AMERICAN CASKS
These are the US beers we served for NERAX North 2011.
We're very excited to present some of the newest brewers on cask: Bull Jagger, Jack's Abby, and Oxbow all entered the New England brewing scene in 2011; Rising Tide and Wormtown in 2010. As more details about these casks get confirmed, they will be added to the site.
Note that not all casks will be available at every session. To enhance your enjoyment, a beer will only be served when it has the correct clarity and carbonation level. Beers will drop bright at different rates due to a wide range of factors. Venting times to adjust the carbonation levels also vary. Thus some cask ales will be ready to serve before others and thus some casks as listed as being on the stillage will not served in some sessions.
As the festival goes on, we will try to indicate which beers will be available each session. However note that this information will usually be available just before the start of the session, as that is when the cellaring team decides whether a beer is in proper condition to be served. However beers listed as pouring were available at the previous session are expected to be available at the next session.
Note that all of the following beer descriptions are based on information supplied by the breweries.
Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, ME) Founded in 1995, Allagash began as New England's original Belgian-Style brewery and has grown into one of the industry's most distinguished and well-respected brands.
Interlude (OG 1080, ABV 10.5%) Farmhouse Ale aged in Wine Barrels. Two yeast strains were used to create this unique 9.5% ABV Belgian style ale. The first, a Belgian farmhouse yeast, establishes the flavor foundations of a classic Belgian-style ale. The second, a house strain of Brettanomyces yeast, brings it to the next level contributing an intriguing myriad of flavors including pear, apricot, graham cracker, and bread crust. Finally, a portion of the Interlude is aged in French Merlot and Sirah oak barrels, which impart a distinctive vinous plum character and a drying, almost tannic finish.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: SAT
Andrews Brewing Company (Lincolnville, ME) Established in 1992, Andrew's was the 5th craft brew operation to open in Maine.
English Pale Ale (OG 1052, ABV 5.6%) Has a moderate hop aroma with a medium malt aroma, often with a low to moderately strong caramel component and earthy tones. Medium-low to medium-high fruity esters. Deep copper in color with good to brilliant clarity and a low to moderate white to off-white head. Has a medium bitterness with supporting malt flavors evident. This ale has a medium-full body and finishes dry to medium-dry.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end
Baxter Brewing Company (Auburn, ME) Baxter Brewing Co. is a Maine-based micro craft brewery which is the first brewery of its kind in the state to can all of its beer.
Amber Road (OG 1054, ABV 5.5%, 35 IBU) Malt accented with a rich toastiness and a balanced hop flavor that lingers through to the finish, this wickedly smooth beer refreshes year round.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end
Blue Hills Brewing Company (Canton, MA) Blue Hills Brewery makes great tasting beers inspired by the elements and nature around us; embracing the rich history of the Blue Hills and the South Shore.
Three Peak Holiday Stout (OG 1074, ABV 7.6%, 49 IBU)Three Peak Holiday Stout is a new release for Blue Hills Brewery for 2011. This beer is brewed in the style of a milk stout, due to the addition of lactose during brewing. We also add oak chips during the fermentation process to create an oaky & woody flavor. For a special treat for NERAX North, we dry hopped this cask with 5 oz of Cascade hops for an extra kick.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end
Bray's Brewpub & Eatery (Naples, ME) Michael Bray began brewing in 1995 in an historic 130-year old farmhouse at a site where an inn or tavern has served the town of Naples since the late 1700s.
Mt. Olympus Special Ale (OG 1060, ABV 6.2%) Mt. Olympus is a dark IPA with a mild roasty flavor. It's made with Centennial and Cascade hops
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end
Bull Jagger Brewing Company (Portland, ME) Focusing on one primary perfect lager, Bull Jagger Brewing Company opened its doors in the Riverside Industrial Park in 2011. Brewmaster Tom Bull holds decades of experience in the local brewing trades and partner Allan Jagger brings talent backed by a history of successful business dealings.
Portland Lager (OG 1054, ABV 5.0 ) Portland Lager is a crisp golden, premium lager modeled after the traditional Helles beers of Bavaria. This original recipe follows the German Purity Laws of 1516 and use only the finest water, malt, hops and yeast. Portland Lager is handcrafted in small batches and aged to perfection. The result is a quaffable 'micro-lager' of the highest quality.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end
Cape Ann Brewing Company (Gloucester, MA) Cape Ann Brewing Co. is an award-winning, family-owned, microbrewery in the heart of downtown Gloucester on Cape Ann, Massachusetts
Eclipse
Not served.
Cape Cod Beer (Hyannis, MA) Cape Cod Beer is Cape Cod's only microbrewery, offering beer on draught and in growlers from Plymouth to Provincetown.
Porter (15.5P, 5.5% ABV, 28 IBU) Dark and Malty: A surprisingly drinkable dark beer with a chocolatey malt character. “Porter, a dark, chocolatey ale once favored as the drink of the common man and physical laborers of East London, and the precursor to common day stouts. ”
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end.
Gritty McDuff's Brewpub (Portland, ME) Since 1988, Gritty McDuff's has been creating fine, handcrafted ales and traditional pub fare.
Halloween Ale (OG 1064, 6.0% ABV) Gritty's fall seasonal, a bigger, malty ale.. It's hopped with Whitbread Goldings pellets, as well as Goldings pellets and leaves. Two row pale, crystal, caramalt, torrefied wheat, and a small amount of chocolate malt comprise the grain bill. It is our shortest running but most successful seasonal.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end.
Haverhill Brewery (Haverhill, MA) Founded in 2003 as The Brewery for the TAP brewpub in Haverhill Massachusetts.
Lorelei Blonde Ale (OG 1044, 4.7% ABV, 26 IBU) Traditional, step-mashed Kolsch-style ale dry-hopped with homegrown Hallertau Hersbrucker hops aged on lightly toasted oak spiral.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked:Pouring to the end.
Jack's Abby (Framingham, MA) Jack's Abby Brewing is a family-owned craft brewery in Framingham, MA founded in January of 2011 by three brothers, Jack, Eric, and Sam Hendler. Our mission is to create truly distinctive lagers featuring locally grown hops, traditional German brewing standards, and American innovation.
Smoke & Dagger (6% ABV) Cloaked in mystery, this dark black beer gets roasted and smoky notes from traditional Beechwood smoked malt and chocolate malt. Full bodied and malty with little to no hop character.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end.
Lowell Beer Works (Lowell, MA) Brewing & bottling In Historic Lowell since 2008
Robust Porter (18.5P, 8% ABV, 25 IBU) Beer Works Robust Porter was brewed to be extra strong and extra dark for the cold late Autumn days ahead. Big Bodied and reminiscent of molasses, black licorice, and bitter chocolate. Warming alcoholic notes combine with earthy East Kent Goldings in the finish to create a bracing yet highly drinkable Porter.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end.
Martha's Exchange (Nashua, NH) A classic downtown Nashua hotspot! Serving lunch and dinner every day, offering upwards of 25 different brews year round.
Double Jeopardy (7.0% ABV)
Cask on: FRI Cask kicked: Pouring to the end.
Mayflower Brewing Company (Plymouth, MA) Founded in 2007 by a tenth great grandson of John Alden, beer barrel cooper on board the Mayflower. We are dedicated to celebrating the history and legacy of the Pilgrims by creating unique, high-quality ales for the New England market.
Porter (13.8P, 5.3% ABV, 34 IBU) Our darkest beer is a fine example of a full-bodied English Porter. We blend five distinct varieties of barley malt to create a rich array of flavors and aromas, including roasted coffee and bittersweet chocolate from Brown and Chocolate barley malts and a hint of smoke from Peated barley malt. The hop profile is purposely subtle and adds a mild earthy quality.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end.
Oxbow Brewing Company (Newcastle, ME) Oxbow is an American Farmhouse Brewery, specializing in traditional Belgian farmhouse beers with contemporary American influence. We brew small batches of beer in a renovated barn on an 18 acre property in Newcastle, Maine.
Farmhouse Pale Ale (OG 1050, 6.0% ABV) Our Farmhouse Pale Ale has a golden and unfiltered body, the spicy yeast notes of a Belgian Saison-style ale, and the citrusy hop character of an American Pale Ale. This beer’s creative merging of traditional styles embodies American farmhouse brewing at its finest.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end.
Portsmouth Brewery (Portsmouth, NH) The Portsmouth Brewery, New Hampshire's original brewpub, has been serving great food and outstanding handcrafted beers in a friendly, lively atmosphere since 1991.
Bottle Rocket IPA (15.5P, 6.5% ABV, 58 IBU) Bottle Rocket IPA is only brewed 4 or 5 times a year and so we present NERAX North with a firkin of our delicious American style IPA. Lots of Columbus, Magnum and a few other choice hops round out the hop profile of this well balanced malt forward IPA. Dryhopped with Nugget this version of Bottle Rocket should quell even the most demanding IPA drinkers thirst! Cheers!
Cask on: THU Cask kicked:Pouring to the end.
Redhook Ale Brewery (Portsmouth, NH) Built in 1996, Redhook’s brewery in Portsmouth, NH was established to provide East Coasters the same quality and fresh Redhook that loyal drinkers on the West Coast were accustomed to for years.
Winterhook (15P, 6% ABV, 42 IBU) Redhook Winterhook is a great way to chase off the winter chill. This year will be our 27th consecutive release of Winterhook. The recipe changes slightly every winter because nobody likes getting the exact same Holiday present year after year. Redhook’s 27th brew of Winterhook has roasted chocolate notes that smooth out the quick, spicy hop finish. The rich body and nutty, malty backbone make this winter ale slighty naughty and very nice. This particular cask has been infused with oak.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked:Pouring to the end.
Rising Tide Brewing Company (Portland, ME) A family-owned craft brewery, Rising Tide specializes in artisanal, hand-crafted ales brewed in small batches in our one-barrel brewhouse. Founded in 2010 by head brewer and owner, Nathan Sanborn, a Portland native.
Daymark (OG 1055, 5.5% ABV) Chart a new course with Daymark as your guide. We start with a classic, clean and crisp American pale ale brewed with spicy Columbus and Centennial hops. Then we accent the grain bill with rye grown on small local family farms right here in Maine and malted to our specifications at Valley Malts, an artisanal malt house. Finally we dry hop the finished beer for a bright floral aroma.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked:Pouring to the end.
Run of the Mill Public House & Brewery (Saco, ME) The Run of the Mill is a 14 barrel brew pub specializing in hand-crafted beer and casual pub fare. All of our beers flow directly from our brewery. We use only the finest imported malts and domestic hops available to bring you the tastiest and finest selection of beers.
State Budget Red Ale (OG 1049, 4.9% ABV) A red-hued beer that combines some of our IPA's hoppiness with the strong malt backbone of Alewife Ale. Hopping includes Rainier, Liberty and Cascade.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked: Pouring to the end.
Smuttynose Brewing Company (Portsmouth, NH) The Granite State’s leading craft brewery, Smuttynose was founded in 1994 by the folks who started the Northampton and Portsmouth Breweries
Satchmo: Short Batch Series #13 (12P, 4.75% ABV, 25 IBU) Jeepers Creepers! Smuttynose made a beer with mushrooms!
Satchmo is a low-gravity, lightly hopped brown porter that gets its unique mouthfeel from 35 pounds of dried black trumpet mushrooms. Our first collaboration brew was made with Chef Evan Mallet, of Portsmouth's Black Trumpet Bistro. Chef Mallet, an avid mushroom forager, suggested the idea, and with the help of his staff, collected a portion of the black trumpets from his land in South Berwick, Maine.
Satchmo will be released in our Short Batch Series in early November and will be on tap at Chef Mallet's restaurant in Portsmouth's historic water front. We will also bottle a small portion for sale exclusively at Smuttynose.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked:Pouring to the end.
White Birch Brewing Company (Hookset, NH) At White Birch Brewing, our goal is to brew great beer for the enthusiasts. Founded in 2009, we are a seven barrel micro brewery located in Hooksett NH. Through an artisan approach to brewing, we release finely crafted small batch ales.
Hooksett Ale (7.5% ABV)
Cask on: THU Cask kicked:Pouring to the end.
Willimantic Brewing Company (Willimantic, CT) The Willimantic Brewing Co. is a living landmark restaurant and pub brewery, housed in an historic granite and limestone 1909 U.S. Post Office Building.
Euroamerican Pale Ale (OG 1053, 5.5% ABV, 53 IBU) Brewed with Maris Otter, Aromatic, Munich and Wheat malts & heavily hopped with Amarillo.
Cask on:SAT Cask kicked:Pouring to the end.
Wormtown Brewing Company (Worcester, MA) Wormtown is the first and ONLY brewery to use Massachusetts grown ingredients in EVERY beer we make! Opened the brewery doors on St. Patrick's Day, 2010.
Wintah Brown Ale (15.5P, 6%ABV, 25 IBU) Wormtown's seasonal winter brown ale. Fresh ginger added directly to this cask.
Cask on: THU Cask kicked:Pouring to the end.
