There are plenty of people behind a pint of Joule’s cask.
Some brew it, some make sure it gets where it needs to go, some look after it once it reaches the pub, and some spend their time thinking about how we get more people interested in drinking it.
For Cask Matters, we thought we’d introduce a few of the people behind ours.
James Hunter
Head of Production & Distribution
James oversees production and the journey our beer takes out of the brewery and into our Taphouses. He knows the beer, the pubs and probably more cellars than most people would ever want to.
What makes cask special to you?
“For me, it’s the fact that there are so many people involved in getting that final pint right. We brew it here, but it still has to condition properly, get out to the pub in good shape and then be looked after properly in the cellar. When all of those things come together, you get a cracking pint. There’s something very satisfying about that.”
What makes a genuinely great pint of cask?
“Condition, temperature and freshness. You want a pint with life in it, served at the right temperature and tasting exactly as the brewer intended. The cellar makes a massive difference. You can do everything right at the brewery, but cask still needs someone at the other end who knows how to look after it.”
What’s your Joule’s cask pint?
Slumbering Monk for me. It’s got that richer malt character, with the caramel and darker notes coming through, but it’s still really balanced and drinkable. It’s got plenty of flavour without becoming heavy. When the condition is spot on, it’s a cracking pint.”
What’s something people don’t realise about cask?
“Probably how much happens after it leaves the brewery. People understandably think the beer arrives at the pub ready to go, but with cask there’s still work to be done. It needs time to settle and condition, and the landlord has to know when it’s ready. The cellar really is part of the process.”
If someone told you they didn’t like cask, what would you give them?
“I’d probably start them on Citra Blonde. It’s light, easy drinking and has plenty of hop character, so it gets away from that idea some people still have that cask means a heavy, dark pint.”
Steve ‘Woody’ Wood
Lead Brewer
Woody is our Lead Brewer and one of the people responsible for what goes into those five handpulls in the first place. Alongside brewing our core range, the Batch and Seasonal beers give him and the brewing team the chance to play around a little more.
What’s your favourite part of brewing cask?
“I like that you’re not completely finished with the beer when you put it into the cask. You’ve done all the work in the brewhouse and fermentation, but you’re still relying on that final conditioning to get it exactly where you want it. There’s a bit more life to it.”
What do you think people misunderstand about cask?
“That it’s one type of beer. People say ‘I don’t like cask’ in the same way they might say they don’t like stout, but cask isn’t really a flavour or a style. You can have something light and hoppy, something malty, something bitter, something stronger. That’s one of the reasons I like having the Batch beers alongside the core range. We can show what else cask can be.”
What’s your Joule’s cask pint?
““Pale Ale. It’s probably the beer I judge everything against. When it’s absolutely spot on, there aren’t many better pints.”
Which Joule’s cask beer are you proudest of brewing?
“Probably Pale Ale because of what it means to Joule’s. There’s a lot of history behind that beer and the Red Cross, so you do feel a responsibility for it. But from a brewer’s point of view, I really enjoy the Batch beers. They give us the chance to try something different and keep cask interesting.”
You’ve got a lager drinker at the bar who has agreed to try one cask beer. What are you pouring them?
“Citra Blonde. I wouldn’t try to convince them with something completely different to what they normally enjoy. Give them something lighter and refreshing with a good hop character and let the beer do the talking.”
Ant Mico
Brewer, Quality Lead
Ant is part of the team actually making the beer day in, day out. Brew days, fermentation, racking and all the less glamorous jobs in between are part of getting those casks ready to leave Market Drayton.
What does a cask brew day actually look like for you?
“There’s a lot more cleaning than people probably imagine! But you’re following the beer all the way through, from getting the malt in and mashing through to the boil, hops and fermentation. It’s quite nice when you’re drinking the finished pint because you know exactly what went into getting it there.”
What’s the most satisfying part of making cask?
“Probably seeing something you brewed a few weeks earlier on the bar and having a pint of it. Particularly with a new Batch beer. You’ve seen it as grain, tasted it through the brewery and watched it change through fermentation, then eventually you get to try the finished thing in the pub.”
What’s your Joule’s cask pint?
“Citra Blonde. It’s light, fresh and really easy drinking, but there’s still plenty going on from the hops. You get that citrus and grapefruit coming through, with a bit of tropical fruit as well. It’s the sort of pint I’d happily go back for, especially when it’s really fresh on the bar.”
What’s something customers would be surprised happens before their pint reaches them?
“Probably just how hands-on the whole thing still is. There’s obviously a lot of equipment in a modern brewery, but there are people checking, tasting, cleaning, moving things and making decisions throughout the process. Beer doesn’t just go in one end and come out of the other.”
One cask beer for the rest of your life. What are you choosing?
“I should probably say one of ours, shouldn’t I? Citra Blonde. If it’s the only one I’m allowed for the rest of my life, I’m playing it safe.”
Georgia Charlton-Briggs
Brand Manager
Georgia looks after the Joule’s brand, from the beer and our Taphouses to how we tell the stories behind them. Cask Masters came from wanting to put more attention behind something that has always been a big part of Joule’s, while getting more people curious about what’s actually on those handpulls.
Why did you want Joule’s to do Cask Masters?
“Cask is part of what makes the British pub special, and it’s something we’re incredibly proud to put our name behind. At Joule’s we have five cask ales on our bars, three at the heart of our range and two that give our brewers the freedom to keep creating and experimenting. There’s so much skill, care and character behind a great pint of cask, and I think that story deserves to be told.
Cask Masters is our chance to do that, from the people brewing it to the landlords looking after it and, ultimately, the people drinking it. Cask has an extraordinary history in this country and within Joule’s, but this campaign isn’t about looking backwards. We want cask to have a future, not simply a history.”
What would you like people to take away from Cask Masters?
“Curiosity, more than anything. I don’t expect someone to read a blog about cask and suddenly become an expert on secondary fermentation. I’d much rather they walk into one of our pubs, look at the five handpulls and think, ‘I’ve never tried that one.’ If we can get more people tasting, asking questions and moving around the range, then we’re doing something worthwhile.”
What’s your Joule’s cask pint?
“I’m always drawn to the Seasonal. I like trying something new, and I love that the beer changes with the time of year. A light, hoppy cask in summer and something richer as we head into winter are completely different pints, but both have their place. It’s one of my favourite things about cask, you can have the beers you know and love, but there’s always a reason to see what else is on the handpulls.”
What’s your favourite thing about a good pub?
“That it isn’t really one thing. You can go in for a quick pint and end up staying all evening, or meet someone there without having to make a big plan of it. A really good pub feels familiar without being boring. Beer is obviously a big part of that for us, but it’s the combination of the pint, the room, the landlord and the people around the bar that makes it work.”
What would you say to someone who thinks cask isn’t for them?
“Ask for a taste rather than a pint first. We have five cask ales on the bar and they’re not five versions of the same thing, but we like to think that across the range we should cater for almost every taste. Try the Blonde, try the Pale, see what the Batch beer is. If none of them are for you, that’s absolutely fine. But I think quite a lot of people who say they don’t like cask just haven’t found their cask beer yet.”
Who’s the real Cask Master?
Of course, you don’t need to work in a brewery to become a Cask Master.
Throughout September to November, we’re giving you a good excuse to explore all five of the cask handpulls at your Joule’s Taphouse.
Pick up a Cask Masters stampcard at the bar and work your way through the range: Citra Blonde, Pale Ale, Slumbering Monk, Batch or Seasonal.
Try any 6 of our Joule’s Cask Ales and your next Joule’s Cask pint is on us.
You can also pick up a free Cask Masters booklet. It’s there to help you get to know the beers a little better, keep track of what you’ve tried and, most importantly, have your say.
Inside, you’ll find details of our Cask Masters competition, giving you the chance to put your own cask knowledge and opinions to the test.
And if you’re not sure where to start, ask the person behind the bar what they’re drinking. Some of the best Cask Masters we know are on the other side of it.