What real ale means
The term real ale describes how beer matures and is dispensed, not a flavour, strength or marketing style. CAMRA’s definition gives three tests: the ingredients used to brew it, secondary fermentation in the dispensing container, and the absence of extraneous carbon dioxide at service. Each test applies to the beer’s production and dispense, so a label such as “craft” or “traditional” cannot establish that it qualifies. Cask is the familiar draught example, but the container can also be a bottle or can. The distinctions below show how to assess particular beers using the definition.
Secondary fermentation in the container — Set out CAMRA’s definition, coined in the early 1970s, and apply its first test: beer brewed from traditional ingredients must mature by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed. Note that CAMRA was founded in 1971.
CAMRA, founded in 1971, helped establish the term “real ale” in the early 1970s. Its definition is: “beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide.” The first test is not simply that a beer contains yeast or was made by a small brewery. It must be brewed from traditional ingredients and undergo secondary fermentation in the very container from which it will be poured.
In a cask, yeast remains active after the initial fermentation. It ferments sugars left in the beer or added for conditioning, producing further alcohol and carbon dioxide inside the cask. The container holds the beer as it matures and is then the source from which it is dispensed. That in-container maturation is what matters for cask ale condition; the term does not mean merely that a beer is cloudy, unfiltered or described as “live”.
The same principle can apply to packaged beer. A bottle or can may be filled with beer that still has viable yeast and fermentable sugar, allowing secondary fermentation to take place in that bottle or can. The package is then both the conditioning vessel and the container from which the beer is served. Yeast may settle into a deposit, and the beer may develop natural carbonation; either can be a clue, although appearance alone does not prove that the definition’s first test has been met.
For a practical check, look for clear wording from the brewer that the beer is bottle-conditioned or can-conditioned, or ask whether secondary fermentation occurs in the package. A beer described only as unfiltered may retain yeast without having matured by secondary fermentation in its dispensing container. Conversely, a bright-looking beer is not automatically excluded: yeast can settle out, and careful pouring can leave sediment behind. Judge the process and container, rather than relying on haze, a yeast label or a “traditional” claim by itself.
No extraneous carbon dioxide — Apply the definition’s third test: beer must be served without extraneous carbon dioxide. Explain why gas in contact with the beer rules out real ale under this definition.
The third test concerns the dispense: the beer must be served without extraneous carbon dioxide. “Extraneous” means carbon dioxide supplied from outside the beer during service, rather than carbonation produced naturally by yeast during conditioning. In a conventional keg system, applied gas presses directly on the beer and helps drive it through the line to the tap. Because that gas contacts the beer, it does not meet CAMRA’s real-ale definition, even if the beer itself was naturally fermented or has a craft-brewery label.
This is the usual CAMRA distinction for craft keg. A beer can be unfiltered, unpasteurised and made with traditional ingredients, yet fail the dispense test when carbon dioxide is applied in contact with it. The decisive detail is not the font, the brewery’s size or whether the beer tastes softly carbonated; it is whether external gas touches the beer as it is served.
A gas supply confined to a separate space and kept from contacting the beer is a different arrangement from direct-gas dispense. To assess a particular beer, ask how the serving system works rather than inferring its status from the word “craft”.
Cask is not the only real ale — Explain that cask is the draught form, while bottle- and can-conditioned beers may also qualify. Unpasteurised keg can still fail if dispense gas contacts the beer.
Cask is the main draught form of real ale, but the definition is not limited to beer served from a cask. A bottle-conditioned beer or can-conditioned beer can also qualify if it is made from traditional ingredients, matures by secondary fermentation in the package from which it is served, and is dispensed without extraneous carbon dioxide. The container changes; the three tests do not.
In bottle or can conditioning, yeast can settle at the bottom as a fine layer of sediment. Some beers show a slight haze when poured, while others look clear if the yeast has settled or remains in the package. Sediment and haze are useful signs to investigate, not proof on their own: they do not confirm the ingredients, the fermentation process or how the beer is served. Check the brewer’s description for package conditioning and, where necessary, ask whether the beer receives a direct gas dispense.
An unpasteurised keg illustrates why production claims alone are insufficient. It may retain yeast and avoid heat treatment, but if applied gas contacts the beer at the tap, it fails the dispense test and is not real ale under CAMRA’s definition. By contrast, a conditioned bottle or can may meet the tests without being draught cask beer. Assess each example by its actual brewing ingredients, conditioning container and serving method—not by whether its packaging says “live”, “craft” or “traditional”.
Cellar and glass
A well-kept pint depends on more than the beer’s recipe: temperature, time and the way it reaches the glass all affect its condition. Cask ale temperature is typically managed in a cellar rather than a lager fridge, allowing the beer to retain its character without being served warm. At the bar, a handpump and gravity dispense move beer from the cask by different means. A sparkler changes the pour and the foam, but remains a matter of regional preference. Knowing these distinctions makes it easier to assess a pint and choose a real ale serve that suits you.
Cellar temperature — Explain condition as a skill involving temperature, time and dispense. Cask is kept at about 11–13°C: too cold can make it taste dull, while too warm can make it age quickly. Green beer is unfinished; tired beer has been kept too long. Both are keeping faults, not styles.
A cask ale cellar is generally kept at about 11–13°C, warmer than a lager fridge. At this range, the beer can show its aroma and flavour without the accelerated ageing associated with excessive warmth. Condition is a cellar skill: temperature, time and careful dispense all matter. Green beer is unfinished and may taste raw or unsettled; tired beer has been kept too long and may seem stale or depleted. Neither is a style of ale: both describe faults in keeping.
Check the conditions around the cask as well as the pint. These practical signs help distinguish a well-managed cellar from one where temperature or handling is affecting the beer.
- Read a cellar thermometer near the casks; a steady 11–13°C is a useful target, while repeated warm swings can speed changes in the beer.
- Notice whether the beer is markedly colder than cellar temperature in the glass; excessive chilling can mute aroma and make flavour seem dull.
- Check whether a newly delivered or moved cask has been left undisturbed to settle before service, rather than being rushed straight onto dispense.
- Look for consistent cellar conditions and careful cask handling; frequent movement or temperature fluctuation can unsettle beer and make its condition less reliable.
- Taste for raw, unsettled flavours that suggest green beer, rather than assuming that a sharp or unusual note is simply a deliberate style.
- Watch for a stale, faded impression in beer from a cask kept too long; tiredness is a time-related keeping fault, not a flavour category.
Temperature alone cannot guarantee good condition: the beer also needs appropriate time to mature and steady handling at dispense. A well-kept pint should show its expected balance and aroma rather than tasting muted from excessive cold, unsettled from being served too soon, or faded after too long in the cellar.
Handpump and gravity — Explain that a handpump, or beer engine, pulls beer from the cask without carbonating it; gravity dispense lets beer fall from a cask on the bar.
A handpump, also called a beer engine, draws beer from a cask through a line when the handle is worked. It moves the beer mechanically; it does not carbonate it. Gravity dispense uses the cask’s position instead, allowing beer to flow down from a cask set on the bar.
The equipment and the movement of the beer provide useful clues at the point of service.
- On a handpump, each pull of the handle draws beer from the cask through the line and into the glass; the motion comes from the pump, not added carbonation.
- A beer engine is the pump mechanism behind the familiar handle, so seeing a hand-operated pump indicates that beer is being drawn rather than poured directly from the cask.
- With gravity dispense, the cask sits on the bar and beer runs from its tap into the glass, without a handpump drawing it through a line.
- Look for the cask itself when beer is served by gravity; it is visibly positioned at the bar, rather than hidden in a cellar and connected to a handpump.
- In either setup, the beer comes from a cask; the practical difference is whether a beer engine draws it or gravity carries it to the glass.
A handpump gives the server control over the draw through successive pulls, while gravity service relies on the cask tap and its position. Neither method carbonates the beer: the handpump’s job is to move it, and gravity dispense lets it flow. These visible differences explain the dispense method without relying only on the name written beside a pump.
The sparkler — Describe it as a common regional habit across much of northern England, including Manchester. It agitates the beer and builds a head; some drinkers prefer it off. Neither choice determines whether the beer is real ale.
A sparkler is a small attachment fitted to the end of a handpump line. As beer passes through its fine openings, it is agitated and develops a more substantial head. Using one is a common regional habit across much of northern England, including Manchester, but it is optional.
The choice affects the appearance and texture of the pour, so preferences can differ between drinkers and between pubs.
- With a sparkler fitted, the beer passes through small holes that agitate it and build a thicker, more compact head in the glass.
- Drinkers who enjoy a fuller head may prefer the sparkler’s result, which changes the feel of the pour as well as its appearance.
- Some drinkers ask for the sparkler to be removed, preferring a less foamy pour and a different balance between beer and head.
- Across northern England, including Manchester, sparkler use is a familiar regional practice, not a requirement that every pub or drinker must follow.
- Whether the beer is poured through a sparkler or without one does not determine its real-ale status; the attachment only affects the dispense.
Ask how a cask is being served if you have a preference, since pubs may use a sparkler as their usual setup or pour without one on request. A sparkler changes the head and texture, not the beer’s identity.
Keg beside cask
Cask and keg describe different ways of storing and dispensing beer, not a simple ranking of quality. The key distinction for real ale is whether applied gas touches the beer during dispense. Classic keg follows a more processed route, while craft keg can retain yeast and avoid pasteurisation yet still use gas at the tap. Checking the dispense equipment helps you tell what is in the glass, even when a bar serves both styles.
Filtered keg — Contrast classic keg with cask: classic keg is filtered and pasteurised at the brewery, carbonated with applied gas and served colder than cask.
Classic keg beer is filtered and pasteurised at the brewery before it is put into its keg. Filtration removes yeast and other suspended material; pasteurisation applies heat to reduce viable microorganisms. These steps produce a beer intended to reach the bar in a stable, finished form, rather than continue conditioning in its serving container.
At the tap, applied gas provides pressure to move the beer from the keg and carbonate it. The gas is part of the dispense system, not merely a force acting on an isolated beer chamber. This is why classic keg falls outside CAMRA’s real-ale definition, which excludes beer served with extraneous carbon dioxide in contact with it.
Classic keg is served colder than cask. That difference can change the immediate impression of a pint: colder beer may feel brisker and its aromas less pronounced, while warmer beer can seem more expressive. It does not, by itself, establish whether a beer is well made. A filtered, pasteurised keg beer can be a deliberate style choice, just as a cask beer depends on its own conditioning and dispense.
For a comparison at the bar, look beyond a beer’s name or brewery description. The words “traditional” or “craft” do not tell you whether a beer was filtered, pasteurised or served with gas in contact. The useful distinction here is the actual route from brewery to glass: classic keg receives filtration and pasteurisation, then uses applied gas and a colder serve than cask.
Craft keg — Explain that craft keg may be unfiltered and unpasteurised but still use applied gas. Gas in contact with the beer places it outside the CAMRA real-ale definition. Note that some sealed containers keep dispense gas from touching the beer, a principle treated as compatible with real ale.
Craft keg is not one fixed production method. A brewery may send its beer to keg unfiltered and unpasteurised, leaving more yeast or other suspended material than in classic keg. Those choices describe how the beer is processed; they do not determine how it is dispensed. A clear-looking beer can still be served from a gas-driven system, and a hazy beer is not automatically cask-conditioned.
Many craft-keg systems use applied gas to push beer from the keg through the line and out of the tap. When that gas is in contact with the beer, the method does not meet CAMRA’s real-ale definition, even if the beer remains unfiltered and has not been pasteurised. The definition turns on the beer’s condition and dispense, not on whether its maker uses the word “craft”.
Applied gas can be used to maintain pressure and deliver a consistent pour; the resulting carbonation and texture depend on the beer and the dispense setup. Those qualities may be chosen to suit a particular beer, but they do not change the distinction between gas-contact keg dispense and real ale. For that reason, “unfiltered” and “unpasteurised” are not interchangeable with “real ale”.
There is a different arrangement in which a sealed container keeps the dispense gas away from the beer itself. The gas can act on the container or a separate chamber to move the beer, without mixing with it. That separation principle has been treated as compatible with real ale because gas does not touch the beer during dispense. The relevant question is therefore not simply whether a keg or applied gas is present, but whether the gas contacts the beer.
When comparing beers, treat production and dispense as two separate questions: ask whether the beer was filtered or pasteurised, then identify how it reaches the glass. Neither a craft label nor a natural appearance answers the second question.
How to tell on the bar — Include a short comparison table with columns for yeast left in, gas at the tap and typical serving temperature; compare classic keg with craft keg and cask using only the stated facts. A handpump usually marks cask; a keg font usually marks gas dispense. A bar may serve both, and a keg line is not real ale merely because cask is alongside it. Keep Manchester coverage independent and not directory-like; state that venues open, close and change hands.
The dispense hardware is a practical clue, while the beer’s processing and serving method explain the distinction. These typical patterns are useful for comparing what is on the bar:
| Beer type | Yeast left in | Gas at the tap | Typical serving temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic keg | Filtered; little suspended yeast expected | Applied gas; it contacts the beer | Colder than cask |
| Craft keg | May be unfiltered, so yeast may remain | Often applied gas; contact excludes it from CAMRA real ale | Not set by the real-ale distinction |
| Cask | May remain after secondary fermentation in the cask | No extraneous carbon dioxide in contact with the beer | About 11–13°C |
A handpump usually marks cask: its handle draws beer from the cask without adding carbonation. A keg font usually indicates a gas-driven dispense, although the font alone does not tell you whether the beer was filtered or pasteurised. If the dispense method matters, ask the bar staff how that particular line works.
A pub or taproom can serve cask and keg side by side. The presence of a handpump does not make every other line real ale; assess each beer by its own container and dispense system. This applies in Manchester as elsewhere: venues open, close and change hands, so a familiar name or old listing is not a reliable guide to what is currently pouring.
Questions about cask ale
These answers clarify how real ale relates to cask, handpumps, sparklers and craft keg.
Is real ale the same as cask ale?
No. Cask is the main draught form of real ale, but the terms are not interchangeable: bottle- and can-conditioned beers can also qualify. Under CAMRA’s definition, the beer must be made from traditional ingredients, undergo secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and be served without extraneous carbon dioxide. A cask meets those conditions when properly dispensed, but it is not the only possible container. The deciding factors are the beer’s maturation and dispense, not simply whether it comes from a cask.
Does a handpump add carbon dioxide?
No, a handpump does not add carbon dioxide to the beer. Its piston-and-cylinder mechanism draws beer from the cask through the line when the handle is pulled; it does not carbonate the liquid. The pump moves beer, while the cask’s conditioning provides its natural carbonation. A handpump is therefore a familiar way to serve cask ale, but the handle itself does not determine whether the beer meets the real-ale definition. What matters is that no extraneous carbon dioxide is introduced into the beer during dispense.
Is a sparkler compulsory in Manchester?
No, a sparkler is not compulsory in Manchester. It is common on many handpumps across the city and wider northern England, but a drinker may prefer the beer served without one. Fitted to the end of the dispense nozzle, a sparkler agitates the flow and builds a fuller head. Choosing whether to use it changes the pour, not the beer’s status: a sparkler neither makes cask ale real ale nor disqualifies it. The beer’s production and dispense method determine that.
Is craft keg real ale?
Craft keg served with gas in contact with the beer is not real ale under CAMRA’s definition. A beer can be unfiltered and unpasteurised yet still fall outside that definition if applied dispense gas touches the liquid. The key distinction is not whether the beer is labelled craft, but how it is served. Some sealed containers keep the dispense gas separate from the beer; that arrangement is compatible with the real-ale principle. Check the dispense system rather than relying on the style name or the brewery’s description.
