Retire, they said.
You will be able to put your feet up whenever you feel like it, they said.
So here I am, late on a Monday evening, with my feet up.
My poor aching feet.
Alright, so it is only my right foot, but my left knee also decided to go on strike, out of sympathy.
How did I get to this sorry state?
Let me tell you a story.
Last Friday afternoon started harmlessly enough with an early visit to Jones Wood Foundry, with plans to get the ferry (or ferries) over to Greenpoint later, to check out what Brouwerij Lane had lined up for their First Friday Firkin.
I strolled into JWF to find Old Glenham’s Ian Hatton working hard behind the bar, cleaning and replacing the cask beer lines.
I grabbed a Bobbin red ale while the beer engine was still attached to its cask, and enquired about the Fifth Hammer Hollace NeverHolly that was on the other handpump.
The NeverHolly was on its last legs and was promptly replaced by a fresh pin of the same.
I like what Fifth Hammer have been doing with this beer, every time that I have had it, it has come with a different dry-hop treatment; it really shows the versatility of the base beer, that it can handle the variants.
Pretty shortly Jason wandered into the bar and us three Brits just hung out for a while, before I decided that I needed to be moving on, if I was going to have the capacity to handle whatever Brouwerij Lane was going to throw at me.
Once outside, I made the fateful decision (oops) to walk to Brouwerij Lane, over the 59th Street Bridge, through LIC, over the Pulaski Bridge, and into Greenpoint.
The sole and heel of my right foot started objecting as soon as I got to the Queens side of the river.
Just a little nag.
Nothing really for a man who is still planning on walking the virtual Honolulu Marathon around NYC in the near future.
By the time that I got over by the Green Monster (the former Chase tower) though, I was ready to take the weight off of my legs for a while, besides I needed to eat before continuing what was ominously turning into a cask crawl.
The Court Square Diner (circa 1946) resolved both my foot and belly issues, with a generous late breakfast of corned beef hash and eggs, and once more I was strolling with confidence down Jackson Avenue and heading towards Brooklyn.
Many years ago, 1980 I believe, shortly after I first arrived on these fair shores I was assigned to a project for a phone/technology company who were located across the rail tracks from Court Square, and the diner was one of my usual haunts at lunchtimes, being right under the 7-line subway station.
This was probably the first time that I had been back inside the premises in 45 years; time really does fly by.
Meanwhile, back on the hike, I was still cruising along nicely until I got to the Brooklyn side of the Pulaski Bridge, when the dull ache returned.
That last mile to Brouwerij Lane was a struggle.
But I got there, made my presence known, and the cask of the month was promptly fetched and tapped.
And a fine brew it was too.
A Rye Saison (S6 maybe?) from Transmitter Brewing, spicy from both the grain and the yeast, and surprisingly quite lively and very well carbonated.
I probably spent a good hour and a half slowly supping two pints, resting my weary bones, and delighting in the company of a couple of four-footed locals and their friendly humans.
The more I visit Brouwerij Lane, the more I enjoy it; if it wasn’t located in one of those hidden-away (from Manhattan) places, I would venture in more often.
I can certainly see why it is popular with the locals.
But all too soon, it was time to strap my peg-leg back on and work my way back home.
Which of course would involve a visit to Fifth Hammer; well, it is on the way to the ferry, isn’t it?
For the second month in succession, I declined a return walk across the Pulaski Bridge, and bailed out via the G-train; it is just so convenient.
And, for the second month in succession, my visit to Fifth Hammer was a fleeting one; I stayed just long enough to have another pint of Hollace NeverHolly (Zappa hops this time), hit the wee room at the back, and check out the schedule for the ferry.
Short and sweet.
Unlike the three (-ish) blocks to the river in Queens, and the four (-ish) blocks from the river in Manhattan.
Which were uncomfortable at best.
Total tally for the day; seven miles hiked, three boroughs crawled, three pubs visited, five cask pours consumed, and one leg remaining operational.
Not bad for a soon-to-be retiree.
Scorecard w/e 3/11/25
In the past week the Cask Whisperer has enjoyed the following casks:
- Old Glenham Bobbin Red Ale @ Jones Wood Foundry
- Fifth Hammer Hollace Neverholly Pale Ale w/Equinox(?) @ Jones Wood Foundry
- Fifth Hammer Hollace Neverholly Pale Ale w/NYS Cascade @ Jones Wood Foundry
- Transmitter S6 Rye Saison @ Brouwerij Lane
- Fifth Hammer Hollace Neverholly Pale Ale w/Zappa @ Fifth Hammer
Upcoming Cask Events (Festivals and Otherwise)
3/21/25: Two Roads Cask Fest @ Two Roads Brewing, Stratford CT
3/23/25: An Afternoon of Casks IV @ Nod Hill Brewery, Ridgefield CT
3/23/25: Cask-On @ Cask & Vine, Derry NH
Oh dear, I am going to miss it again.
3/29/25: Gowanus Cask Crawl with the NYC Cask Crew
4/2/25 – 4/5/25: 26th Annual NERAX will be held in the South Boston Lithuanian Club, Boston MA.
4/27/25: 2025 Yards Invitational at Yards Brewing Company in Philadelphia PA.
5/24/25: New York State British Real Ale Festival @ Seneca Lake Brewing, Rock Stream NY
6/7/2025: Log Jammin’ V @ Human Robot Beer, Philadelphia PA
Upcoming Random NYC Casks
- None spotted yet.
NYC Cask Venues
Known Operational/Active Beer Engines
- Jones Wood Foundry (x2)
- Fifth Hammer
- Wild East
- The Shakespeare (x3)
- Cask Bar & Kitchen
- Drop-off Service
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
Cask Venues Reachable from NYC by MTA Train
Metro-North Hudson Line
- Draught Industries, Beacon NY (one handpump, Old Glenham beer range).
- Coopers, 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 tapped Thursdays, Marlowe beer range)
- Nod Hill Brewing, Ridgefield CT (two handpumps, Nod Hill beer range).
