ALL ABOUT THE BEER: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR’S WASHINGTON CASK BEER FESTIVAL

, ALL ABOUT THE BEER: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR’S WASHINGTON CASK BEER FESTIVAL

The cask beer tradition has all the key ingredients for a Seattle obsession. Local. Small batch. Natural. High quality. With the real possibility that things could get a little weird. It’s certainly right up my alley, and by the enthusiastic turnout at this year’s Washington Cask Beer Festival, I’m clearly not alone.

(If you need a refresher on what exactly makes a cask beer a cask beer, esteemed DC Correspondent Chris Pavetto explains it here more concisely than I could hope to.)

This no-frills annual festival is put on by the Washington Brewer’s Guild at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, and from most accounts appears to be a brewers’ favorite. It’s clear why – this one is truly all about the beer. There is a distinct absence of bells and whistles here: no beer garden, no live music (heck, no canned music either), only a handful of food vendors, no fun or fancy setting… just a big, fluorescent-lit room with 45 breweries stationed along the perimeter and a bunch of tables set up in the middle of it all.

, ALL ABOUT THE BEER: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR’S WASHINGTON CASK BEER FESTIVALAnd I have to say, it was pretty refreshing.

Without the distraction of all the “stuff” that usually accompanies a festival atmosphere, the Mister and I arrived and quickly decided to stake out a couple chairs at a table to serve as a base camp. This way we got to leisurely enjoy each tasty cask concoction and took turns making the rounds to sniff out our next selections. Again, pretty refreshing for a tasting festival.

The breweries in attendance were all across the spectrum in terms of how big they were into this cask thing. Some of them really only brewed on cask once a year, specifically for this particular festival. Others offer something on cask every day or once a week. And then there’s Machine House Brewing, whose tap room offering is solely beers on cask. The day’s taps leaned heavily towards IPAs (which should surprise approximately no one) and there was a good mix of classic “real ale” options in the true cask tradition alongside the increasingly popular, weird, and wacky brews conditioned with things such as cinnamon, coffee, and cocoa nibs.

There were some clear standouts for both the Mister and I, which I know you’re dying to hear, so without further ado:

Session Oaked Chicago Hot Toddy, In Beer FormatBlack Raven Brewing – Redmond, WA

I had my eye on this one from the second I walked in the door, and it did not disappoint. It was festive, refreshing, and an easy drinker at 4.5% ABV.

Lost Giants Imperial Cascadian Dark AleBoundary Bay Brewery – Bellingham, WA

This was The Mister’s favorite of the evening, and one of my top choices as well. Dark, deep, and sweetly dank, like a cellar. But one you don’t want to leave. Because it has delicious beer in it.

, ALL ABOUT THE BEER: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS YEAR’S WASHINGTON CASK BEER FESTIVALMayan Cavebear Belgian Imperial StoutANDMonk’s Indiscretion Belgian Specialty AleSound Brewery – Poulsbo, WA

Sound Brewery knows me better than I know myself, it seems, and has never failed me yet. They finished up my tasting experience with two lovely, lovely 10% ABV Belgians to send me stumbling off into the night. Mayan Cavebear, conditioned with cocoa nibs, chili, and vanilla bean, was complexly sweet and just spicy enough. It really was perfection to my palate, and was my vote for the People’s Choice Award. Monk’s Indiscretion on cask was also a big win in my book, somehow managing to improve upon a beer I already thoroughly enjoy.

Salmon Bay ESBMaritime Pacific Brewing – Seattle, WA

Maritime Pacific started brewing this spring seasonal a little early just to have it ready for this festival, and I’m so glad they did. I’d never had this subtle, smooth ESB before so don’t have a frame of reference for the difference on cask, but for my tastes, it was a very good call.

I could really go on about how much I also liked Naked City’s winning Whiskey Barrel Aged Sour (which the Mister hated), Fremont’s The First Nail Imperial Stout (absolutely perfectly conditioned with cinnamon and licorice), and the many other beers that made this a fantastic experience all around – but the fact is they’re all gone now. To me, that’s the beauty and one of the draws of beer-conditioning in the cask: it is ever-evolving, ephemeral, and will not be the same today as it was yesterday. So maybe I’ll go get another one today.

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