Sway Taps Into Gravity

Matt Sampson will be tapping a gravity cask the next three Saturdays at Sway. File photo by Rachel Lukas.

Beer lovers have a chance to try something a little different each of the next three Saturdays at Sway Brewing and Blending, where they’ll be tapping a gravity cask each weekend.

“We’ll be tapping a naturally conditioned Oktoberfest,” said brewer and owner Matt Sampson. Sampson will hammer a spout into the cask at 1 pm Sept. 23, 30 and Oct. 6. 

A gravity cask is similar to a firkin, but stands vertically instead of horizontally. Beer from a gravity cask will have a finer bubble and richer mouthfeel than one tapped from a keg. The beer is pulled off the tank before it’s done fermenting, so the carbonation is produced internally from the yeast, Sampson said. 

Normally, the carbonation would come from CO2 pumped from a tank into the keg. The gravity cask harkens to the way beer was served before the 1800s.

“English cask beer, or pub ale, is all like that,” Sampson said. 

The beer will be available till it’s gone, so stop by early to get a taste.