Real Ale vs Brewery-Conditioned: Clearing Up the Confusion
It's tempting to assume that any beer pulled through a hand pump is real ale, but that's not always the case.
Real ale is cask-conditioned, meaning it undergoes secondary fermentation in the container it's served from. It's unfiltered, unpasteurised, and contains live yeast, giving it a distinctive, evolving character.
Brewery-conditioned beer, by contrast, is matured and clarified at the brewery. It's typically filtered and pasteurised, then packaged in kegs, bottles, cans, or bright casks. Some pubs serve it through hand pumps, which can make it look like real ale, but it isn't.
Breweries and pubs often do this for consistency, shelf life, and ease of service, not necessarily to mislead. But it does blur the lines, and clarity matters.
A Case in Point
Marston's (now part of Carlsberg) markets three of its core beers: Wainwright Gold, Wainwright Amber, and Hobgoblin Session IPA as "brewery conditioned." These were previously promoted as "Fresh Ales," but that label appears to have been dropped, possibly following action from CAMRA and a referral to Trading Standards.
Know What You're Drinking
There's nothing wrong with enjoying brewery-conditioned beer, it can be excellent. But passing it off as real ale undermines traditional brewing and misleads drinkers who care about authenticity.
If in doubt, ask. Real ale deserves recognition and so do those who care about what's in their glass.
| Feature | Real Ale | Brewery-Conditioned Beer |
|---|---|---|
| Fermentation | In the cask (secondary) | At the brewery (complete) |
| Yeast Presence | Live yeast remains | Usually filtered out |
| Pasteurisation | No | Yes (usually) |
| Served From | Cask at point of sale | Keg, bottle, can, or bright cask |
| Hand Pump Appearance | Often used | Sometimes used (can mislead) |
| Shelf Life | Shorter, needs care | Longer, more stable |
| Authenticity | Traditional, evolving flavour | Consistent, but less complex |
"If it's bright and filtered, it's not real ale, no matter how it's dispensed."
Pub Buses
One answer is for pubs to run a courtesy bus. This is quite common in countries like Australia. Unfortunately, UK legislation discourages this practice. If a service is run for hire or reward, it must comply with Public Service or Hackney Carriage legislation, and reward is deemed to be any service connected to a profit-making concern.
FACT: Whether you or I consider the bureaucracy of obtaining PSV licences too onerous is irrelevant. Landlords do! Many got rid of their courtesy buses when the law was reinterpreted.
FACT: Allowing pubs to run courtesy buses can only be a "good thing". It discourages drink-driving and helps alleviate social isolation.
FACT: It is perfectly legal for a man without a PSV licence to drive a minibus with "Animal Sanctuary" or "Kings Street Juniors" painted on the side. It is completely illegal for the same man to drive the same minibus with "Dog and Duck" painted on the side.
We are keen to hear of instances where landlords have stopped running courtesy buses due to current legislation—or would have run one but were put off.
Please help provide information and let me know if this has affected a pub you know of: editor@wightwash.org.uk