2nd manhattan cask ale festival at chelsea brewing company

yesterday afternoon i checked out the 2nd manhattan cask ale festival at the chelsea brewing company. the event was part of nyc craft beer week (12 -21 september) and the cask ale festival continues through this weekend. if you're in the city and thirsting for some great beer, get over to the west side and check it out!



here's part of the event description:

New York Craft beer Week concludes with an incredible presentation of tradition. Around 45 ‘firkins’ of craft-brewed cask-conditioned ale will be available, all being tapped from the start, and each available on a pay-as- you-go basis until each is kicked. With no entry fee, come and go as you please to fully enjoy the selection. For three days, until the last cask is kicked, these unfiltered, naturally-carbonated beers will be presented traditionally at cellar temperature. The breadth of American brewing capabilities will be on full display as more traditional methods are adapted to deliver full flavored beers."



john, a veritable factotum of beer and beer related information (and great writer to boot), and i shared this prime location table for the first couple of beers. the first two i tried were:

harveistoun "ice maiden" and
dark horse "oktoberfest"



then we met up with rick (the man behind the seattle international beer festival) and his wife. while the socializing continued, i tried these beers:

milly's tavern "tennessee t.n.t" - a barleywine,
the livery "herb superb black i.p.a"
cape ann "fisherman's pumpkin stout"



all in all, i got to try 5 excellent cask conditioned beers (8 ounces each) for the bargain price of $20 in festival coupons. plus, for an extra $3, took home a commemorative beer glass.

now if i can only convince some friends to head back there with me before the beer is all tapped out....
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check out our trip to the 3rd manhattan cask ale festival!