Just some pictures this week … mostly.
Feeling a little under the weather.
My computer is feeling even worse than me.
It croaked on me yesterday morning, and I have to compete with my darling wife for access to her laptop.
Thank G-d for the Cloud though.
Very little actually lost.
The Pre-game
I wasn’t sure there would be cask at the event, but I was sure to be passing by Fifth Hammer on my hike there, so it was a no-brainer.
The Billy Neverwilly dry hopped with Fuggles was still on the pump, so another no-brainer.
One and done.
But I still had enough time to convince two other patrons at the bar that they needed to go online and buy tickets to the Bash.
Whisperers gotta whisper.
The Other Pre-game
Google Maps was convinced that it was going to take me over an hour to walk to Bushwick, but I managed to get as far as Grimm in thirty-five minutes, so …
… just the one again, but I made it count by going for their latest barley wine “Dedicated Follower of Fashion”.
Dangerous.
Living on the edge.
The two customers seated either side of me were also going to the Bash, so no convincing needed there.
The Brooklyn Monarch
Basically, right around the corner from Grimm, but a very interesting corner and a very interesting neighborhood.
And a very interesting venue too; no industrial chic here, just industrial grunge or maybe faded industrial glory?
It reminded me of the New York Downtown Scene nightclubs of the early eighties; you know, Danceteria or Interferon.
And you get frisked going in.
That hasn’t happened to me in many a decade.
The People and the Brews
No pins or firkins, but both Eckhart and Kills Boro brought along gravity kegs.
Both excellent; I started with them and then went back for refills of both before leaving.
I also sampled from my favorite brewers: Strong Rope (ESB), Fifth Hammer (Gratzer), Wild East (West Coast IPA), Endless Life (Saison) and KCBC (Zombie).
And tried many other beverages: beer, sake, whisky and even coffee.
The Brewminaries came back with some delicious homebrews; I tried the Hefeweizen and the Spiced Saison.
I also ate, which is unusual for me.
Sensible move though.
The Trek Home
Yeah.
No L train running, so I was not able to make the afterparty at Eckhart and ended up hiking back out the same way I hiked in, all the way back to LIC for the ferry.
Never mind, Eckhart is sending out their gravity kegs throughout the city this week, so I will probably catch one this Friday.
Assuming that Snowpocalypse II is cleared up …
… and I feel a little more human.
Scorecard w/e 02/24/26
In the past week the Cask Whisperer has enjoyed the following casks:
- Fifth Hammer Billy Neverwilly: Fuggles @ Fifth Hammer Brewing
- Eckhart Beer Svetle Special Czech Pale Lager @ The Brooklyn Monarch
- Kills Boro Unfiltered Bad Woods Keller Helles @ The Brooklyn Monarch
Upcoming Cask Events (Festivals and Otherwise)
- 2/28/26: Winter Cask Classic @ Denizens Brewery, Riverdale Park MD
- 3/20/26: Two Roads 2026 Cask Fest @ Two Roads Brewing, Stratford CT
- 3/22/26: An Afternoon of Casks V @ Nod Hill Brewery, Ridgefield CT. Tickets now available, get them while you can.
- 3/25/26-3/28/26: 2026 edition of NERAX. Tickets now available.
- 4/12/26: Yards Real Ale Invitational @ Yards Brewing, Philadelphia PA
- 4/12/26: Cellerman’s Invitational @ Daydreaming Brewing, Derry NH
- 5/23/26: NYS Brit Festival @ Seneca Lake Brewing Company, Rock Stream NY
Upcoming Random NYC Casks
- 2/27/26: Eckhart will be bringing a stichfaß of their Helles to Doppelgänger in Brooklyn, tapping at 5pm; dangerously close to Russ & Daughters (and Transmitter).
- 5/16/26: Das Bock returns to Plattduetsche Biergarten. Again, no promises of a cask but there were several stichfaß and a surprise cask at last year’s festivities.
NYC Cask Venues
Known Operational/Active Beer Engines
- Jones Wood Foundry (x2)
- Fifth Hammer
- Wild East
- The Shakespeare (x3)
- Drop-off Service
- Rough Draft
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
- City Swiggers
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).
- Little Dog Brewing, Bradley Beach NJ (one handpump, Little Dog beer range).
