It happens every spring.
One minute I am happy just to wander around this noisy bustling city, and the next I am getting all antsy and in need of a little space, and a little peace and quiet.
Fortunately, this also happens to be the time of year that Seneca Lake Brewing Company (SLBC) holds their annual NYS British Real Ale Festival up in Rock Stream on the west shore of Seneca Lake, some five miles north of the village of Watkins Glen.
Depending on weather and road conditions, and depending on traffic, it can take anywhere from four and a half hours to five and a half, just to drive up to Seneca, the largest (but not the longest, that would be Cayuga) of the Finger Lakes in west central New York State.
The drive up allows plenty of time to decompress once you manage to escape the gravitational pull of the city, even if you are the driver; that decompression usually begins once you hit the Palisades Parkway.
The drive down not so much; the thought of dealing with the George Washington Bridge hits you pretty quickly once you get back on the highway again.
We usually try to extend the peaceful upstate thoughts a little longer by stopping off in Livingston Manor on the way back, to visit our dear friend’s ever-expanding farm animal sanctuary.
That way we do not concern ourself with the GWB until we get to the traffic backups around Monroe, or Chester, or Goshen, or Middletown, or [Enter Town Name Here].
But enough of that, we are heading up to the lakes.
The Arrival
With the cask festival occurring on a Saturday afternoon, we usually drive up the day before, so that we can arrive at our accommodations in time for a mid-afternoon check-in.
We don’t normally have anything on our to-do list for the Friday afternoon or evening, except to get over to the Beerocracy for a couple of hours before they close, to say hi to Bradley and socialize with the SLBC folks and any transients (NYC or otherwise) that may be around.
We have stayed across the street from the brewery at the Golden Knight Inn for the last three trips to the region for three good reasons: firstly it is comfortable, it is also very convenient, and thirdly we like the family that owns and runs the place.
Another family-run business in the area that we really like is Curly’s Family Restaurant in downtown Watkins Glen; it closes at 3pm every day, so this time we made sure to leave NYC early enough to arrive in time for a leisurely early dinner/late lunch.
We ended up hitting Curly’s four times this trip, going back every morning for breakfast (me) and/or lunch (my darling wife); you can never have too much corned beef hash and eggs, or broiled haddock and sweet potato fries.
The Pickled Egg Incident
Having eaten, checked in, and cleaned ourselves up, we put on our insufficient rain gear (it rained on and off all weekend), crossed the road, and walked the hundred yards or so to the pub.
There were still a handful of cars in the parking lot at this late hour, and a pleasant buzz coming from the bar area as we strolled in.
I was greeted by a yelled “Nigel!” from Bradley behind the bar as I came through the front door, echoed immediately by a “Nigel!” from all of the patrons, who turned in their seats to see what all of the fuss was about; we were in for a lively one.
There were about fifteen people in the bar when we arrived, none that I immediately recognized from previous visits, but by the time we left to head back to the hotel (which was later than the official closing time, a lock-in if you will), my wife and I had pretty much chatted with all present, about all manner of things, and made friends that we would see again and again over the weekend.
This is the way that a pub is supposed to work folks!
Nobody from NYC yet, other than ourselves, but a real motley crew, some with the remains of British accents, from as close by as Ithaca and Elmira and as far away as Philadelphia and Northern Virginia; and we thought that we were going to be the far-travelers.
And behind the sticks, Bradley and the bar crew were in fine form providing the banter and keeping things moving along smoothly.
At one point I brought up the subject of pickled eggs, as a source of both nourishment and regret, to the folks that I was bullshitting with at the time, and Bradley had overheard the conversation and went off to retrieve a jar from the pantry, a nine-year old jar with two eggs left in it, swimming in a dubiously colored liquid.
He proceeded to carve up said eggs into quarters, and offered a challenge to all present, to sample their well-pickled delights, consuming the first piece himself.
Needless to say, he only got one reckless volunteer to follow his lead.
We both survived.
The Falls
Come Saturday morning, showing no ill effects from the pickled egg or the three and a half pints of assorted Seneca Lake brews, we set off for the town to kill some time before everything else opened up at noon.
We dressed for rain again, but it wasn’t too bad in the morning, and we decided to check to see if the Gorge Walk had opened for the season at Watkins Glen State Park.
It had, so off and up we went.
And it was beautiful!
Despite the less than ideal conditions we had no trouble hiking the mile up to the Central Bridge, and then hiking out again on the North Rim Trail.
Alright, we had some puddles to navigate but the rain held off, and in contrast to the shadows and shade inside the canyon, the trees along both rims glowed and gave off an eerie, almost phosphorescent green light.
As I said, beautiful!
Feeling quite chuffed that we both had the energy to complete the hike, we decided when we got back down to the visitor center, that we had enough time to walk over to Curly’s for sustenance.
Besides, it was still dry, and we would get another mile and a half of exercise before the main event.
The Goats
After breakfast/lunch (but not brunch) we still had almost two hours to kill, which would allow us plenty of time to drive to Interlaken and visit our favorite, Lively Run Goat Dairy to pick up some cheese for snacking and gifting, and to hang out for a while with the goats, and the horses, and the bighorn sheep, and one of the barn cats.
The rain picked up quite a bit as we were driving out and back, but it was squally not persistent, and whenever the rain eased we were treated to some very dramatic cloudy skies over the lake and the ridge.
And as we were pulling back into our hotel the sky cleared, so we didn’t need our rain gear for the short stroll to the pub.
The Event
Unlike the prior three years, the event was held “indoors” this year, or at least under the open-but-covered patio below the Snug, with seating inside the Snug itself, and a large tent for dining (food truck) and local gift vendors.
We were dry, if a little cold, and my wife and I were very happy that we were going to be sleeping in a hotel room overnight, and not a tent in the field.
The Beers
There were sixteen beers all together, several from neighboring breweries around the lake, but also some travelling from as far west as East Concord (Mystic Hills), as far east as Schoharie (Wayward Lane), and as far south as Beacon (Old Glenham) and Brooklyn (Wild East).
The beer styles were diverse but had one thing in common, they were all easy drinking with ABVs 6% and under, with Wild East Prudence light mild hitting the scales at 3.9%.
Nope, they all had two things in common, they were all dang tasty.
The Characters
Yeah, all these guys were there.
The Winner!
Folks who have been paying attention to my prior postings, will know that I am a frequent consumer of Old Glenham ales, mostly at Jones Wood Foundry and the Ambleside Pub, but also occasionally at Shakespeare and Draught Industries.
You will also know that I am a great fan of everything that Ian Hatton produces at Old Glenham, his beers awaken long-dormant taste buds for me.
And you will also know that I am completely unbiased (or is it disloyal?) when it comes to beer; you don’t have to go too far back in the blog to read about me joyfully pouring all manner of “beery” libations down my throat and praising them afterwards.
But this was the first time that I have tasted the Ambleside ESB, and it was a revelation; this is as close to a Fullers ESB as you are going to get this side of Chiswick.
Intense floral, almost perfumed nose, deep amber with a thin but creamy white head (sparkler helped here), initial fruity sweetness and lingering bitterness, and at 5.3% with a medium/full body, it is just enough to mess you up, or at least put a silly grin on your face.
I was pointing everybody at it, and reminding them to vote.
But there were several honorable mentions as well:
- Meiers Creek Old Ale: Perfect to style; a strong, full-bodied, dangerous style.
- Wild East Prudence Pale Mild: The most sessionable; I am looking forward to swinging by the brewery soon for a proper session with this.
- Wayward Lane PennyWhip ESB: I somehow missed this on the day but caught up with it the following evening. I would have loved to try this side-by-side with the Ambleside ESB.
- Seneca Lake Lemon Tea Bitter: Always refreshing, always welcomed.
The Afterparty
With the conditions too cold and wet to start a fire, the celebrations moved indoors to the Beerocracy bar after the official end of the festival.
Several of the casks moved in with us, and took up their rightful places of honor at the end of the bar.
Where they were consumed by those still standing (or maybe sitting, or in my case, leaning) until the wee hours of the morning.
My wife and I called it quits and strolled back to the hotel sometime around midnight, but I hear that some of the revelers were still going at it until 2:45am.
Oy.
I will not name names.
Yet.
The Marsh
Surprisingly, I woke up on Sunday morning with no ill-effects again, except for the usual hunger.
We had no real plans for the day, as we expected many places to be closed, but a quick look at the map revealed an observation deck for the Catherine Creek Wildlife Management Area between Watkins Glen and Montour Falls, so I decided to drag my wife out on to the marsh; she would like that, wouldn’t she?
It was a bit of a bumpy road along the east side of the marshlands, sort of paved but with potholes that would make a NYC street very proud.
Our poor car was not too happy.
But once we got to the observation deck and kayak dock, it was so quiet and peaceful, with just the splashing sounds of a small waterfall, and the birdsong breaking the silence.
The view across the marsh was not too shabby either.
The Other Falls
Continuing southwards along the gravel “expressway” we subjected our car and ourselves to another mile of the bone-jarring pothole slalom, before skimming the eastern edge of Montour Falls and arriving at the trailhead of Deckertown Falls.
A short hike though woods to the falls and swimming hole was promised to us.
It was short and we could hear the falls as soon as we entered the trees, but it was also steep and muddy and slippery, with a significant drop off into the water if not careful; we also had to clamber over some rocks at the midway point.
But we did see the falls, and may have seen the swimming hole as well, but I have no idea how anybody would manage to get down there, or who would want to.
But it was still mid-morning, and we had chalked up another two unplanned discoveries, so we were happy.
And hungry.
So back to Curly’s.
Corned beef hash – check.
Haddock and fries – check.
No serious rain – check.
The Glen
Time to explore the town.
And by explore the town, I mean explore the thrift and gift shops.
I was very happy to let my poor wife have a little bit of fun inside the stores, while I sat myself outside and was greeted by all of the passing dogs and one passing cop, who came back the other way again just to make sure.
And after a successful thrifting hunt, we took a leisurely walk down to the lakefront park and pier, you have to …
… they have bathrooms there.
We took a few pictures despite the grey gloomy weather conditions; they came out pretty okay; the sky was very foreboding.
When we were done doing the tourist stuff we had a long slow walk back to our car, which we had left at the south end of the village by Curly’s.
A very slow walk, as I had my head down all of the time, scanning the sidewalk for signs of any famous Brits; I found a few.
The Departure
By the time we got back to the car it was past mid-afternoon and still dry(ish), so I decided to show my missus another lake.
We drove northwest to Hammondsport and then clockwise around Keuka Lake to Penn Yan, where we searched for any open farms, farmstands and cideries, anything.
Being Sunday, we did not have any luck.
Oh well, it gives us something to look forward to on the next visit.
On the final evening, we wandered over to the Beerocracy for one last time on this trip.
It was quieter, but there were still a handful of folks chatting at the bar, mostly locals but we did get to say “happy trails” to the lovely couple from Philly, and we bade farewell to Brad and Megan before we shuffled off into the night.
Oh, and I got to taste the Wayward Lane PennyWhip ESB (brilliant!) which had migrated to one of the open handpumps, along with several other casks from the night before.
The Sanctuary
We woke up to a cloudless blue sky and sunshine; those are the breaks.
But it did make for a delightful drive back.
It was a great weekend, even though we didn’t get to do all of the things on our shortlist, due to the weather and our own timing miscalculations.
But we made up for missing the Sweet Farm animal sanctuary and the opportunity to “cuddle a cow”, by stopping off for a long visit with our friend on her Livingston Manor mountaintop property, where we got to hug Buttercup the cow and three of her four goats.
Billy-goat Jake was too cranky for hugs, and the sheep were too skittish.
And we got to see a beaver on our way back down her driveway.
The George Washington Bridge
The less said about that the better.
Scorecard w/e 5/27/25
In the past week the Cask Whisperer has enjoyed the following casks:
- Old Glenham Black Country Bitter @ Jones Wood Foundry
- Dutchess Vale Pale Ale @ Jones Wood Foundry
And at the NYS British Real Ale Festival (and the Beerocracy bar) at Seneca Lake Brewing, the Cask Whisperer sampled had some proper pours of the following casks:
- Seneca Lake Hefeweizen
- Seneca Lake Christmas Ale
- Seneca Lake Baker Street Best Bitter
- Seneca Lake Lemon Tea Bitter
- Seneca Lake Motueka Dry Hopped Pale Ale
- Mystic Hills East Concord Bitter (Oak Aged)
- Wayward Lane PennyWhip ESB
- Horseheads Sully’s Morning Mug Irish Cream & Coffee Stout
- Meiers Creek Old Ale
- Meiers Creek Ultra Light Pilsner
- Scale House Brewing Irish Red
- Wild East Prudence Pale Mild
- Big ALICe Apple Sour
- Big ALICe Cherry Sour
- Seneca Lodge Brewing Peach Blonde Ale
- Old Glenham Ambleside ESB
- Old Glenham Weavers Pale Ale
- WeBe NEIPA with Pineapple
Upcoming Cask Events (Festivals and Otherwise)
6/7/25: Log Jammin’ V from Human Robot Beer, @ Cherry Street Pier, Philadelphia PA; will there be casks there? You never know, but the beer will be awesome anyway.
Upcoming Random NYC Casks
- Keeping an eye on Beer Witch in Brooklyn; we may have a new beer engine in town.
- Thursday June 5, 8pm at Brewer’s Row in Park Slope (7th Ave btw 3rd and 4th), Strong Rope will be tapping a cask of Burton IPA “Good Job” dry-hopped with Vista.
- Coming up later in June, at The Hoptimist in the UWS, (on Amsterdam btw 80th and 81st), Strong Rope will be tapping a pin of their Pride Month beer, Aurora, a Honey Blonde Ale conditioned with orange peels and coriander in the cask.
NYC Cask Venues
Known Operational/Active Beer Engines
- Jones Wood Foundry (x2)
- Fifth Hammer
- Wild East
- The Shakespeare (x3)
- Cask Bar & Kitchen
- Drop-off Service
- Beer Witch
Occasional Pins (worth a follow on Instagram)
- Strong Rope
- KCBC
- Tørst
- Blind Tiger Ale House
- Threes Brewing
- Brouwerij Lane (First Friday Firkins)
- The Owl Farm
Cask Venues Reachable from NYC by MTA Train
Metro-North Hudson Line
- Draught Industries, Beacon NY (one handpump, Old Glenham beer range).
- Coopers, Beacon NY (one handpump, Old Glenham beer range).
- Happy Valley Arcade Bar, Beacon NY (one handpump, Old Glenham beer range).
Metro-North Harlem Line
- The Ambleside Pub, Mt. Kisco NY (four handpumps, Old Glenham beer range).
Metro-North New Haven Line
- Marlowe Artisanal Ales, Mamaroneck NY (one handpump, Marlowe beer range)
- Nod Hill Brewing, Ridgefield CT (two handpumps, Nod Hill beer range).
This Post Has 2 Comments
Hey Nigel – two Strong Rope casks around town coming up:
Thursday June 5, 8pm at Brewer’s Row in Park Slope (7th Ave btw 3rd and 4th), we’re tapping a cask of our Burton IPA “Good Job” that was dry-hopped with Vista.
DATE TBD, at The Hoptimist in the UWS, (on Amsterdam btw 80th and 81st), we’re tapping a pin of our Pride Month beer, Aurora, a Honey Blonde Ale that we conditioned on orange peels and coriander in the cask. Should be nice! I think this will be mid to late June.
Cheers John, I will update the watch list. Brewers Row is a new one for me, I am going to have to check it out, and scope out Beer Witch while I am in the area too.