If you’re a beer-lover in NYC here’s one event you shouldn’t miss. Since most people in the US like their light, ice-cold, and bubbly lagers, cask ale, or “real ale,” is pretty uncommon outside of the city. Since the lifespan of a cask ale once tapped is only a few days, the idea of this event is genius: get a whole bunch of cask ales together, for a swarm of beer lovers to drink over three days, or until the casks are kicked. Strategically, the first night is the night to go, but you can still drink your fill tonight and tomorrow at Chelsea Brewing Company at Chelsea Piers.

The definition of Cask Ale or “Real Ale” by the Campaign for Real Ale is is: “Unfiltered, unpasteurized beer brewed only from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide.” Unlike keg beer, which is filtered, artificially-carbonated, served cold, and stored in a drum that forces beer out under gas pressure, cask ale contains living yeast that continues to ferment. Finings such as irish moss are added to drag the yeast down to the bottom so you don’t get a mouthful of yeastiness. It is best consumed within three days of the cask being tapped, although a stronger beer will last longer.

If you’re not wild about the idea of sipping a warm, flat pint of sediment-heavy ale, it’s actually better than it sounds. I tasted a few (natural) bubbles, and didn’t miss the excess. The beer is cool (though not cold), and I did taste more yeast, but I found it was easier to notice other flavors too, especially with a row of little glasses lined up for tasting. Of the two-page, 46-beer list, I picked the one cask that was never delivered to be excited about: The Blue Point Cherry Imperial Stout. But I was pleased with the Butternuts extra-special porkslap, a unique pale ale which had a nice maltiness as opposed to being overly hoppy. The Brooklyn ‘Black Ops’ imperial stout (10% ABV and aged in bourbon barrels) was rich, molasses-dark, and VERY strong. I probably over-reached a bit by ordering a pint of it (I noticed my server’s eyebrows did shoot up a bit when I asked for “a big one.”). Each beer is available in an 8 oz or 16 oz glass, and prices range from about $3.00-$4.50 for 8oz, and $6.00-$9.00 for 16oz. There’s no admission fee, though you need to purchase sheets of $20 “tokens.” Beer-friendly food such as bratwurst and knishes are also available. I drank up all my tokens before I got to try it, but the word on the street is the pulled pork is worthwhile.

The 2nd Manhattan Cask Ale Festival

NYTimes.com: “The Power in the Cask: Old Ways New Beer”

Friday September 19-Sunday September 21
Chelsea Brewing Company, Chelsea Piers
17th Street and West Side Highway