New device for keeping cask fresh?

Sounds a bit like a raised spile. They are good for things like beer festivals where you don't have trained cellar staff. No need to change the spiles at the end of the day so no hassle. But consensus is that they are not as good as the traditional spiles in the hands of a good cellarman.

I think you mean Race spile which (if *I've* got the spelling right) gives you the name of the guy that first produced it.

Of course that spile variant didn't have filtering of the air allowed in.

Excuse me? Is sir perhaps thinking of pub beer festivals?

I'd be surprised if this made much difference. By and large, beer doesn't get *infected* through the spile hole. If it's infected, it's because the cask wasn't sterilised properly, or the yeast is bad. Beer goes off because of oxidation, and AFAIK this gizmo won't affect that

- you'd need a cask breather! :-)

Best regards, Paul

-- Paul Sherwin Consulting

Hmmmm

I'd dispute that in that the average pint of iffy slop that slides across the bar disguised as beer tends to have a wonderful whiff that indicates the workings of bacteria on a cask that has almost certainly been there a little too long (or way too long)

If people can use a system that keeps muck and infection out of the cask then it's one less item to worry about.

Agreed though that the main problem is lack of turnover on the casks which is often a result of the beer being delivered in too large a cask for the expected sales rate.

Or because the finings are infected, or because something infected has been "introduced" to the cask after it left the brewery.

Robin