American craft beer makers have surpassed their English role models and are making the tastiest ale-style brews. I had a chance to compare during my recent trip to London, stopping in pubs in Mayfair and Borough Market to sample the cask ales. When friends took me to the World of Music, Arts, and Dance (WOMAD) festival in the Cotswolds, we ended up in a large tent with two dozen big metal casks lined up on bales of hay with numerous ales containing the words "sun" and "golden" in them.
The cask ales are good. They are fresh and flavorful. But they have a slightly sour taste from the fermentation process and the minimal carbonation makes them seem thin. And while historically it made sense to serve them at room or cellar temperature, there's really no need in the age of refrigeration to serve them at anything but the optimal temperature. American bars may err on the side serving beer too cold, but you mind that less on a hot, summer day than a beer that tastes warm and flat.
I had a delicious local craft beer on our recent visit to Pizzeria Orso -- Face Plant from the Lost Rhino Brewery in Ashburn, Va. It had a fresh grain flavor bursting with effervescent energy, a dark gold color in the frosted glass and was refreshingly chilled. I'd order it any day over the cask ales.
