黄 嘉 維

This past weekend was the ‘Cask Head’ Cask Ale Festival at The Brazen Head in Brooklyn. At $4 for a 10-ounce sample or, if one were feeling bold, $6 for a 16-ounce sample, there was plenty of beer coming out of those casks. Despite some of the more-anticipated casks not making it to the event, Alex Hall did an excellent job at lining up some top-notch beers for the festival.

A close-up of the casks.

Event organizer Alex Hall fills a patron’s glass.

A list of beers I tried and information regarding each beer.

• Cape Ann Fisherman’s Navigator (7.5%). Style: Doppelbock. From Gloucester, Massachusetts.
  Deep amber in colour with bitter chocolate and dark malt flavours.
• Otter Creek Sea Otter (7.2%). Style: Baltic Porter (lager yeast). From Middlebury, Vermont.
  A dark ruby, softly-hopped, and beautifully well rounded brew with a malty backbone and notes of chocolate at the finish.
• Defiant Abbey Single (5.0%). Style: Belgian Pale Ale. From Pearl River, New York.
  A reddish, easy-drinking Belgian-style session ale with a mild fruitiness.
• Chelsea Frosty’s Winter Wheat Wine (9.3%). Style: Wheat Wine. From Chelsea Piers, Manhattan, New York.
  A one-off strong version of the regular winter wheat beer, your last chance to try it cask-conditioned.
• Chelsea Nut Brown Ale (4.1%). Style: American Brown Ale. From Chelsea Piers, Manhattan, New York.
  A new style for Chelsea, this delicious, hazy brown session ale has a distinct nuttiness on the tongue, together with toasted malts. The aroma is of roasted nuts.