It’s that time again folks.
Over four days this past week and weekend, the 27th occurrence of the New England Real Ale Exhibition was held once again at the South Boston Lithuanian Citizens Association, and this may well have been the largest yet in terms of attendance.
Certainly, the four sessions that I enjoyed were consistently crowded, even the Saturday evening “wind down” event.
I heard from folks that attended both sessions on the Saturday, that the afternoon event was the usual crazy busy sh*t scene of a bro-fest.
After the dire news coming from CAMRA regarding the Great British Beer Festival last year (ouch!) and this year (RIP), we need NERAX to thrive and grow.
I made sure to do my bit again.
I (checks spreadsheet) managed to sample 55 different beers and ciders this year; 36 from England, 4 from Scotland, and 15 from the US.
And I am pretty sure that I enjoyed every single one of them.
The quality of the brews just keeps getting better, year by year.
As does the camaraderie of the attendees, staff and volunteers.
I spent as much time this year with the glass in my hand and not at my lips.
I was very happy to see the crowd trending younger this year, with groups of folks in their young twenties intermingling with the usual suspects, and I made sure to spend as much time as possible engaging with them.
It must have worked, because I had “kids” come up to me on several occasions asking me about real ale, and I was very happy to bore them to tears chew their ears off on the subject.
Long may it continue.
Keep up the enthusiasm folks.
I even found myself constantly handing out beer recommendations, both solicited and unsolicited.
Whisperers gotta whisper.
Every year I consider joining the NERAX volunteers, but apart from timing issues (the NYC travel thing), I think that I am most effective being in amongst the punters, sharing experiences and my accumulated knowledge.
Besides, I am a bit of a piss-head at heart.
Anyways, on to the beers!
It may have just been my imagination, but it seemed to me that there were a lot more traditional bitters on this year thankfully labelling themselves as such, and not so much of the amber ale designations that don’t really inform the consumer of what they are about to consume; now if we can just get the blonde and golden bitters to get in line as well.
I was a little stingy with the ratings this year, with a top five and a dozen or so honorable mentions, but that was because the overall quality was exceptional and all of the beers that I sampled would have received honorable mentions in prior years.
The best in show for me was the Shere Drop best bitter from Surrey Hills Brewing of Dorking, and it was the standout because it didn’t really stand out, it just did what it was supposed to do; it was pale, beautifully balanced, and had a lovely scuzzy head.
Alright, I may be biased because it was the southernmost brew on the premises, and very close to home for me, but I could just imagine myself sitting in a country pub on the North or South Downs, knocking back a few before taking a slow stroll back home through the lanes.
It made me quite homesick.
The Clasp hoppy pale ale from Attic Brew Co. of Birmingham made my top-5 list for similar reasons; a little less traditional but at 3.4% it was still an easy drinker.
Cromwell Cider of Hemingford Grey in Cambridgeshire brought two traditional ciders along again, and this time I found the stronger, dryer, funkier one, Oliver’s Last Gasp, to be a perfect tasty palate cleanser despite the 6% strength.
And then there was the Sheep on the Beach ruby mild from Fell Brewery of Flookburgh, Cumbria, which was highly-rated by everybody that got to sample it; it was delicious and I was not surprised that the Reaper took it early on in the proceedings.
Rounding out the top five was a stout, a plain old stout, listed in the booklet and on the cask as “Stout”.
No fuss, just perfectly executed by Gentile Brewing from Beverly MA.
I am not going to go into the honorable mentions, because once I start I would never finish, but I do just want to say that I was very happy to see some of the traditional UK family breweries represented again this year:
- Elgoods from Cambridgeshire returned with a strong bitter.
- Hook Norton came back with both the Old Hooky and the Double Stout.
- Jennings made a first appearance with two bitters.
I was really tempted to go for the Old Hooky, but decided to give other folks a chance to sample it; as expected the Reaper took both Hook Norton brews within a single session.
And that’s it for the beers this year, on to the sights of Boston!
For the fourth year in a row I dragged my poor wife along for the trip, and then dragged her through the damp and freezing streets of greater Boston for the three full days that we were here.
Over thirty miles were trudged between Thursday and Saturday, but we did venture down into the depths of the Red Line for a morning out to Harvard to finally check out the Harvard Art Museums; it had been highly recommended the past couple of years as an excellent cultural and historical experience, and it was free, and had bathrooms, so win-win-win.
They happened to have a Art of the Celts exhibit on which was right up my alley, and even interested my missus.
As did the amazing murals in the Boston Public Library at Copley Square, another great resource that was easy on both the pocket and the bladder.
And not all of the walks were trudges, as we happened to pick the most brisk (he means freezing) and beautiful day for a slow stroll along the Charles River Esplanade, taking our time and greeting the dogs, before coming out at the Boston Public Garden to attend the No Kings rally and protest on the Common.
There was a massive crowd there too.
For good reason.
In my day the only decent King was Greene, and he also happened to be an Abbot.
I hear that he got too big for his golden throne as well.
Scorecard w/e 03/31/26
In the past week the Cask Whisperer has enjoyed the following casks, all at the 27th Annual New England Real Ale Exhibition (NERAX), South Boston MA:
Wednesday, March 25th | |||||
Brew | Brewed by | County/State | City | Style | Rating |
Ingot | Attic Brew Co. | West Midlands | Birmingham | Golden Ale | |
Oliver’s Last Gasp | Cromwell Cider Co. | Cambridgeshire | Hemingford Grey | Dry English Cider | Top-5 |
Crooked River Old Ale | Crooked River | Cumbria | Workington | Best Bitter | |
Loweswater Gold | Cumbrian Ales | Cumbria | Hawkehead | Golden Ale | |
Greyhound Strong Bitter | Elgoods & Sons | Cambridgeshire | Wisbech | Strong Bitter | Honorable Mention |
Sheep on the Beach | Fell Brewery | Cumbria | Flookburgh | Ruby Mild | Top-5 |
Everyone Loves Krush | Fyne Ales | Argyll | Achadunan | English Single Hop Bitter | |
Haggis Hunter | Harviestoun Brewery | Clackmannanshire | Alloa | Amber Ale | Honorable Mention |
Sneck Lifter | Jennings | Cumbria | Cockermouth | Dark Ale | Honorable Mention |
Simple Pleasures | Nene Valley Brewery | Northamptonshire | Oundle | Pale Bitter | Honorable Mention |
Green Devil | Oakham Brewery | Cambridgeshire | Peterborough | English IPA | |
Shere Drop | Surrey Hills Brewery | Surrey | Dorking | Best Bitter | Best in Show! |
Thursday, March 26th | |||||
Brew | Brewed by | County/State | City | Style | Rating |
Moonshine | Abbeydale Brewery | South Yorkshire | Sheffield | Pale Ale – Gluten Free | |
Everyday People | Arbor Brewery | Bristol | Bristol | Hazy Pale Ale | |
Hoptical Illusion | Brass Castle Brewery | North Yorkshire | Malton | Pale Ale – Gluten Free | |
Centenial Valley | Brew York | North Yorkshire | York | Pale Ale – Vegan | |
DDH Oregon Trail | Elusive Brewing | Berkshire | Finchampstead | West Coast IPA | |
I Should Coco | Ennerdale | Cumbria | Rowrah | Chocolate Marshmallow Stout | |
Harlow Blonde | Harrogate Brewing Company | North Yorkshire | Harrogate | Pale Ale | |
Goldscope | Keswick Brewery | Cumbria | Keswick | NZ Pale Ale | Honorable Mention |
Dark & Seedy | Little Ox | Oxfordshire | Oxford | Vanilla Stout | |
Wild Drover | Loch Lomand Brewery | West Dunbartonshire | Dunbarton | NEIPA | |
A Past Life | Origin Beer Project | Rhode Island | Providence | Dark Mild | Honorable Mention |
Piggin Saint | Potbelly Brewery | Northamptonshire | Kettering | Pale Ale | |
Tmave Pivo | Von Trapp Family Brewing | Vermont | Stowe | Czech Dark Lager | Honorable Mention |
Portmanteau | Wayward Lane Brewing | New York | Schoharie | London Brown Porter | Honorable Mention |
Hounds of Helles | Wimbledon Brewery | Greater London | Wimbledon | Dark Lager | |
Friday, March 28th | |||||
Brew | Brewed by | County/State | City | Style | Rating |
Bestie Bitter | Aeronaut Brewing | Massachusetts | Somerville | Best Bitter | |
Heather Ale | Airline Brewing | Maine | Amherst | Heather Ale | |
Not Now, Chief | Amory’s Tomb & Clover Road Brewing | Massachusetts | Hudson | Best Bitter | |
22 Colrain Russet | Artifact Cider Project | Massachusetts | Florence | Single Variety Dry Cider | Honorable Mention |
Holy Well | Fell Brewery | Cumbria | Flookburgh | Blonde Ale | |
Scottish Warrior | Loch Lomand Brewery | West Dunbartonshire | Dunbarton | Golden Ale | Honorable Mention |
Apple Wood | North Country Hard Cider | New Hampshire | Dover | Bourbon Barrel Aged Cider | |
Good Sir | Pivotal Brewing | Rhode Island | Bristol | Ordinary Bitter | |
Beijing Black | Potbelly Brewery | Northamptonshire | Kettering | Strong Dark Mild | Honorable Mention |
High & Dry | Stowe Cider | Vermont | Stowe | Unfiltered Dry Cider | Honorable Mention |
Wimbledon Best Bitter | Wimbledon Brewery | Greater London | Wimbledon | Best Bitter | Honorable Mention |
Last Drop | Windsor & Eton | Berkshire | Windsor | Rose Red Bitter | |
Saturday, March 29th | |||||
Brew | Brewed by | County/State | City | Style | Rating |
Deception | Abbeydale Brewery | South Yorkshire | Sheffield | NZ Pale Ale – Gluten Free | Honorable Mention |
Clasp | Attic Brew Co. | West Midlands | Birmingham | Hoppy Pale Ale | Top-5 |
XPA | Backbeat Brewing | Massachusetts | Beverly | Extra Pale Ale | |
Northern Blonde | Brass Castle Brewery | North Yorkshire | Malton | Blonde Ale | |
Crooked River Bitter | Crooked River | Cumbria | Workington | Best Bitter | Honorable Mention |
Gentile Stout | Gentile Brewing | Massachusetts | Beverly | Dry Stout | Top-5 |
Tryumph | Jennings | Cumbria | Cockermouth | Pale Ale | |
Thirst Quencher | Keswick Brewery | Cumbria | Keswick | Pale Ale | |
Mayflower Bitter | Leigh on Sea Brewery | Essex | Leigh on Sea | Best Bitter | Honorable Mention |
Wipe Out | Little Ox | Oxfordshire | Oxford | American Pale Ale (APA) | |
Bible Black | Nene Valley Brewery | Northamptonshire | Oundle | English Porter | |
Whirlpool | Night Shift Brewing | Massachusetts | Boston | Hazy Pale Ale | Honorable Mention |
Bulwark Bitter | Papworth Brewery | Cambridgeshire | Earith | Bitter | Honorable Mention |
Schwemme | Schilling Beer | New Hampshire | Littleton | German Schankbier | Honorable Mention |
Ranmore | Surrey Hills Brewery | Surrey | Dorking | Session Pale Ale | |
Gold State Lager | Zero Gravity | Vermont | Burlington | West Coast Pilsner | Honorable Mention |
Upcoming Cask Events (Festivals and Otherwise)
- 4/12/26: Yards Real Ale Invitational @ Yards Brewing, Philadelphia PA. Tickets now available.
- 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
- 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).
