Seasoned beer drinkers at Battlesteads Hotel and Restaurant in Wark will have their taste buds tested this week when a cask conditioned lager sneaks alongside the bar’s real ales on hand pump as part of Cask Ale Week (28 Sept to 7 Oct). What’s more, a unique ‘Mussels in Magus’ dish is currently making a guest appearance on the menu!
Once the favourite tipple of the Great British pub-goer, national lager sales have been slowing down in comparison to cask ale which is now seeing growth for the first time in 20 years with more younger, female drinkers joining the real ale brigade. In a bid to convert even the most loyal lager fan, Battlesteads has turned to Hexham-based Allendale Brewery to serve Adder Lager - one of the North East’s few true cask conditioned lagers. Slowly fermented in a traditional lager style at zero degrees for eight weeks with not a carbonated keg in sight, even the most ardent ale-lover cannot dispute its cask credentials!
Cask Ale Week is led by Cask Marque and this year has a ‘try before you buy’ theme. Battlesteads will be serving four real ales and a lager in a bid to encourage new cask ale fans and show that there is a beer for everyone.
Battlesteads’ owner Richard Slade joked: “Cask ale is now regarded as our national drink and here at Battlesteads we are proud to support local breweries during Cask Ale Week. We’re even catering for our lager drinkers this time – by attempting to wean them onto a cask conditioned lager!”
If, after all the sampling and sipping, customers still aren’t swayed by the nation’s favourite drink, then they can join in the fun by selecting a limited-edition ale-inspired dish from Battlesteads’ home-cooked menu. In honour of Cask Ale Week, chef Eddie Shilton has created Mussels in Magus – a twist on Moules Mariniere, where the mussels are cooked in Battlesteads’ most popular real ale Durham Magus.
In addition to Magus and Adder Lager, Battlesteads will be serving: Lovely Nelly and Jack the Devil from Cullercoats Brewery, Tyneside; and a German-style beer from Geltsdale Brewery, Cumbria.
