Cask Conditioning
Casks are traditionally made from European oak
Casks are traditionally made from European oak or more commonly nowadays from stainless steel or aluminium. They have an opening at the front (approximately 25 mm diameter) for attachment of a tap and a second opening (shive hole) at the top (approximately 50 mm diameter) through which the beer is racked into the cask. The front opening is stopped with a wooden or plastic plug (the keystone). Similarly, the shive hole is plugged with a shive. Both keystone and shive contain central knockout sections. The cask also comes with a hard peg known as a hard spile and a soft peg known as a soft spile. Traditional cask sizes are derived from the 36 gallon barrel. They are:
4.5 gallons – Pin
9 gallons – Firkin
18 gallons – Kilderkin (Kil or Kiln)
27 gallons – Half-hogshead
36 gallons – Barrel
54 gallons – Hogshead
The term conditioning covers all of the changes that occur in the beer from the time it is primed to the time it is served. It should not be confused with the condition in the beer which specifically refers to the amount of carbon dioxide in the beer.
