C.A.S.K. PALE ALE

When our founders started Moonwake they had the vision to build a modern Scottish brewery brewing beer to be packaged in keg and can. Fast forward two and a half years, and we have released our first beer brewed specially for cask.

We built the brewery during the pandemic in 2020 with the first kegs rolling out the door in June 2021. Over the last couple of years, we have seen a reawakening appreciation for cask beer amongst people wishing to go back to the pub and support local.

For our first cask beer inspiration struck when our Head Brewer and co-founder Vinny made a joke that we should name it C.A.S.K. Pale Ale with each letter representing a different hop. Little did he know the sales and marketing team took serious note and came back to him a year later insisting it finally become a reality.

WHICH HOPS ARE IN C.A.S.K. PALE ALE?

• C: Challenger (UK)
• A: Azacca (US)
• S: Simcoe (US)
• K: Kohatu (NZ)

This name choice stems from our Modern Hop Series of beers for keg and can feature single-hop beers and other hop-led beers brewed to really showcase the quality of those hops as ingredients.

We are proud to have Moonwake C.A.S.K. as our maiden voyage into real ale as a brewery. It is a traditional British ale with notes of citrus, grapefruit, and a slightly spiced undertone. It’s brewed with Marris Otter malt from the UK that gives you a sweet malt hit on the back of your palate. We used a traditional British real ale yeast that got the beer out at a sessionable 4.0% abv for you to enjoy in the pub.

Though this was Moonwake’s first cask beer it was a journey back to their roots for our co-founders. Both Fin and Vinny worked as brewers for a decade each in commercial brewing before founding Moonwake together. They met each other and discovered their aligned love of beer, traditional pubs and Edinburgh while working together at a cask-led brewery in Buckinghamshire.

For Vinny this was a chance to go back to his roots brewing a traditional cask beer, but this time on a more modern and versatile kit. It also means our brew team now has the opportunity to expand their skills and creativity for a whole new, ever-evolving range of beers that are yet to come – watch this space!

CASK BEER IN EDINBURGH

If you are looking for things to do in Edinburgh, you will be able to find quality cask beer in traditional pubs across the city. We chose to launch our first cask beer in some of our favourite Edinburgh pubs.

We partnered with Bennets, Blue Blazer, and The Windsor to host three events with a meet the brewer, spin to win and a win a bar tab raffle. The beer was also pouring across eighteen other cask beer destinations.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KEG & CASK BEER?

Keg and cask are different types of vessel for beer dispense. Beer served from keg uses gas to give the beer cold, carbonated qualities such as a lovely crisp Lager. Cask beer is manually drawn from the vessel by a hand pull. Cask beer is stored at around 12 degrees celsius and has light, natural carbonation. Classic cask beer styles include Golden Pale Ales and Best Bitters.