NERAX (2019)

spring fest is on -- they lost their Salem venue for North last year and I think that is why it didn't go down.

 

Confirmed NERAX is on for April 3-6 at the Lithuanian Club in Southie. They are working on getting the site back up. Cheers to cask ale!!

 

Awesome.

For the curious, they did have a little "mini winter Nerax" this year in Watertown since the Fall version was canceled. I don't know how widely advertised it was - I only knew about it since I was on the volunteer list that got mass emailed. I didn't end up being able to go, but I was intrigued that there was a dark mild from a local brewery I've never heard of (Small Change) on offer.

Did anyone here go?

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Winter Cask Ale Party in Watertown!
Bummed there was no NERAX North this year? Me too. Let's get together, drink some cask ale, and reminisce about the festival that wasn't! There'll be another big NERAX coming up in April, so we have that to look forward to. This little night might be just the ticket to whet your whistle.

We're expecting to have 2 UK beers and 4 pins of local fare. The current beer list is on the ticket website (click the banner above!)

Friday, 7 December 2018
6:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Canadian-American Club of Massachusetts
202 Arlington St, Watertown, MA 02472

UK
Fyne Ales - Mills & Hills (9.4% Imperial Stout collab w/ DeMolen of Belgium)
Treboom - Kettle Drum (4.3% Best Bitter)

GR
Weissenohe - Benediktiner Zwickel dry-hopped with Polaris (4.8% hoppy lager)

US (Boston)
Bone Up Beer - Shut Up, Kelly! w/ Amandine-soaked oak chips (6.3% Robust Porter)
Down the Road Brewery - Likely an IPA/DIPA but maybe a saison
Idle Hands Craft Ales - 34 (6.7% Robust Porter in honor of Mr. Ortiz)
Small Change Brewing - The Future is Unwritten (3.1% Dark Mild)

 

I was able to go. I'm not sure this was a NERAX sponsored event, but there were many familiar faces and it was run much like NERAX on a small scale. Tickets were $25 which included a $5 refundable glass deposit and six half-pint beer tickets. I do not believe there was any way to purchase additional beer tickets. The setup was similar to NERAX with some seating around the perimeter and no tables. Food offerings were Hot Pockets and microwave burritos(!).

The German cask kicked in less than an hour and all seven of the offerings were finished well before the 10:30pm end of the event. I wasn't able to try the Zwickel or Small Change's Mild, but, for me, Bone Up's rich chocolatey porter was a standout. All in all I left a happy camper!

 

Whether or not they sponsored it, that is brilliantly in keeping with the DIY vibe of Nerax

Thanks for the onsite reporting!

 

I was thinking about NERAX myself last week and noticed their site was down. I sent a message to the folks who run it they were surprised. Also had confirmed the dates as above.
Looking forward to it - NERAX is my favorite fest by far.

 

YES!

 

The beer drinkers beer fest.

 

I mostly go for the hot pockets.

 

Haha, that was the fake NERAX.

Real NERAX has Redbones.

 

REAL NERAX is at the Dilboy VFW in Davis Sq. All others are wanna be’s!

 

Ha, as much as I miss that venue...I don't.

 

Food stole the show last year. I get the "purity" of the whole thing, but I just cant enjoy flat and warm beer. Maybe it's just conditioning.

But the people who run the event are top notch people, enjoy their craft and I'll probably wind up going this year too.

 

What was the food?

I never eat there, I head to Worden Hall afterwards.

 

I totally understand your feeling. I kind of feel that way about anything that looks roughly yellow or golden. Once you get a bit of darker malts in there though I really appreciate what the cask brings to the table.

And yes the people who run it are just amazingly friendly and excited to share their love of cask beer. There was not one whiff of exclusivity or "I'm-caskier-than-thou" chest thumping. It's a very welcoming atmosphere for novices (which I was my first time, and really still am).

 

I understand what both of you are saying, but it's really not flat at all, just naturally carbonated. Plenty of head on the beers I receive. And they're not really warm either, just cellar temp.

It definitely works better for some styles than others, which is why I mostly stick to UK session ales.

 

To be clear I don't find the lighter ones warm or flat per se, I just find myself thinking "I'd like this better regular style". That's where I understand OP and others not loving them.

When it comes to the darker ones, I don't understand what the hell they're complaining about

 

I strongly dislike hoppy beers (American ipas) on cask. But, I love ESBs and other more mild British style beers. I get how people can be turned off by cask, definitely took me sometime to get it, I just needed to find the right styles.

 

I hear you there. As much as I miss the location - heading out, stopping at Downtown, then a big ol' burrito at Anna's (and hoping people don't spill their sides on me...)
I don't miss that venue at all. Small, noisy, the staircase to the bathrooms (AKA the other 12 steps to sobriety) in which the one by the window was always locked off...
I do like the Lithuanian Club - nice big room, clean, I like having the second floor when it's available - I don't like the parking (or lack thereof) or the lack of fairly inexpensive eats nearby.
I've been going to the fest 18 or so years now, (I think) and have watched it expand, and improve every year. The early years I went when there was the band at the Dilboy, having to get a full pint, then immediately go to the back of the line for your next; even going slow it'd take 45 minutes to get through the line. They got rid of the band, they put in attendance limits. etc.