I didn’t set out to do this.
I didn’t even realize until afterwards.
But last week I managed to get my Real Ale in four different formats, four different methods of conditioning, four different methods of dispense.
A happy accident, spread over two sessions.
Session number one was a hasty return to City Swiggers, where Eckhart Beer were conducting a tasting of their canned beers up front, serving a couple on draft including the awesome Adambier, and featuring a stichfaß of their strong Czech pale lager.
You can probably guess why I was there.
I had tasted the Svetle Special “from the wood” once before at the NYC Beer Week Opening Bash, but this was the first chance to get it in a properly sized glass.
Stronger than the regular Czech pale lager, but not dangerously so; it was both maltier and hoppier, and so good that I stayed for a couple (he means three) after starting with a glass of the aforementioned Adambier.
I stayed for an hour or two, chatting with the good folks from Swiggers and Eckhart and a few of the regular patrons, before picking up a bottle to take home to my wine fridge.
Good session.
The second session was supposed to be a small crawl around the East Village, but ended up being an extended stopover in an old (very old) favorite, d.b.a. followed by an overdue return to Drop Off Service; trying to catch up on my cask rounds.
It had been so many years since I was last in d.b.a. that I almost didn’t recognize the place and was concerned that it had gone the same way as the Ginger Man.
I was even more concerned when I saw the draft list, which wasn’t especially inspiring but did include a previously unknown (to me) pink cider and KCBC Beach Zombie (I killed the keg), so I started off with a couple of pink beers before planning my next location.
And then after returning from the men’s “room” (thankfully unchanged, with only the urinal functioning) I happened to look up at the boards behind the bar and spotted all manner of interesting beverages in bottle and can.
Including an old (very old) favorite of mine, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
I bought it on spec and frantically searched the label for the magic words “Can Conditioned”.
And there they were, right in the center of the label between the mountain lake picture and the “PALE ALE”.
Thankfully, some things never change.
We have a long history SNPA and I.
When it finally hit the east coast 30-40 years ago, it was one of the two beers (the other being Anchor Liberty Ale) that convinced me that Americans can brew good beer, and that maybe I should stay awhile; draft and bottle (bottle conditioned of course) back in those days.
It was a constant companion on my many long-distance train trips across the country, when it was the standard “craft” can available in all of the Amtrak café cars; sadly it has since been replaced by newer, lesser options.
These days it is actually quite difficult to find in the wild, in bar or beer store or supermarket, so I was very grateful to see that d.b.a. still recognizes it as a great American craft beer.
Deep amber, frothy/foamy/creamy white head and a piney hoppiness that is both subtle and intense.
I was now in no rush to move on, and went back to the boards to see what was available in the sour and funky listings.
Tynt Meadow caught my eye.
Not only a new(ish) Trappist beer, but from an English monastery, one that I had been quietly hunting for a couple of years, and bottle-conditioned as it should be.
This was the original “Belgian” strong dark ale; deep brown/red/black with a thin but foamy head and typical bready/fruity aroma, with familiar notes of malt and candy sugar on the palate but something a little different from the other dark Trappist ales, a distinct hint of licorice.
A very good beer, which makes me look forward to removing that bottle from my wine fridge very soon, the Tynt Meadow blonde ale.
It was a very good visit to d.b.a. with the early afternoon bar scene pretty much as I remember it from decades ago; a handful of folk of all ages, all actually interested in the beer. Nice!
After the four-beer “crawl” along the bar in d.b.a. it was time to resume (he means conclude) my actual crawl with a visit to Drop Off Service, to see what they had available on cask.
They had the delicious Auger Porter from Dutchess Ales.
They also had a more typical East Village, or should I say Alphabets, bar scene going on; a mostly younger crowd (not bros) in groups of three and four, pretty much filling the space and leaving me just enough room to park myself at the near corner of the bar, right next to the handpump.
Where I sat for a good hour or so, slowly sipping a couple of pints of the Auger (dark, chewy and full-bodied) and chatting with Martin behind the bar whenever he had few minutes to catch his breath.
It was good to see the place doing a brisk trade with what appeared to be young regulars; quite different from the older clientele that I usually get to hang out with when I visit during the week, but just as valid.
It is good to see these two spaces still thriving in an ever-evolving neighborhood, each in their own distinct manner.
Now we just need to bring back the Mars Bar and the Continental.
And reinstall the handpump in Barcade on St. Marks.
And I need to go back and finish my crawl, with a visit to Burp Castle on the agenda.
I may even find a Real Ale there.
Somewhere on the bottle list.
Scorecard w/e 05/12/26
In the past week the Cask Whisperer has enjoyed the following real ales, in cask, stichfaß, bottled-conditioned, and can-conditioned form:
- Eckhart Beer Svetle Special (stichfaß) @ City Swiggers
- Mount St. Bernard Tynt Meadow English Trappist Ale (bottle-conditioned) @ d.b.a.
- Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (can-conditioned) @ d.b.a.
- Dutchess Auger Porter (cask/handpump) @ Drop Off Service
Upcoming Cask Events (Festivals and Otherwise)
- 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. I really enjoyed it last year and just bought my ticket for this year! [Alert: There is a possibility that LIRR will be on strike on the day of the event. If that happens, you can always get the NICE n6 bus from Jamaica and use your OMNY card; you may even get a free transfer from the subway]
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).
This Post Has 2 Comments
Thank you for sharing your chronicles! I came across your pub while searching for a proper real ale after moving back from London, where I fell in love with British ales. I can’t wait to visit on a grey, rainy day for a cheeky pint from your beer engine.
The list you’ve put together is phenomenal. I’ve pinned the pubs for a future visit. The Auger sounds incredible. I can already imagine the mouthfeel and development of a handpumped cask ale!
Also glad to see you’re enamored with SNPA, being from CA. Have you tried their new Premium Pils? It’s almost like being served a fresh Stange in Köln, though not quite vom Faß. Keep these wonderful entries coming. Cheers!
Hi Daniel and thanks for your vote of confidence!
It looks like you really get the two things that I am trying to do with the blog: to document a time and a place, occasionally several times and several places, and to provide up to date information for the seeker of cask ale in the NYC area.
There is quite a bit of information out on the web regarding cask venues and events but about 90% of it is either out of date or just incorrect, or both.
I am not saying that mine is perfect, but it is constantly researched and revised as needed.
If you are looking to swing by JWF for a pint or two, we have a World Cup coming up and you can be sure that a lot of like-minded souls will be hanging out here for the England and Scotland games, and any others that they can fit in.
Hope to see you here soon.
In the meantime, I will check out the Premium Pils.
Cheers!