What is bright beer?

Leo Clapham @ 2022-03-15 13:36:58 UTC

Bright Beer

The traditional way to transport and dispense beer is from a cask. This beer has live yeast to condition the beer (finish fermenting) in the barrel. This “real ale” is what we deliver to pubs with the right “stillage” equipment to store, settle and serve it correctly .

Most people don’t have the stillage equipment in their homes required for this task which is why we prepare ‘Bright Beer’ for the public.

What is bright beer?

The clue is in the name, we separate the cloudy living yeast from the beer so all you’re left with is crystal clear ‘Bright Beer’ which can be served immediately without settling.

How is bright beer prepared?

We treat most of our cask beers with finings. This additive attaches itself to the yeast & causes it to sink to the bottom of the cask quicker than it would normally.

We select conditioned casks which haven’t been moved for 24 hours, then tap and draw off the bright beer beer leaving the sediment behind to fill your take home Bag in Box

The bag is then sealed and placed into a box with a dispensing tap at the front.

What temperature should I serve bright beer at?

We condition our ales at between 12º-14ºC and believe this temperature suits our ales. 

However many enjoy pale ales at cooler temperatures. If you store our beer in a refrigerator this will improve its storage however it will develop a ‘Chill Haze’. A Chill Haze on your beer is nothing to worry about, it is the result of proteins naturally present in the beer clumping together due to the colder temperatures and becoming visible. Only the look of the beer is affected not the taste or quality.

A great way to keep your beer cool on a hot day is to slip a freezer block into the box between the bag and the box wall, or if we are in the autumn/winter months storing beer in an outside shed or utility room is perfect.

How long will bright beer keep?

Depends on how you store it. Unopened in cool & dark conditions it will easily keep for 1 week. Like most food and drink it won’t last long if warm and exposed, plus the warmer it gets the quicker that CO2 condition will seep out of the beer and result in a more flat product. As soon as the beer is no longer under pressure in the cask the beer will slowly lose its condition (gassiness) and will also result in a flatter product from day to day, this is nothing to worry about as the beer will still taste great.

There are no known pathogens present in any beer so don’t be afraid to try any you have leftover from a party to see if it still tastes good.

How do you package bright beer?

You can buy our beer bright in box sizes of 5ltr, 10ltr or 20ltr which are approximately 9,18 & 36 pints respectively. 

For bigger occasions we will prepare one of our firkin casks (72 pints) but will require a £30 deposit for the barrel & tap.

Why has my beer box expanded?

The beer contains naturally produced carbon dioxide which gives the beer its bubbles.

If too much of it comes out of the beer and the bag expands (if it warms up or is shaken on a journey), you can release it by standing the box with the tap hole uppermost, remove the tap seal and holding the tap open, gently squeeze the bag until all the gas is released.

You can purchase bright beer weekly, directly from our website. Order before midnight Wednesday for collection on Friday. Shop Now