According to the Campaign to Save Real Ale (CAMRA), real ale is defined as beer that is brewed from traditional ingredients, matured and fermented without the use of external carbon dioxide. Real Ale must also continue to ferment due to active yeast left in the beer after bottling. All other 'ales' are a fake. Counterfeit. A scam.
Simply put, cask ale is the original method of storing and serving beer. The term 'cask' refers to the container in which the beer is stored but it is also the term given to unfiltered and unpasteurized beer served without additional pressure. Once air is introduced to ale it tends to go flat and develop off-tastes. At Barley's we tap a firkin of cask-conditioned ale every Friday and serve it the way it's been done for hundreds of years.
Back in Babylonian times a cask of ale was contained in a jar or barrel made of clay or palm wood. Today cask ale is served a variety of ways but no matter the type of container, they all have one thing in common – all contain unfiltered, unpasteurized beer.