Life is short … drink real ale!

BREWERY SCENE

by Jeff Rogers

Cask Ale, sometimes called “Real Ale,” seems to be busting out all over. Last weekend in Derry, then next week and the following weekend in South Boston. If you join in, I guarantee you’ll taste some flavors that you don’t often get at your neighborhood craft brewery – though admittedly, there are exceptions.

For a little background on cask ale, see the last edition of this column. Just click here.

And here’s a wee bit more…

About Cask Conditioning

– excerpt from Cellarmanship by Ivor Clissold, 1997.

“Cask Conditioning is the process in which a draught beer retains yeast to enable a secondary fermentation to take place in a cask. Beer that is cask conditioned is neither filtered nor pasteurized and is often called cask ale, real ale, or in Britain, traditional ale.

“The residual yeast that is left in the beer after it is transferred to the cask will continue changing the sugars into alcohol and produce carbon dioxide. The cask must be vented during conditioning by using a soft spile that allows excess gas to escape. Contrary to foreign opinion, cask conditioned beer should never be flat. A certain amount of carbon dioxide must be retained in the beer to give it liveliness on the palate; this is the “condition” sought by the cellarman.

“The beer goes through a stage of “dropping bright,” the settling of the yeast and proteins to the bottom of the cask, leaving the beer perfectly clear. This task is accomplished by adding finings to the beer that bind the sediment and carry it to the bottom of the cask. Finings are made, improbably, from isinglass, the swim bladders of sturgeon.”

So, a bonus! As my father always said, sturgeon swim bladders make everything better!

So, coming up we have the New England Real Ale Exhibition (NERAX) 2025 in south Boston. And just last weekend we had NH’s Cask Ale festival 2025 in Derry. Let’s talk about the future first…

New England Real Ale Exhibition (NERAX) 2025

NERAX in south Boston claims to be the longest running Cask Ale Festival in the United States. Nothing to sneeze at, that! Tickets are now on sale, and they also still need volunteers to help out. They will feature 100 real ales, lagers, and ciders from the US and UK over a 4 day period.

Details:

• Days: Wednesday – Saturday, April 2 – 5, 2025
• Hours: Wed, Thu, Fri … 6:30 – 10 PM
  • Sat … 12 – 4 PM and 5 – 9 PM
• Location: South Boston Lithuanian Club
  • 368 W Broadway, Boston, MA 02127

What to expect at a NERAX Festival

When you arrive, at the entry expect to show your ID and get a wristband. Then get a glass for your tastings, for a $5 deposit. You can return the glass & get back your deposit, or you can take the glass home.

There are 5 distinct tasting sessions, one per day and two on Saturday. In a single session, there are typically 35-50 offerings. The offerings will vary a bit from day to day. Across all 5 sessions, there will be around 100 distinct offerings. All of the beers/ciders available at any given time are listed on boards above the bar.

When ordering a beer you can get a 5, 10 , or 20 ounce pour (depending on ABV).

Beer/Cider Prices vary by ABV and Size:

• < 7.0% ABV:
  • $3 (5 oz)
  • $5 (10 oz)
  • $10 (20 oz)
• 7.0 – 9.9% ABV:
  • $4 (5 oz)
  • $7 (10 oz)
  • no 20 oz pours
• >=10% ABV:
  • $5 (5 oz)
  • no 10 or 20 oz pours

NERAX is a cash only bar so plan accordingly.  There is an ATM on the first floor  of the hall and several ATMs in the area.

Food

Fox Den restaurant of Woburn will be selling Pierogis.

Map

Cask.On 2025 – NH’s Cask Ale Festival

Cask.On 2025 was the 8th annual event in a series of cask ale tastings held in southern New Hampshire, at Cask & Vine in Derry. This year they had 29 ales on hand.

On arrival, after showing our tickets, we were given a taste of an ale brewed on-site at Daydreaming Brewing Company. This was called Broadway Bitter, of a traditional style known as Extra Special Bitter (or ESB), at 4.9% ABV (alcohol by volume). Very tasty.

As we were sipping, my wife saw some folks she’d worked with before, and they graciously invited us to join them at their table. Small pours of ale were being served up front, tables and seating in the back.

I was prepared to find these ales a bit flat, and after tasting I would say that none were extremely flat. True, none had the levels of carbonation that you will typically find in a commercially served beer anywhere around here. So in terms of flatness, they pretty much met my expectation. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, I would say comes down to personal preference. For me, I would say it was merely different.

I had also heard that these ales might be served a bit on the warm side. Personally I did not find that to be the case, all were quite cool. Absolutely none were warmer than I would have preferred.

Flavors were generally vivid and good.

For me the stand-out offering, head and shoulders above everything else, was from Hobbs Brewing in Ossipee, called Sugar Moon Bourbon Barrel Aged. Aroma and flavor absolutely burst forth from my glass, delicious on the nose and on the tongue. However, at 10% ABV, I was glad these were only small tasting pours.

To my delight, Hobbs Brewing sells a non-cask version of this, which I plan to seek out. Their web site describes it as follows:

“Scotch Ale with Maple Syrup And Candy Cap Mushrooms

“Springtime in New Hampshire means the sap is running and the taps are flowing as we emerge from the cold of winter. This beer is brewed in celebration of the thaw; brewed with maple syrup, candy cap mushrooms, and aged in bourbon barrels. A base of sweet caramel and toffee flavors with layered notes of maple syrup, figs, and spice make this a unique and complex brew.”

My number two ale of the day was from Henniker Brewing, called Brazilian Amburana & The King — nice word play there! This was an Imperial Stout, also high ABV, another 10% ale. Gotta watch out for those high numbers! This ale was aged in Brazilian Amburana Wood Chips. Amburana, native to Brazil and surrounding countries, is definitely having a bit of a moment. CraftBeer.com wrote in 2019 that “American brewers who are experimenting with this intriguing wood are raving about the characteristics it’s bringing to their beers.” It’s a bit of a pricey experiment: one Amburana barrel costs about 3 times the price of a good whiskey barrel. But that price may prove to be a bargain. Said one writer of an Amburana sample he’d brought home from Brazil, when dropped into hot water it “immediately began to bleed yellow, almost like a bullion cube. Within minutes, the colorful Amburana tea triggered memories of baked goods.”

Also very good were a couple of Rauchbiers (smoked ales), one from 603 Brewery and one from Jacks Abby in Framingham. Also red ales from Post & Beam, Ogie Brewing Company, and To Share Brewing. And a Belgian Style Tripel from Spyglass.

Perhaps the most distinct flavor of the day was to be found in “Jalapeno Lime Apostrophe,” an IPA from Some Brewing Company. The mix of jalapeno, lime, and pineapple was strong and remarkable. Also just a bit medicinal. So even a few days later I’m not really sure how much I liked it. But it was an adventure!

And “adventure” is a good way to sum up this event. It was a great way to try some new things.

Below, the cask ales that were present…

• 1. Daydreaming Brewing Company
  • Broadway Bitter 
  • Style: Extra Special Bitter
  • ABV: 4.9%
  • Treatment: Nothing added.
• 2. Daydreaming Brewing Company
  • Quadrophenia
  • Style: Belgian Quad
  • ABV: 8.5%
  • Treatment: Rum Soaked Toasted Oak.
• 3. Martha’s Exchange
  • Avena Robusta
  • Style: Oatmeal Stout
  • ABV: 5.5%
  • Treatment: Conditioned on Robust Dark Maple Syrup, Toasted oak and cinnamon.
• 4. Post & Beam
  • Elver
  • Style: Red Rye Ale
  • ABV: 4.5%
  • Treatment: Nothing added.
• 5. Kelsen Brewing Company
  • Daylight
  • Style: Golden Ale
  • ABV: 4.2%
  • Treatment: Lemon & lime juice and zest.
• 6. Rockingham Brewing Company
  • Oatmeal Snout
  • Style: Oatmeal Stout
  • ABV: 5.4%
  • Treatment: Coffee Beans & Local Honey.
• 7. 603 Brewery
  • Smoketoberfest
  • Style: Bamberg Marzen
  • ABV: 5.4%
  • Treatment: Nothing added
• 8. Aeronaut Brewing Company
  • Pub Pals Ale
  • Style: British Golden Ale
  • ABV: 4.4%
  • Treatment: Nothing added.
• 9. Battery Steele Brewing
  • Red Ale
  • Style: Red Ale
  • ABV: 5.1%
  • Treatment: Nothing added
• 10. Deciduous Brewing Company
  • Rowan
  • Style: Irish Stout
  • ABV: 5.5%
  • Treatment: Primed with Brown Sugar.
• 11. Henniker Brewing Company
  • Brazilian Amurana & the King 
  • Style: Imperial Stout
  • ABV: 10%
  • Treatment: Aged in Brazilian Amburana Wood Chips.
• 12. Hobbs Brewing Company
  • Sugar Moon Bourbon Barrel Aged
  • Style: Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Wee Heavy
  • ABV: 10%
  • Treatment: Cask conditioned on maple syrup.
• 13. Jacks Abby
  • Fire & Bernstein
  • Style: Bamberg Maerzen Rauchbier
  • ABV: 5.7%
  • Treatment: Nothing added
• 14. Lord Hobo Brewing Co
  • Crispy Boom
  • Style: India Pale Ale
  • ABV: 6%
  • Treatment: Dry Hopped with Nelson Sauvin.
• 15. Mighty Squirrel Brewing
  • Ring of Kerry
  • Style: Irish Red Ale
  • ABV: 4.5%
  • Treatment: Nothing added
• 16. Ogie Brewing Company
  • Sassy Red Lass
  • Style: Red Ale
  • ABV: 6.7%
  • Treatment: Nothing added.
• 17. The Prodigal Brewing Company
  • Hither & Yon
  • Style: Special Bitter
  • ABV: 6.3%
  • Treatment: Small amount of primer and lagered.
• 18. Shovel Town Brewing Company
  • Sos Beag
  • Style: Irish Golden Ale
  • ABV: 4.2%
  • Treatment: Nothing added.
• 19. Some Brewing Company
  • Jalapeno Lime Apostrophe
  • Style: India Pale Ale
  • ABV: 68%
  • Treatment: Jalapeno, Lime, and Pineapple chunks.
• 20. Spyglass Brewing Company
  • Perpetual
  • Style: Belgian Style Tripel
  • ABV: 9%
  • Treatment: Nothing added.
• 21. Stoneface Brewing Co.
  • Double Dry-Hopped Full Clip
  • Style: NEIPA
  • ABV: 6.5%
  • Treatment: Double dry-hopped with Citra, Idaho 7, and Simcoe hops.
• 22. Sunstone Brewing Co.
  • Maple Espresso Porter
  • Style: Porter
  • ABV: 6%
  • Treatment: Nothing added.
• 23. Talespinner Brewery
  • Daisyworld
  • Style: Belgian Blonde
  • ABV: 7.5%
  • Treatment: Primed with maple syrup
• 24. The Tap Brewing Company
  • The Gilded Sparrow
  • Style: British Golden Ale
  • ABV: 4.3%
  • Treatment: Nothing added.
• 25. Throwback Brewery
  • Rule the Roost
  • Style: NEIPA
  • ABV: 6.9%
  • Treatment: A second dry hopping of Simcoe and Krush hops.
• 26. To Share Brewing Company
  • Algebraic
  • Style: Rotbier (German Red Lager)
  • ABV: 5.9%
  • Treatment: Nothing added.
• 27. Twin Barns Brewing Co.
  • Rustic Roast
  • Style: Coffee-Chocolate Stout
  • ABV: 5.5%
  • Treatment: Aged with cold brew coffee and cacao nibs.
• 28. Wormtown
  • Be Juicy
  • Style: NEIPA
  • ABV: 7%
  • Treatment: Mosaic dry hop.
• 29. Schilling Beer Co.
  • Hanse
  • Style: Keller Pilsner
  • ABV: 5%
  • Treatment: Nothing added

This made for a terrific day! I hope to have many similar adventures in the future, and I hope you will too!