It’s been a very long time since my darling wife and I were last out together in the evening.
I mean really out.
Not just watching the grandkids or the granddog.
Not just a hasty dinner on the terrace in our building.
Not just a social visit with family or friends or neighbors.
Nope.
Just the two of us, at a concert, or a restaurant, or better yet, a pub.
Or even a brewery.
Don’t get me wrong, we are not boring stay-at-homes by nature.
We would love to get out more frequently.
But usually one of us has to stay home and watch whichever doggie guest (or guests) we have staying over.
Or one, or usually both, of us are just too worn out to get out of our cozy couches and venture out after dark.
But this past Thursday it finally came together.
We had a totally free day coming up on Friday, so no need to rest up before the usual mayhem.
We had a relatively easy day under our belts, just the two regularly scheduled dog walks and no visitors.
And it was a Thursday, so live music at Fifth Hammer.
And it was a very nice day, so live outdoor music at Fifth Hammer.
We went for it.
The official posted hours for the live sessions are 6:30 to 9:00 pm, but I knew from past experience that it usually kicks off closer to 7:00 pm.
I also knew that I would need to check the time of the last ferry home (8:40 pm), and would only get to watch the first of two sets.
But that is one more set than I have attended in the last year, and one more than my wife has attended at all, so we were both really looking forward to it.
It did not disappoint.
The weather stayed great.
Cuzme’s band was in fine form.
Chris himself was a very gracious host.
Three pints of Paddy Neverpat were consumed; a murky (yet still delicious) one from the bottom of one barrel (no charge) and two perfect pints from the top of the next.
Several dogs were accosted greeted by my missus.
And we even found ourselves chatting with another expat Nigel, who has actually lived in NYC for several years longer than I have; over 100 years between the two of us.
Hey, we even got a spectacular light show on the LIC waterfront, and a calm breezy nighttime cruise on the top deck of the ferry home.
With a little more calendar control, we could get used to this.
Scorecard w/e 10/13/26
In the past week the Cask Whisperer enjoyed the following casks:
- Fifth Hammer Paddy Neverpat Pale Ale @ Fifth Hammer Brewery
Upcoming Cask Events (Festivals and Otherwise)
- 10/24/26: Blocktoberfest rescheduled, this time it will be held at The Lot @ LIC Culture Lab, right across the street from Rockaway Brewery, between 1pm and 5pm. Will there be any casks? I am willing to chance it.
- 11/7/26: Guy Fawkes celebration and bonfire @ Seneca Lake Brewing, Rock Stream NY. I am going to miss this one again because, see below…
- 11/7/26: Blue Point Cask Ale Fest 2026 @ Blue Point Brewery, Patchogue NY. Tickets now on sale.
- 11/12/26: Rumors of Wayward Lane casks @ Rough Draft, Harlem.
- 1/15/27-1/16/27: RIF-RAF (Rhode Island’s Finest Real Ale Festival) returns to the Guild Brewing Co. in Pawtucket RI.
- 4/7/27-4/10/27: Dates have been set for NERAX
Upcoming Random NYC Casks
- Nothing that has caught my attention this week.
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).
