Posted on February 6, 2015
Over a Barrel: Cask shortage plagues craft beer
Brewmaster Erik Ogershok spoke with Anna Toon at the Austin Chronicle about the barrel shortage and how it is impacting Real Ale: “The long-term love affair between brewers and their craft remains forever nonfleeting. And the perpetual ebb and flow of the relationship only solidifies the unions. An unconventional love story or one steeped in tradition, there’s a romanticism in brewing beer. There’s also an investment – not just in the equipment, but in the sheer volume of time required to do it right. Unfortunately, in the case of barrel-aging in its most recent iteration, the investment may be getting too difficult to stomach. While barrel-age love remains at an all-time high, the availability of the required barrels rests at an all-time low, testing even the most stalwart of relationships.