The Herbert’s Cask Ale has been a highlight of every WA Cask Festival that I’ve attended in the past three years. This year, I may have ten favorites…

Celebrating 10-year anniversary with Ten Herbert’s Showcase

WASHINGTON CASK BEER FESTIVAL

Saturday March 28th, 2009 Ÿ 12-4pm & 6-10pm Ÿ Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion

SEATTLE- The Washington Cask Beer Festival celebrates its 10-year anniversary this March. To celebrate this milestone this year’s Festival will feature ten different versions of the Herbert’s Legendary Cask Fest Ale. The Herbert’s is a special beer that’s normally brewed collaboratively by a group of Washington brewers for the Cask Festival in honor of Bert Grant, a Northwest beer icon. Each year a different brewery hosts the brewing session and brew the beer based on the recipe that has been passed on from one host brewery to the next, tweaking the recipe by adding some personal twists each time. The beer has been a festival staple and a crowd favorite for years.

This year all ten versions of the Herbert’s are brewed loosely based on the original recipe, or its variations, that a handful of brewers came up with years ago. In any case guests shouldn’t expect to see ten exactly the same beers as every brewer has their own idea of what the Herbert’s is. Some say it’s an Amber, while others say it’s a Pale Ale, IPA, Double IPA, etc. They may not completely agree on the exact style of the beer but one thing for sure is that the Herbert’s is a classic Northwest style beer- aggressively hoppy and refreshingly fruity, balanced with slight sweetness. Depending on each brewer’s interpretation and their personal taste, the “Ten Herbert’s” could be a wildly eclectic collection of tasty beers.

2009 Herbert’s host breweries:

Anacortes Brewery

Big Al Brewing/Snipes Mountain Brewery/Baron Brewing Co. (collaboration)

Boundary Bay Brewery

Diamond Knot Brewing Co./McMenamin’s Brewery/Scuttlebutt Brewing Co. (collaboration)

Elliott Bay Brewing Co.

Elysian Brewing Co.

Hale’s Ales Brewery

Laughing Buddha Brewing Co./Schooner Exact Brewing Co. (collaboration)

Northgate Ram

Water Street Brewing Co.

Die hard Cask Fest fans will no doubt want to try all ten versions of the Herbert’s, however, that may sound like a daunting task when there will be 60 other small-batch, one of a kind cask-conditioned beers at the Festival. To ease their anxiety there will be a few opportunities to try the Herbert’s prior to the Cask Festival which includes three release parties at Latona Pub (6423 Latona Ave NE, Seattle, www.3pubs.com),

Beveridge Place Pub (6413 Califonia Ave SW, Seattle, www.beveridgeplacepub.com) and Malt & Vine (16851 Redmond Way, Redmond, www.maltandvine.com), each of which unveiling a few versions of the Herbert’s. Then on Friday, March 27th, the day before the Cask Festival, Brouwer’s Cafe will host a big Ten Herbert’s showcase featuring all ten versions.

Herbert’s schedule:

Monday, March 16th Herbert’s release party at Latona Pub

Thursday, March 19th Herbert’s release party at Beveridge Place Pub

Monday, March 23rd Herbert’s release party at Malt & Vine

Friday, March 27th Herbert’s showcase at Brouwer’s Cafe

The Washington Cask Beer Festival will be held on Saturday, March 28th at the Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion. Admission to the Festival is $40 at door or $35 advance. There will be two 4-hour sessions (separate tickets are required for each session). Admission includes a tasting cup and all beer tastes. Tickets are on sale online and at select ticket outlets. The event is expected to sell out so advance ticket purchase is strongly recommended. Additional festival information is available at www.washingtonbeer.com/cbf.htm.

and present:

WASHINGTON CASK BEER FESTIVAL

Saturday, March 28th, 2009 Ÿ 12-4pm & 6-10pm Ÿ Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion

DATE:

Saturday March 28th, 2009

HOURS:
Session 1- 12-4 pm

Session 2- 6-10 pm

Separate tickets required for each session

LOCATION:
Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion
305 Harrison St., Seattle, WA 98109
See directions at www.washingtonbeer.com/cbf.htm

ADMISSION:

$35 advance tickets or $40 at the door. Admission includes a souvenir cup and all sample tastes.

Must be 21 years old or older and have a valid ID to be admitted.

Designated driver admission is $5 and available at the door only.

Tickets are on sale online at www.washingtonbeer.com/cbf.htm and at select outlets in the Greater Seattle area. Check the web site for a full list of regional ticket outlets.

BEERS:
The Washington Cask Beer Festival has become a major highlight of the Pacific Northwest beer festival scene. The event features 60+ one-of-a-kind handcrafted cask-conditioned beers from the region’s most innovative microbreweries. To stay true to the tradition of cask-conditioned beer the Festival requires brewers to naturally condition the beer in a firkin or other vessels without artificially introducing CO2. Poured by gravity the result is smooth ale with a thick dense head that brings out full flavor.

HERBERT’S LEGENDARY CASK FEST ALE:

Also serving is Herbert’s Legendary Cask Festival Ale, a special cask beer brewed collectively by the Washington brewers in memory of Bert Grant, a legendary Washington beer icon. To commemorate the festival’s 10-year anniversary in 2009 there will be 10 different versions of the Herbert’s brewed by 10 different breweries/collaborative teams. All ten versions of the Herbert’s will make an appearance the night before the Festival on March 27th at Brouwer’s Cafe.

WABL ADVANTAGES:

WABL members will enjoy exclusive advantages including a $5 discount on tickets, special WABL tasting glass* and WABL Beer*, a special beer brewed by a different Washington brewery for each Washington Beer Commission festival that is available exclusively to the WABL members. *While supplies last.

BENEFICIARY:
Washington Beer Commission was formed in 2007 to promote beer made in Washington, educate Washington consumers about craft beer and to foster a vibrant community of craft brewers in Washington State. With over 90 breweries in the state Washington ranks third in the number of breweries in the country.