Wainwrights Beer Keg Review

by breauxj10 | Last Updated: 04/10/2018

Let me just say this before we get into it, I LOVE Wainwrights. It’s up there as one of my favourite beers and if I ever see it on tap an obligatory pint must be drunk (normally followed by three, four, five more…) So it goes without saying when I saw the Wainwrights beer keg available in my local Morrisons I had to try it out. I’ve had my fair share of these mini kegs and they seem to work really well with some beers and not so well with others so I was excited to see how Wainwrights fared! So let’s get into it.

What the brewery says…

A superb thirst quenching, refreshing beer packed full of flavour, lightly hopped with subtle sweet notes and a delicate citrus aroma. Inspired by the author Alfred Wainwright, famous for his Lakeland Fell guide books. For every summit Wainwright conquered through his passion and commitment, each one delivered the ultimate reward. Refreshing & Rewarding for those who think they’ve earned it.

Appearance

Wainwrights from the tap is a lovely crisp, clear, golden colour and the Wainwrights keg pint is no different! A great looking golden ale. You would expect between one to two fingers worth of creamy foam on top of your pint normally. From the Mini keg, you do get a little less and it is not quite as long lasting either, still, it is a massive step up from a bottle pour.

The Keg is emblazoned in the traditional Wainrights imaging with the classic logo and beautiful image of Alfred Wainwright’s treasured lake district serves as a backdrop. Subtle and unobtrusive the keg does encapsulate the ale well.

Smell

The ale has a subtly sweet, biscuity aroma that pulls you in. The keg kills none of the scents of a tap pulled pint so no complaints here!

Taste

None of the cask taste is lost here, a truly wonderful pint. Wainwright’s is a malty flavour with smooth biscuity undertones whilst not being overly sweet. There is a delicious, slightly deeper bitter aftertaste that finishes the beer of expertly. The taste is almost as good as a cask poured pint but doesn’t quite taste the same. The first few pints seemed to be ever so slightly over carbonated which led to a slight fizziness rather than the silky smoothness I have become accustomed to with a pint of Wainwrights.

The Mini Keg

I do like the mini kegs you can pick up from a lot of supermarkets. They give you almost the same experience of a cask pulled pint in your own home. Wainwrights works well in this format. The first pint, as seems to be standard with mini kegs, was very frothy so you do have to be patient.

The first, very frothy, pint

Once the first pint was pulled and we were underway the beer poured excellently. The mini kegs are slow pouring, although no slower than delicately pouring from a bottle seeking the perfect head!

A few pints in…

Overall

The Wainwrights beer keg is a great alternative to a cask pulled pint. Minor issues with a slight over carbonation prevent it from being as good as the cask version, but for a pint in your own home, this is a very good golden ale.

Searching for the perfect home pint? Check out our guide to home beer dispensers