it be more that the big round chocolate flavours get killed somewhere in the bottling process? There is a similar difference between ordinary O'Hara's from the bottle and the cask.

Ancient history now, but for the record, some piccies:

Before the onslaught:
[img:c7xk35lt]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc236/thebeernut/cask1-1.jpg[/img:c7xk35lt]

Kay from Carlow Brewing pulls the first pint:
[img:c7xk35lt]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc236/thebeernut/cask2-1.jpg[/img:c7xk35lt]

Rossa and Jagerboy are expectant:
[img:c7xk35lt]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc236/thebeernut/cask3.jpg[/img:c7xk35lt]

Remember, Declan: 119.5 seconds:
[img:c7xk35lt]http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc236/thebeernut/cask4.jpg[/img:c7xk35lt]

Okay(since we've pestered so much), we do plan on more cask beers, but we have one or two things to sort out first. For anyone there on sunday would have seen the tap leaking, this is because the keg was higher than the tap-problem 1.
Also problem 2 is trying to find room for a tap, keg & cooler in an already busy bar, but i'm sure we'll solve that one.
The opening of al casks will be announced in the events thread, hopefuly the first being mid April.

More to follow...