Gravity Dispense is the original method for drawing beer from a cask, before the invention of draught systems. In essence, once the cask was broached with a tap, the beer was simply dispensed directly into a glass without traveling through a beer line. Although this is now rare in Europe, confined to specialty establishments, it is still a relatively common form of dispense for cask-conditioned beer in England. Invented in the early 1800s, the beer engine, or hand-pump, allowed the dispense at the bar of beer stillaged in the cellar below. Before this time, casks sat either on the bar or behind it, and the barman simply opened the tap to dispense a pint. Cask blankets could be employed to keep the beer cool. Today, gravity dispense is mostly seen in country pubs in England, at cask beer festivals, and at the occasional brewpub or craft beer specialist bar in the United States. Some beer enthusiasts particularly enjoy gravity-dispensed ales because they are served with minimum agitation, thus preserving the gentle natural carbonation prized in these beers.