Strong Cask Beers

 We popped into Beerarama on Friday, after work, to take advantage of their weekend cask beer.

We normally start with weaker/lighter cask beers and maybe progress to stronger/darker.

For example, in the Barley Mow - I'll normally start with their sub-4% light beer, BBB typically starts around 4.2%.  The BM's cask offering usually allows for a gentle ramp up. 

We were arriving at Beerarama from different directions and I got there first.  The cask offering was Kernel Brown Ale at 5.2% (or something). I toyed with the idea of something lighter first, but I find going from keg to cask a bit disconcerting so I ordered two two-thirds (a pint felt a bit weighty).

I remarked that I don't normally start at 5.2% and we shared a bit of a joke.  Then I mentioned that Ringwood 49er would once have been a favourite but always felt strong.  Jamie wasn't aware of Ringwood - but then again, he's pretty young.  The customers either side of me were more contemporary of me and we all had a bit of a sighing reminiscence of Ringwood (presumably now gobbled or disappeared by an UberBrand): both 49-er and old Thumper.

Anyway - to the Kernel: the way the beer poured, and the amount of condition in it, I could easily have been fooled (but for the temperature) that it was keg.  The head was small but tight and almost viscous.

 It punched above its weight even for over 5% and, despite it not normally being a beer I might choose, it was absolutely lovely.  The BBB approved of my choice, too.

So much so that he went back for another whilst I switched up to a Beak 6% hipster-beer.  

I was uncharacteristically squiffy by the time it came to leave.  

I think I'm seeing fewer strong cask beers on even cask-first bars - but maybe I'm just not going to the right places.