- Keg beer is brewery conditioned and arrives in a container with a ‘spear’.
- Keg beer includes all lager in the cellar, the vast majority of Stouts and ciders.
- Ales can come in keg and cask form –e.g. Johns Smiths and Tetleys brands.
- Keg beers and ciders are dispensed under gas pressure provided by the keg coupler attached to a single spear attachment on top of the keg.
- Kegs should be kept in cellar for 1-2 days prior to dispense.
- On sale for up to 5 days once broached
- Shelf life 45 days+ before broaching.
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- Cask ales (and a few Stouts) are conditioned in your cellar within the cask.
- Casks have a shive hole on the top and a bung or tap hole on the end.
- Cask beers have to be stillaged (allowed to settle and condition/form gas) before serve. This is typically for 48 hours.
- Typically, soft pegs are applied to the shive hole to vent casks during the condition phase and are also applied during dispense to enable air or gas to replace the beer dispensed. Hard pegs are sometimes applied to help build condition and always applied to seal the cask between dispense sessions.
- Casks are normally stored on their side but may in small cellars be stored and dispensed upright.
- On sale for maximum of 3 days once broached, shelf life before broaching 28 days+
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