Ale Street News Online

NERAX (New England Real Ale Exhibition) is the longest-running cask ale festival in the US. From its humble beginnings with 100 patrons in the basement of Redbones in mid-1997, the festival has built a loyal following of brewers and cask ale fans attracting nearly 1,200 drinkers this year!

Jonathan Tuttle, a long-standing CAMRA (Campaign For Real Ale) member, became friendly with George Gendron, a Bostonian homebrewer who worked at the Great British Beer Festival when it was held at the London Arena in 1991. Tuttle was also acquainted with Jeff Charnick, head brewer at the now-defunct Commonwealth Brewery in Boston’s North Station. The three beer aficionados held a meeting at the Commonwealth’s sister pub, Back Bay Brewing, in the spring of 1997 while enjoying brewer Tod Mott’s beers.

They discussed how to put an American cask ale festival together, to duplicate the GBBF experience, with the initial fest planned for the basement of Commonwealth. The pub’s ownership nixed that plan and Rob Gregory, co-owner of Redbones, offered Underbones, his lower dining room, for two 4-hour sessions to be held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons on one weekend in June of 1997.

The inaugural festival featured 12 to 14 casks of New England beers (Commonwealth, Back Bay and Long Trail) and offerings from Young’s and Fuller’s of England. The second year’s event was held at the Dilboy VFW Hall in Somerville a few blocks from Redbones.

The larger venue allowed the organizers to invite more brewers each year. Early on, Liz Trott, who had gained a reputation as a vegan brewer for Tunbridge Ales in Vermont, contributed two beers, but refused to allow them to be fined with isinglass (the swim bladders of fish that pulls the yeast from the beer). Although CAMRA and NERAX are strict about serving clear beers, the gentlemen acquiesced and Liz’s cloudy beers were poured.

Colin Valentine, vice-chairman of CAMRA-UK and bar manager at the GBBF, stated that "people drink with their eyes. If it looks better, it tastes better." Valentine asserts that the visual appeal of a beer is most important in first attracting a punter.

Jeff Charnick’s direct involvement with NERAX ended after four festivals when Commonwealth Brewing closed in 2000. Dave Wilson, then assistant brewer at Commonwealth and currently head brewer at The Tap in Haverhill, MA, stepped in and has been an integral member of NERAX ever since. NERAX has continued to grow annually, reaching 85 US and UK casks this year! The 4-day length of the fest allows ample time for all beers to drop bright and to be served in a clear state.

The organizers of NERAX expect beers to reach the festival hall by Monday for pouring by Wednesday. One of the first British visitors to NERAX was Ralph Warrington, fondly known as Dr. Death. If there were complaints about any beers in the early years, Dr. Death would retrieve cultures and determine the quality of the beers in his lab. Many of the tested beers were rejected!

The planning and logistics of shipping casks from England is a daunting task. Some beers are ordered from an importer and some are sourced by British counterparts for shipment across the pond. Any British beer without FDA approval must be approved before shipment. On several occasions, beers have been air-shipped to reach NERAX on time — , an extremely costly method.

NERAX is a non-profit venture and is run by many dedicated volunteers, chief among them Jan Williams, who handles finances, Mark Irwin, who manages the website and staffing, and Jim Bowser who procures beer from the American brewers and is an important member of the cellar team.

Colin Valentine sources the UK beers and Dave Sanders, the brewer at Elland Brewery in Huddersfield, England, collects UK beers at his brewery for shipment to the US. The experience of Andy Benson, manager of the American bar at the GBBF, is also a major asset in running NERAX. There are many more people too numerous to mention who donate their services as well.

Please raise a pint of beautiful bright and clear cask ale to toast the members of NERAX who provide incredible amounts of time and effort to an enterprise they truly love and we appreciate greatly!

— Many thanks to George Gendron for background and information.