If you were an avid consumer of all things produced by a certain element of our mass media, you would know exactly what makes NYC a scary place, an unholy place, an un-American place.
I mean, the entire city is dangerous, with homicidal immigrants threatening the lives and livelihoods of all native free-thinking persons, and an incompetent administration allowing it all to happen, while they cut their corrupt side-deals.
It has to be true doesn’t it?
You don’t actually have to visit NYC to know just how scary a place it is, in fact it is better viewing it through the lens of the popular media, you get a much more honest portrayal, yeah.
Just ask my mates in the UK who were happy that I survived my little jaunt through mid-Bronx last week.
Or the ex-New Yorkers living in Florida who took a little bit of the city with them in the form of the NY Post, and … well, you get the idea.
This is a particularly scary time to be in any of the five boroughs, as we are approaching the day of the dead and the season of satanic rituals.
Are you scared yet?
Let me show you why you should be.
Exhibit A:
A scary beer …
… in a dark basement.
Okay, so it is only a cask pumpkin ale in the Shakespeare, but it is from New Jersey.
Ooooo!
Exhibit B:
Fifth Hammer with no cask on …
… forced to drink something glowing and murky, and in a small glass …
… fear not, they are working on a new cask batch folks, but it may take a minute.
Ooooo!
Exhibit C:
Strange brewing vessels in Queensboro Plaza …
… embalming fluid perhaps?
Or just another awesome mixed-culture beer from Finback LIC.
Ooooo!
Exhibit D:
Long Island City, what goes on there behind the imposing waterfront?
You see it from the ferry, heading south from Hell Gate to the 59th Street Bridge; projects, a park with all manner of strange installations, a warehouse, an electric substation, a bridge to nowhere (well Roosevelt Island, a part of NYC with some real scary history), a massive power station, and finally another park and more projects.
You see it from the elevated train to Astoria, low-lying buildings of an indeterminate nature, almost invisible as the eye is drawn to what is beyond, the river and the city.
Are those buildings residential, commercial, or industrial, who knows?
You see it from the map, Dutch Kills, what does that mean?
Shall we venture in?
Will we come out the other side unscathed?
Ooooo!
Exhibit E:
A witches brew in Jones Wood Foundry.
Nah, he used a filter.
I can assure you folks that no filters were used in the picture, and no filters were used in the beer either, just a nice fresh pour of Loom Cornish.
Oooooh!
Are you scared yet?
Don’t let the mis-informers keep you away.
And don’t let the mis-informers lead you astray either.
We have a city election coming up.
Now that scares me.
Scorecard w/e 10/28/25
In the past week the Cask Whisperer has enjoyed the following casks:
- Old Glenham Loom Cornish Ale @ Jones Wood Foundry
- Climax Pumpkin Ale @ The Shakespeare
Upcoming Cask Events (Festivals and Otherwise)
- November 8th: Blue Point 21st Cask Fest at Blue Point Brewing, Patchogue NY (Tickets now available, please check on Eventbrite!)
- Save the dates! The 2026 edition of NERAX will be from March 25th to 28th next year.
Upcoming Random NYC Casks
- Friday, October 31st for the Bushwick Halloween Brewery Crawl, Grimm will be showcasing a cask of their Double Negative: Grimm Reaper. This looks to be an interesting crawl, starting at Niteglow and looping in KCBC, Kato, Eckhart as well as Grimm.
- This just in! Eckhart will be tapping a stichfaß of their Czech Dark Lager during the Bushwick Halloween Brewery Crawl. Now it is officially (sort of) a cask crawl!
NYC Cask Venues
Known Operational/Active Beer Engines
- Jones Wood Foundry (x2)
- Fifth Hammer
- Wild East
- The Shakespeare (x3)
- Drop-off Service
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 or NJ Transit Train in Under two Hours
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).
NJ Transit NJCL Line
- Triumph Restaurant and Brewery, Red Bank NJ (one handpump, Triumph beer range).
