GLANCING down at his watch, Lyle Brown poured the members of the Fredericksburg Area Brewing & Tasting Society glasses of his own brew, Trafalgar Premium Bitter.

Around a table laden with cheese, olives and a unique assortment of pilsners, lagers and stouts, the founder of the group dedicated to making and tasting interesting beer readied his peers to take part in history.

Instructing the dozen or so assembled in the back room of Kybecca Wine & Gourmet in Spotsylvania County to raise their glasses, Brown counted off the seconds until his Naval Observatory-synched watch hit 2 p.m Saturday.

At that second, they joined folks at more than 6,000 locations around the world in an effort to break the record for the World's Largest Toast.

For those not up on the current mark for the Largest Toast as established by Guinness World Records, it stands at 485,000 people.

The effort to break that record was being coordinated out of England as part of National Cask Ale Week.

Those taking part didn't have to drink cask ale, which Cask Ale Week organizers call "a fresh product containing live yeast and bursting with character and flavour."

Participants just needed to be at a location where their numbers could be verified, and be ready to toast at the exact moment on Saturday.

Brown did the honors when that moment arrived: "To cask ale, in solidarity with our craft-loving brothers and sisters around the world."

And with that, the brew crew downed the glasses Brown had charged with a growler of his own brew.

With nary a pause after the record-seeking moment--which will take some time to be certified or denied--the group got on with their regular meeting.

"We get together once a month to sample and talk about various types of beers," said Brown, who founded the group in 1996. "Our focus today is strong beers."

On tap for this meeting: a Belgian special Christmas beer, a smoked beer from Pennsylvania, an imperial stout, a barley wine and several more.

"Mention that we have someone else drop us off and pick us up, so people won't worry," said one member.