“Cask beer is unique. It has so much going for it, so I really do wish people would shut up about it being in decline,” says Georgina Young.
“Because if we only look at the negatives then that’s exactly what will happen, we’ll lose it. Instead we should be celebrating cask and working out ways to ensure it both survives and thrives.”
Georgina Young is passionate about cask, and rightfully so. The majority of her brewing career has been focused around its production.
Young is a brewing director, overseeing brewing and operations at St Austell Brewery and Bath Ales. She joined the company in May 2019 – leaving her leading role at Fuller’s to become Bath Ales’ head brewer.
She was recruited by her long-time friend, Roger Ryman – St Austell’s previous brewing director – who sadly passed away in May last year.
After graduating from Heriot Watt University, with an MSc in Brewing and Distilling, Young started her brewing career at Smiles Brewery in Bristol, working alongside Richard Dempster – one of the founders of Bath Ales.
She went on to run the pilot brewery at Camden BRI before joining Fuller’s as a production brewer in 1999, where she served in roles across all aspects of production.
She ascended to the role of Head Brewer in 2017 – the first female at Fuller’s to take on the role – and is a Master Brewer of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling.
“For me, cask beer is the hardest beer to make well and to make consistently,” she says. “It’s the most natural form of beer going and there really is nowhere to hide when it comes to quality.”
Following various lockdowns Young understands why some pubs and bars have streamlined their lines, often resulting with many establishments offering only one, maybe two cask offerings.
But she says it’s imperative that hospitality is dissuaded, not encouraged, to make such arrangements a longterm element of their business.
“Since the pandemic, not everyone has gone back to the pub. And in those early days, table service meant that people weren’t able to assess what was on the bar,” she says. “People initially drink with their eyes, after all.”
Young adds: “It’s also a skill to manage a cellar, sometimes people don’t realise that. But what is also really needed is education. A pub’s teams needs to know what cask they are pouring, and what it should look and taste like so they can pass that information on to the consumer.
“We need to celebrate cask and not dumb it down. And that can start with better training and education from top to bottom.”
Georgina Young is a panellist at this year’s Brewers Congress, which takes place in London this December.
You can find full information, and get your tickets, here: https://congress.brewersjournal.info/
