If you were for some reason planning on buying your cask festival ticket online this week, you’re out of luck. Both sessions are sold out online, but select ticket outlets still have a few tickets. If you don’t have tickets yet, you should find some. You shouldn’t even think about missing this annual celebration of cask ales.

Thankfully for this busy guy, Lisa Miyashita from the Washington Beer Commission put together the list of beers that will pour, as well as some detailed highlights:
SEATTLE- The Washington Beer Commission is proud to present the 2009 Washington Cask Beer Festival on Saturday, March 28^th. This year the Festival celebrates its 10-year anniversary with 65 unique cask-conditioned beers on tap, the biggest beer lineup in its history. 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. The guests will face a tough challenge of choosing which beers to sample during the four hour sessions. It is especially a daunting task since the majority of beers are brewed in small batches exclusively for the Festival to showcase the brewers’ true creativity.

 

Some of the beers that will be poured at this year’s Cask Beer Festival include:

 

Ten Squared Anniversary Reel Ale (Fish Brewing Co./Leavenworth Beers)– Created as a one-off celebrating Fish Brewing’s tenth anniversary, it’s now the crown jewel of Fish’s limited-edition Reel Ales line. Ten different hops were used to give the unique character. Even at 100 IBU’s this hop monster stands on a sturdy malt foundation that imparts outstanding balance. This is an ’08-dated limited edition brewed last winter for a Valentine’s release. 10% ABV.

Bosun’s Black Bourbon Porter (Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.)– Dry-hopped and Aged on bourbon infused oak. Rich chocolate and roasted malt flavors with subtle smoke overtones balance cherry and currant fruits and hints of vanilla.

 

Apple/Cinnamon ESB (Diamond Knot Brewing Co.)– Diamond Knot’s standard ESB conditioned in the keg with apple cider, cinnamon sticks and slices of fresh apple.

 

Super Chopp (Georgetown Brewing Co.)– Initially a hop-crisis induced experiment that was later refined, this is a kicked-up version of Chopper’s Red. High alpha Columbus hops add edge tot his malty red brew.

Imperial Porter (Boundary Bay Brewery)– Commemorating Boundary Bay’s 3,000^th batch this dark and delicious American style Imperial Porter is a true Northwest treat.

 

Grey Sky Winter Rye (Port Townsend Brewing Co.)– A strong, dark winter ale brewed with 7 different kinds of malted barley plus whole and flaked rye. Generously balanced with several hop additions.

 

Local Hero #2 Frauenbier’s Special Bitter (Bitter)– Local Homebrewer Ken Frauenthal won a gold medal at a local homebrew competition last fall with this classic version of a ESB. Big Al Brewing was so impressed with the beer they invited Ken down to the brewery and brewed a batch on the big system. English Pale and Caramel malt combined with floral, aromatic English Hops create a smooth, balanced medium bodied beer.

 

In addition to the already massive beer list the special 10^th anniversary event will also feature the Ten Herbert’s, showcasing ten different versions of the Herbert’s Legendary Cask Festival Ale brewed by different Washington breweries. 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. This year only ten different breweries/collaborative teams brewed their own renditions of this classic Northwest style brew and guests will be able to try them side by side to compare them all.

 

Another must try for the members of WABL (WAshington Beer Lovers) is the 2009 Cask Festival WABL Beer- Cask Double Decade by Big Time Brewery. WABL Beer is a special beer brewed by a different Washington brewery for each Washington Beer Commission festival that is available exclusively to the WABL members.

 

At the end of each session the People’s Choice Awards will be announced to crown the favorite beers voted by the guests. Last year’s winners were Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotch Ale by Anacortes Brewery (1^st session) and Fat Scotch Ale by Silver City Brewery (2^nd session) which will make a repeat appearance at this year’s event.

 

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 ticket outlets. Information for the Festival, advance tickets and WABL is available at www.washingtonbeer.com/cbf.   

 

 

 

2009 Washington Cask Beer Festival

 

 

Anacortes Brewery– Anacortes, WA                                          Anacortes IPA

Big Al Brewing– Seattle, WA                                                     Local Hero #2 Frauenbier’s Special Bitter

Big Time Brewing Co.– Seattle, WA                                          The Big Dance Imperial Amber

                                                                                                Scarlet Fire IPA

Boundary Bay Brewery– Bellingham, WA                                  Imperial Porter

                                                                                                IPA

Diamond Knot Brewing Co.– Mukilteo, WA                               Shipwreck XXX IPA

                                                                                                Apple Cinnamon ESB

Elliott Bay Brewing Co.– Seattle/Burien, WA                             Dry Hopped Riot Ale

                                                                                                Bourbon Aged Stout

Elysian Brewing Co.– Seattle, WA                                             Green Man IPA

Fish Tale Ales– Olympia, WA                                                     Fish Tale Organic IPA

Georgetown Brewing Co.– Seattle, WA                                    9 lb. Porter

                                                                                                SuperChopp

Hale’s Ales Brewery– Seattle, WA                                             Hale’s Pikop Andropov’s Rushin’ Imperial Stout

                                                                                                Dry Hopped Pale Ale

Harmon Restaurant & Brewery– Tacoma, WA                           Scott’s Puget Creek Vanilla Porter

                                                                                                One Hop Wonder

Ice Harbor Brewing Co.– Kennewick, WA                                  IPA

                                                                                                Irish Red

Iron Horse Brewery– Ellensburg, WA                                         Irish Death

                                                                                                Iron Horse IPA

Issaquah Brewhouse– Issaquah, WA                                         Cherry Menage A Frog

Laughing Buddha Brewing Co.– Seattle, WA                            Panden Brown Ale

                                                                                                Ginger Pale Ale

Laughing Dog Brewing– Ponderay, ID                                       The DogFather

                                                                                                Alpha Dog

Leavenworth Beers– Olympia, WA                                            Ten Squared Anniversary Ale

Mac & Jack’s Brewing Co.– Redmond, WA                                Black and Tan Cask Ale

                                                                                                Yerba Mate IPA

                                                                                                Bourbon Oaked Porter

Maritime Pacific Brewing Co.– Seattle, WA                              Bosun’s Black Bourbon Porter

                                                                                                Triple Dry Hopped Imperial IPA

McMenamin’s Brewery– Seattle, WA                                         Workingman’s Red

                                                                                                Bad Influence ESB

New Belgium Brewing– Fort Collins, CO                                   The Trip

Northern LightsBrewing Co.– Spokane WA                               Solar Winds

                                                                                                IPA

                                                                                                Chocolate Dunkel

Pike Brewing Co.– Seattle, WA                                                 Monk’s Uncle

                                                                                                Pike IPA

Port Townsend Brewing Co.– Port Townsend, WA                     Hop Diggidy

                                                                                                Grey Sky Winter Rye

Pyramid Breweries– Seattle, WA                                              Thunder Head IPA

                                                                                                Belgian Dark Ale

Ram Restaurant & Brewery– Seattle, WA                                  Artic Blast

                                                                                                Ol’ Mall Walker

                                                                                                Biere De Marz

Redhook Ale Brewery– Woodinville, WA                                    ighook Porter

                                                                                                Dry Hopped Copperhook

Rock Bottom Brewery– Bellevue, WA                                        Liquid Sun

                                                                                                Hop Bomb IPA

Rogue Ales– Newport, OR                                                          Double Dead Guy

Schooner Exact Brewing Co.– Seattle, WA                               3 Grid IPA

                                                                                                Old Sinking Ship Barleywine

Scuttlebutt Brewing Co.– Everett, WA                                       Commodore’s Pale Ale

Silver City Restaurant & Brewery– Silverdale, WA                     Fat Scotch Ale

                                                                                                Big Daddy ESB

Snipes Mountain Brewery– Sunnyside, WA                               Dry Hopped Sunnyside Pale Ale

Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Co.– Snoqualmie, WA                     Spring Fever

Three Skulls Ales.- Seattle, WA                                                CutThroat Red

                                                                                                IPA

Water Street Brewing Co.- Port Townsend, WA                         Panama Red

                                                                                                Burr’s Frosty Chocolate Mint Winter

 

 

2009 Cask Festival WABL Beer* by Big Time Brewery                Double Decade

 

*Available exclusively to WABL(WAshington Beer Lovers Club) members