New York Cork Report

Scenes from the 2012 Long Island Nano Cask Festival

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

At beer events, including the 2012 Long Island Nano Cask Festival last weekend, I'm often introduced as "A wine guy who likes beer too." I'm not even sure that's accurate anymore. I drink nearly as much beer as I do wine. There's little I like better after a long day tasting wine than a couple pints -- preferably of a hoppy, bitter-but-barely-balanced IPA. 

With beer, I know what I like and don't like, but I don't know anywhere near as much as the talented NYCR beer team -- including our Long Island Correspondent, Donavan Hall, who is one-third of the team behind Rocky Point Artisan Brewers, organizers of the festival Sunday afternoon.

In it's third year, the festival -- at least from an attendee's perspective -- went off without a hitch. Though well attended, the festival never felt crowded and one never had it wait longer than a few minutes to get a fresh taste of cask ale from one of seven nano-breweries and two homebrew groups in attendance.

Honestly, some of the beers were a bit underwhelming -- either not true to style or simply didn't benefit from the cask format. I can think of at least two beers that would have benefited greatly from more aggressive carbonation. But, the high points were pretty high with beers like Ghost Cast Brewing's Blood Red Rye, Port Jeff Brewing's Citra Dry-Hopped Schooner Ale, Barrier Brewing's Oil City Black IPA, and Rocky Point Artisan Brewers ESB.

Though I took a notebook with me, it never came out of my pocket. I did take a lot of pictures and figured I'd share a few here. The organizers plan to continue putting this event on annually and I can't recommend it enough if you're a lover of beer -- especially locally brewed beer from small producers.

Reserve Your Seats for "The Wurst Beer Dinner" on October 24 at Luce & Hawkins With Greenport Harbor Brewing

If you'd like to join us, please call the restaurant at (631) 722-2900. Your payment information will be taken when you call and we will have a 48-hour cancellation policy.

October 24: NYCR "The Wurst Beer Dinner" at Luce & Hawkins With Greenport Harbor Brewing

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor 

The next in our series of New York Cork Report Artisan Dinners will take place once again at Luce & Hawkins on Monday, October 24 at 7 p.m.

We're calling it "The Wurst Beer Dinner" and we'll be joined by the folks from Greenport Harbor Brewing, one of the the East End's top breweries. They'll be pouring five of their beers -- including an extremely limited-production cask ale -- along side a killer four-course, Oktoberfest-inspired menu put together by Chef Keith Luce:

First Course: Monkfish Liver Dumpling Soup

Second Course: Duck and Sweetbread wurst Brussels Sprout Kimchi and Red Cabbage

Third Course: Mole' Lacquered Pork Roast with Spent Grain and Parsnip purée and Black Garlic-Malt Powder Spatzle.

Fourth Course: Pumpkin Streudel, Apple-Leaf Pile Ale Sorbet and Maple-Cinnamon Sabayon

Tickets are $45 plus tax and tip and we only have 40 seats available for this dinner.

For those who miss out on the dinner, Luce & Hawkins will be offering a burger-and-beer special downstairs all night.

If you'd like to join us, please call the restaurant at (631) 722-2900. Your payment information will be taken when you call and we will have a 48-hour cancellation policy.

Hope to see you there. It's going to be a fun one!

NOFO Rock and Folk Fest Kicks Off Tomorrow

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

NOFO Rock and Folk Fest, the second annual two-day music festival will kick off at Peconic  Bay Winery tomorrow at 11 a.m.

My family and I had a great time at last year's event and we look forward to attending again on Sunday.

I'll admit to not knowing many of artists performing over the two days, but for me, it's barely about the music itself -- it's more about friends and family and enjoying a day in wine country, sipping local wine and beer, listening to music (any music) in a family-friendly environment.

For those more in the know, the lineup includes: Foghat, Elvin Bishop, Corky Laing & The Memory Thieves, John Sebastian, Commander Cody, Gordon Gano & The Ryans, Lance Lopez, John Eddie, Jon DiVello Band, Brian Ritchey, The Lone Sharks, Nancy Atlas, Miles to Dayton and Sunrise Skyline.

Tickets are $48 for one day or $80 for a weekend pass. Student & senior citizen discount available. 

A portion of festival proceeds supports youth music education through the East End Arts Council {501C3}. 

For tickets, visit the NOFO Rock and Folk Fest Site.

If you go on Sunday, come say hello. I'll be the one chasing the 4 year-old around.

 

G. Love to Headline July 4 Event at Jedediah Hawkins Inn

By Mark Grimaldi, Director, Marketing and Events

On Monday, July 4, Luce & Hawkins Restaurant at the Jedediah Hawkins Inn in Jamesport will host an event that is sure to be talked about for quite some time: a 90-person ticketed event featuring local food, beverages and  music. 

Events similar to this have been done on the North Fork for years, but this event is different than anything else done.

Having been a professional musician in between being a James Beard and Food & Wine award-winning chef, Chef Keith Luce has always thought that music and food  go hand in hand, and it has long been his desire to bring this combination to life at the restaurant and inn. 

With my help and some other connections, they were able to get G. Love to sign on as the headlining act for a very special event on July 4. I work with Love’s sister, who imports French wines through Daniel Johnnes Selections and Michael Skurnik Wines. So I made a phone call to her and Love’s management. It wasn’t easy, but we made it happen. 

The music lineup will start in the early afternoon with two opening acts, Bryce Larsen, a top-seven Finalist on American Idol season 9 and John Divello, who is set to release a studio album and is opening for the famous blues guitarist, Johnny Winter next month.

That's just the music -- which is pretty awesome. Chef Luce will be going above and beyond, as he usually does, with the food. He'll serve whole, roasted animals, local seafood and produce.

On hand will be the wines on tap of Gotham Project, with their very own Charles Bieler (of Three Thieves with Joel Gott, and Bieler Rosé fame) manning the custom kegging machine. They will be pouring Finger Lakes riesling as well as a North Fork chardonnay.  Beers will be served by local south shore brewery, Great South Bay, who will be pouring their main beers as well as some small batch beers brewed just for the event.

Only 90 tickets were available when the event was first announced, but it's almost sold out.. 

Call the Inn at (631) 722-2900 and purchase your tickets with Tom or Michael. They will mail you your tickets once you make your reservation or you may come and pick them up.

Inventive Food and Unique Beers Highlight NYCR's First New York Beverage Artisan Dinner

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

Yesterday evening, 30 or so lovers of local food and beer convened in the dining room at Luce & Hawkins for the NYCR's first-ever New York Beverage Artisan dinner featuring Paul Dlugokencky (pictured right) and his unique Blind Bat Brewery beers.

The five beers -- and the menu created just for the event by Chef Keith Luce and his team -- were a hit with the assembled crowd. For me, there were too many highlights to even mention. I could tell you about Paul's inaugural batch of honey-basil ale or his smoked wheat ale -- smoked over oak -- named "Vlad the Inhaler" but then I'd be ignoring his Hellsmoke Porter, one the best beers of its kind that I've tasted, or his Long Island Potato Stout, which is made with local, organic potatoes and at only 3.8% abv packs a pile of flavor.

Maybe it would make sense to talk about the charcuterie program that Keith and his team have undertaken. We got to sample the mortadella, some smoked summer sausage and an incredible chicken gallantine.

The duck wings were succulent and just-spicy -- they are always a favorite.

  Of course, I can't write this post without mentioning the bbq spice doughnuts and black garlic ice cream, which was as weird as it was delicious.

And the way that the beers and foods went together was nothing short of enlightening and inspiring.

I'd like to thank Paul, Keith and his team for an incredible evening with a great group of people. It's a pleasure to spend an evening with so many like-minded folks who are as excited as I am about eating and drinking local. To our guests, a hearty thank you as well.

We'll be announcing our next dinner soon -- and don't think for a second that we'll limit ourselves to Long Island producers. We're already talking with some Finger Lakes winemakers about doing dinners here in Long Island wine country.

If you're making good beer, wine or spirits in New York states, we want to talk to you.

 

 

The NYCR and Luce & Hawkins Present... an Evening with Paul Dlugokencky, Blind Bat Brewery, May 23

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

For several years now, I've allowed an idea for a series of local beer, wine and spirit dinner macerate in my mind. I wanted them to be somehow different from the dinners already happening -- because where's the value or fun in doing something that is already being done?

First and foremost, I wanted these dinners to celebrate a person rather than a winery, brewery or distillery. The artisan behind the local beverages needed to be the star. Front and center.

Next, I wanted the dinners to be as affordable possible -- to make them accessible to people who enjoy quality, local food and wine but maybe can't afford $100 per plate.

And lastly, I wanted the food to be creative and the menu be crafted with the chosen beverages in mind. No cookie-cutter menus with "Insert White Wine Here."

And when I met Keith Luce, chef at Luce & Hawkins in Jamesport, a while back, I knew I had met a brother in arms in the eat and drink local movement. These dinners would finally have a home -- outside of my own brain -- and a chef willing to make it happen.

Keith and I -- along with mutual friend and local 'wine guy' Mark Grimaldi -- are pleased to announce the first in this series, an evening with Paul Dlugokencky, founder and brewer at Blind Bat Brewery in Centerport on Monday, May 23 at 7 p.m.

Paul is a true pioneer in the craft brewing revolution underway on Long Island today. Throughout the evening, Paul will discuss his beers and brewing style as we enjoy a three-course meal and five of Paul's small-batch beers -- including his first-ever honey-basil ale.

Seats are $55 (including tax and gratuity) and we only have 40 seats available for this dinner.

If you'd like to join us, please email me to reserve your spot!

Long Island Wine & Food Festival: June 25-27, 2010

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

With Long Island's incredible bounty -- the fish, the fowl, the produce, the beer and of course the wine -- it's actually a little baffling that an event like the  Long Island Wine & Food Festival will be happening for the first time on June 25-27. It's an event whose time has come and I'm glad that the organizers have taken it on and have gotten so many wineries, producers and restaurants involved. 

There is a kickoff event at Roanoke Vineyards on Friday night that has sold out, but the bulk of the event will happen on Saturday at wineries across the Island, and on Sunday at Mitchell Park in Greenport, where local wineries and restaurants will offer attendees tastes and nibbles.

See the full schedule, which is still being updated as more wineries and restaurants sign on.

The weekend is an excellent opportunity to learn about local flavors, tastes, sights and smells of Long Island’s wine country and I'm looking forward to taking part as much as possible.

Tickets for the Sunday grand tasting -- $50 per person or $90 per couple -- are available online, including half-price designated driver tickets.

Visit the event site for all the details.

The New York Cork Report is proud to be a sponsor for this sure-to-be-fun event -- you might even see us have our own table at the Sunday grand tasting. More on that later as it comes together.

UPDATE: I just received an email from George Caso, one of the event's organizers. The Friday night VIP reception is not sold out -- the site just says that it is. You can still order tickets online.

Drink Long Island Beer for American Craft Beer Week

By Donavan Hall, Beer Columnist

I know all you wine enthusiasts do occasionally open up a bottle of beer (or two). I also know that as folks that appreciate better wine, you also appreciate better beer, what most folks call "craft beer." When you reach for a craft beer next week, make it an American craft beer. I'll tell you why.

American Craft Beer Week starts on May 11 and runs through the 17th. All that we craft beer enthusiasts are asking you to do is when you reach for that beer to choose an American craft beer. And, if you are Long Island, visit one of the breweries near you and tell them you are there to celebrate the American craft beer scene.

You can find a list of the local breweries on my site.

This week-long celebration of American Craft beer started in 2006 when the U.S. Congress passed House Resolution 753. That year I did a wild tour of Long Island visiting every single brewery. If you can't do that you should at least visit one.

The premiere craft beer event on Long Island that week is the Long Island Brewer's Dinner on Monday May 11. This is the second year that the Black Forest Brew Haus in Farmingdale has hosted the event. The party starts a 6 p.m. with appetizers and Long Island Maibocks. The five-course dinner starts at 7 p.m. with beers from the Black Forest, Blue Point, the Brickhouse, John Harvard's, and Southampton being featured. Give the Black Forest a call to reserve: 631-391-9500. The price is $60 plus tax and gratuity.

Also, I want to ask a favor of all you wine enthusiasts. Long Island isn't listed on the "Favorite Beer City, USA" poll that Charlie Papazian is sponsoring. What I want you to do is go to his poll, scroll down, and under "Other" type in "Long Island". We need at least fifty votes to get put officially on the poll.

I know that not every wine enthusiasts will know who Charlie Papazian is, but he's a very important guy in the craft beer world. He's not only president of the Brewers Association, but he's one of the most well know homebrewing evangelists in the world. I learned to brew from reading Charlie's homebrewing book. I've adopted his motto for my life: "Relax. Don't worry. Have a homebrew!" And you can't get more American than that.

Holloween Costume Firkin Friday at DEKS in Rocky Point

By Donavan Hall, Beer Columnist

While I've been off promoting my new book, The Beer Hall Guide to Long Island, the beer scene has been moving and shaking. 

There are many opportunities coming up and going on where the beer-curious drinker to find and taste some excellent beers and to improve their beer knowledge.  The Long Island Beer and Malt Enthusiasts are now hosting a series of beer "study" sessions (once a month on a Thursday, see the Long Island Beer Calendar) where beer experts and novices come together at one table to taste and discuss the history and qualities of a particular beer style.

Long Island also has a beer tradition that I've not seen in other parts of the county (at least at the level that we take it): pumpkin ale season. Each September the Island's breweries release their take on a pumpkin flavored ale and we can't get enough it seems. If you have never had a pumpkin ale, you should know that there is a wide variation in the quality of the different versions out there. Some brewers gimmick-up their pumpkin ale with a sugar and spice rim. This tasty flourish hides, rather than reveals the pumpkin flavor. True pumpkin ales will be able to stand on their own and go down pleasantly without the aid of a sweetener. One such pumpkin ale is the Pumpkin Ale from Southampton Publick House.

Next Friday on Halloween, you'll be able to try cask conditioned Southampton Pumpkin Ale at DEKS American Restaurant in Rocky Point. The firkin will be tapped at 6 p.m. and anyone in costume will get their first pint on the house. Don't miss out on this opportunity to try a fantastic pumpkin ale direct from the cask.

Because Man Can't Live on Wine Alone: North Fork Craft Beer Festival

I drink a fair amount of wine, which will come as no surprise to any of you. If I didn't drink wine, I guess I wouldn't have a wine blog now would I?

But what might surprise you is that I probably drink just as much beer. Yes, really.

There may have been a time in America when beer and wine drinking was an either-or situation. You drank wine OR you drank beer, not both. But I don't think that's the case anymore. Beer is slowly, and thankfully, starting to get its due among those who care about what they are putting in their mouths.

Of course I'm not talking about American mega-brews. Those light-yellow, high-carbonation, near-flavorless beers might be acceptable at a football game on a frigid when one is merely looking to warm him or herself any way possible, but not with dinner or on a hot summer day.

Why am I bringing this up? Who cares?

A couple reasons actually. First, you're going to start seeing a lot more local beer coverage here on LENNDEVOURS. Consider yourself warned.

Secondly, if your experience with beer has been limited to those mass-produced, character-less beers we all see on television commercials, you need to make sure that you attend next year's North Fork Craft Beer Festival. I went to the latest one a couple weeks ago at Martha Clara Vineyards and was able to taste a great many honest-to-goodness, how-its-supposed-to-be beers in one place.

I'll make sure that I give you plenty of notice on next year's. I'm planning to go again for sure.

June 6: Cask Night at DEKS, Troeg's HopBack Amber Ale

Our usually intrepid beer writers Donavan has been busy lately with some of his fiction-writing projects, so I'm going to hop (pun intended) in here today and let you know about the next Firkin Friday Cask Night at DEKS restaurant in Rocky Point, NY.

The next edition of this monthly beer gathering will be June 6, starting at 6:00 p.m. and the beer is Troegs Brewing Company's HopBack Amber Ale, their flagship product, and a beer that I tried for the first time over the holiday weekend.

I'm a lover of well-hopped beers, a "hop head" as they say, and I enjoyed this one quite a bit and I look forward to tasting it from the cask next week. It's not over-the-top hoppy, but it is certainly more hoppy than most amber ales. I have to say, I've tasted several of Troegs' beers and I haven't tasted one yet that I didn't really like.

So, come out and join us on June 6. The cask is usually gone by 10 p.m. or so, but DEKS has more than enough fine beers on offer to get you through the rest of your night. I hope to see you there.

Firkin Friday at DEKS and Sixpoint in Bellport

By Donavan Hall, Beer Columnist

The next Firkin Friday at DEKS is coming up soon; it's this Friday, the 18th. A firkin of Green Flash Hop Head Red is on its way from Vista, California for our cask conditioned drinking pleasure. Hop Head Red is "a deliciously full-bodied and appropriately hoppy ale," according to Celebrator Beer News. It earned the silver medal in the American-Style Amber/Red Ale category in the 2007 Great American Beer Festival, the USA's oldest and most prestigious craft beer competition.

As far as I can tell, this may be Hop Head Red's Long Island premier (in a firkin, at least). The Hop Head Red was spotted on tap at Big Z Beverage on Jericho Turnpike in Huntington (if you want a preview). Green Flash is a popular brewer in southern California and they've had a presence on the East Coast for at least a couple of years. Their IPA has been readily available in multiple venues on the Island (notably at Bobbique in Patchogue).  Currently, a Green Flash Imperial IPA is pouring at Once & For All in Patchogue.

The next day (Saturday the 19th), you should head on down to Dave's Bellport Beer & Soda where a representative from Sixpoint Craft Ales (Brooklyn) will be present with 7 or 8 different kegs for our sampling and purchasing pleasure.  Bring a glass and a growler.  The event starts at 1 pm and the good folks of the Long Island Beer & Malt Enthusiasts will be grilling hot dogs and burgers for the hungry masses.  If you come out, you'll find ample parking at the Bellport train station at the corner of Station Rd. and Montauk Hwy.  If you come out, be sure to meet the new manager at Bellport Beer, Rich Thatcher.  He's a friendly and beer-knowledgeable guy.

These are Long Island Beer & Malt Enthusiast-sanctioned events. Come on out and meet a bunch of fellow beer lovers. If you are new to the scene, make sure you introduce yourself. I'll be wearing my RadioBeerHall.com button, but you can always ask for me at the bar or at the grill. Everyone at DEKS and Bellport Beer knows Donavan. One more thing, all these beer events (and more!) are listed on the Long Island Beer Calendar.

Cask Night at Deks: March 28th

By Donavan Hall, Beer Columnist

It's happening again: DEKS American Restaurant in Rocky Point is having another cask night.

This time there will be an entire firkin (that's a little more than 10 gallons) of a special edition from the York Brewery in England. York Brewery has been experimenting with different varieties of hops and has been releasing ales that use only a single variety. The advantage of this for the person interested in developing their beer tasting skills is that single hop beers make it possible to focus on the flavor coming from only that one hop. The hop variety that we'll be studying on Friday is called Saaz.

Saaz is a hop that originally comes from the region that is now the Czech Republic. This hop is responsible for the characteristic flavor of Bohemian Pilsners (most notably Pilsner Urquell). Saaz is often described as floral and/or grassy. Personally, I associate the aroma with crisp spiciness, so typically, when I brew with this hop, I'm looking for it to deliver an edge to the aroma and flavor that contrasts with the round, maltiness of the grain.  Saaz is one of the four noble hops whose characteristic is a restrained (or delicate) bitterness and pronounced aroma.

I've never tasted York Brewery's experiment with Saaz hops, but it will be interesting to see what they are able to bring out of this hop.  Hope to see you there.  The firkin will be tapped at 6 pm and pints will be served until the firkin runs dry.

Don't Forget, Today is Firkin Friday at DEKS in Rocky Point, NY

Just a quick reminder that tonight is the night for Firkin Friday at DEKS restaurant in Rocky Point, NY.

Tonight, starting at 6 p.m., a firkin of Oakham Bishops Farewell will be available on cask in the tap room. Several members of the  Long Island Malt and Beer Enthusiasts group will be there and we're hoping for a big turn out.

Hope to see some of you there.

 

4th Annual Long Island Real Ale Festival: Mild Preview

By Donavan Hall, Beer Columnist

Last year I attended the Long Island Real Ale Festival with my beer writer hat on. This year, I'll be there as a brewer. On January 6, my brewing buddy, Mike Voigt, and I mashed-in and brewed up a batch of an English-style Mild that we'll be proud to serve at this Saturday's Long Island Real Ale Festival held annually at the Blue Point Brewery in Patchogue.

The beer has been fermenting away at Mike's house for the last couple of weeks and earlier this week it was ready to transfer into the firkin.  We sampled a couple of pints right out of Mike's totally swank 14 gallon stainless steel conical fermenter and pronounced the beer utterly delish.

We've been working on this Mild recipe for a few months. We've brewed two pilot batches and tweaked the recipe to our taste. If you are not familiar with Mild, it's a historic style that isn't brewed too much nowadays because Milds (as the name implies) are low alcohol beers.  They are dark beers (usually) and you'd think that you are looking at a stout or a porter, but a Mild is a beer that you could probably drink all day and never get a buzz. (Okay, I've confused you; why would anyone want to drink beer and not get a buzz?  The taste!)

These low-alcohol Milds were originally brewed as refreshers for laborers who would be working at steel mills or other hot, physically demanding jobs. These workers would sweat out copious amounts of fluid and they would be in serious need of re-hydration to avoid death. The Mild was perfect. These manual laborers could drink ten or fifteen pints of Mild and then get back to work, but refreshed.

In the 21st century, no one (at least not in the "western" world) labors that hard and beers tend to be in the "relaxer" alcohol range (6% ABV and up). But we shouldn't look down our noses at Milds just because they won't knock us on our collective ass.  They are still full-bodied, full-flavored brews. If you don't believe me, then come to the Long Island Real Ale Festival this weekend (January 26, tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door) and we'll prove to you that Milds are just as flavorful as any other beer.

If you'd like to know more about what "real ale" is, then I invite you to listen to a recent episode of Radio Beer Hall (#101) and find out the answer to the question "what is real ale?"

Listen: download the mp3 (6.6 MB, 14:25 mins) [other info]
Subscribe to the beer podcast: regular feed | with iTunes

Next Cask Night at Deks: Oakham Bishop's Farewell

By Donavan Hall, Beer Columnist

A firkin of Oakham Bishops Farewell has just arrived in the US.  This particular firkin is reserved for thirsty Long Island beer enthusiasts. It will be tapped at Deks in Rocky Point on Friday, February 8.

For the last few months Deks has played host to a series of cask nights instigated by the nascent Long Island Malt and Beer Enthusiasts, an organization devoted to the promotion of craft beer culture on Long Island.  I was very happy to see Lenn at the last cask night. (That cask night is also the subject of the 100th episode of my Long Island beer podcast Radio Beer Hall.)

Last September, I wrote about what cask conditioned or real ale is, but some of you might not know what a "cask night" is. If you've never attended such an event, then you'll have a chance early next month.  I'll give you a taste of what to expect at a cask night.

If you arrive when the cask is tapped, you'll get to see the cellarman (or "landlord" or "publican", etc.) tap the cask. The cask sits on top of the bar on a wooden rack known as a stillage. The first thing the cellarman does is drive a soft spile into the top vent of the cask.  After that he'll use his trusty mallet again to drive a tap or spigot into the serving port. All this takes a few minutes and is quite dramatic. When the cask is tapped everyone cheers and the beer starts flowing.

While the cask might be the focus of the event, what's fun about cask nights is the social dimension. Beer lovers from all over Long Island will converge on the pub for the cask night. The topic of conversation usually starts with beer, but as the night goes on you'll have made some new friends.

A cask is usually small enough that it will be finished the same night that it is tapped. Typically, we've been procuring casks that contain 40 pints. The cask of Oakham Bishops Farewell is a full firkin which is about 80 pints. So we hope that you'll come out and help us put this ale to good use.

If you can't wait until the next cask night at Deks, the annual Long Island Real Ale Festival is taking place at the Blue Point Brewing Company on Saturday, January 26. The event starts at 1 p.m. and runs until 5 p.m.

Firkin Friday @ Deks a Huge Success

Home brew champion and LENNDEVOURS contributing columnist Donavan Hall has been inviting me to local beer-related events for some time now. In fact, he'd say that it's been 4 years. I'm not so sure that it's been that long, but it had been way too long before I finally took him up on it and attended Firkin Friday at Deks in Rocky Point, NY on Friday night.

Those in attendance enjoyed the Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale on cask, as well as several other terrific brews.

It was a pleasure to meet fellow members of the Long Island Beer & Malt Enthusiasts as well. I'm new to the group, but the level of beer knowledge and passion was inspiring to say the least.

I'm proud that I was their for the first 'kicked' cask too. It was all gone by 10 p.m.

The next Firkin Friday is scheduled for Friday, February 8 with a full firkin of Oakham Bishop's Farewell. I'm sure that Donavan will tell us a bit more about this beer as we get closer.

Long Island Beer Event: Cask Night at Deks - Firkin Friday

By Beer Columnist Donavan Hall

Put this on your calendar! Firkin Friday at Deks in Rocky Point will feature a firkin of cask conditioned Oatmeal Stout from Blue Point Brewing Company. The cask will be tapped at 9 p.m. on Friday, September 28, 2007.  If you never had cask conditioned ale, now's your chance.  If you love cask conditioned ale already, come on out and join us.

Cask conditioned ale is a young beer. The brewing process for the ale is the same, but just as the primary fermentation slows, the beer is transferred from the fermenter to a cask where it continues to ferment or condition. The result of this conditioning is that the beer is alive with still active yeast which provides a natural level of carbonation without external pressurization.

Cask conditioned ale can be served (at least) two ways: with a beer engine (or hand pump), or with a stop-cock (gravity fed).  Most cask conditioned ale you get at pubs is served with a beer engine.  The beer engine draws the beer out of the cask and mixes it with air as the beer is dispensed. The beer engine imparts a full, creamy texture to the beer.

Gravity feeding is allowing gravity to push the beer out of the keg into the glass under its own weight.  For our Firkin Friday at Deks, the ale will be gravity fed. Don't worry though, gravity fed beer is the real deal. You'll be tasting the freshest, most honest beer possible; it's a complete different experience than regular draft beer.

Cask conditioned ale is also called "real ale". Our friends in England are fond of their real ale.  One thing I've heard people say about the beer in England is that it is "warm and flat." However, that's a negative way to think about it. The beer is served between 50 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit which is warmer than draft beer by about fifteen degrees, but it's not "warm." The relative flatness I've explained above. The cask conditioned ale has dissolved in it one atmosphere of carbon dioxide rather than two or three.  So instead of thinking "warm and flat" think "full flavored and smooth." The warmer temperature allows you to taste the beer, and the smoothness improves the contact of the beer with your tongue and makes the beer go down easier.

It's important to come out to Deks on that Friday night because there won't be any cask conditioned ale on the next night. The cask is for one night and one night only. The reason for this is that keeping the beer more than one night isn't possible. When the ale is dispensed from the cask, air is allowed into the cask.  This air leads to the oxidization of the ale and makes for a less palatable brew the next day. We want you to experience only the freshest cask conditioned ale possible, so all 80 pints have to go that night.  If we succeed, then we can look forward to more Firkin Fridays. See you there!