Joel Vandenbrink of Two Beers Brewing and Chris Miller of Snipes Mountain Brewing at the 2010 Belgianfest

Last year’s inaugural Belgianfest turned out to be quite the showcase of skill for many of our beloved local Washington brewers. While some of the attending breweries regularly produce Belgian-style beer, there were several breweries pouring their first commercially produced attempts at the style. There was a diverse mix of styles, including sour ales, dubbels, tripels, strong ales, saisons and more.

The festival will return for its second year with 50+ Belgian-style ales pouring on January 22, and this year it is moving to a larger venue at Magnuson Park. Last year’s venue at the Georgetown Studios worked out alright (except for the bathroom “situation” during the first session), but both sessions sold out easily and the need for a larger space was evident. There will be two sessions you can attend: 12:00 to 4pm and 5:30 to 9:30pm. Tickets are available online and at Big Time Brewery and Full Throttle Bottles. If you plan to attend, I would definitely suggest purchasing tickets ahead of time, as space will be limited. Advance tickets are $30 and include a tasting glass and ten 4oz samples. If tickets are still available, they will be $35 at the door. This is a fundraiser for the Washington Beer Commission.

You can read my full review of last year’s event for my beer highlights.

A full list of beers for this year’s festival should be posted sometime tomorrow today, and here is a preliminary list of brewery’s that plan to attend:

Anacortes Brewery
Baron Brewing
Big Al Brewing
Big Time Brewery
Black Raven Brewing
Boundary Bay Brewery
Der Blokken Brewery
Elliott Bay Brewing
Elysian Brewing
Fremont Brewing
Georgetown Brewing
Hale’s Ales Brewery
Issaquah Brewhouse
Naked City Brewery
Odin Brewing
Paradise Creek Brewery
Pike Brewing
Ram Brewery
Redhook Ale Brewery
Scuttlebutt Brewing
Snipes Mountain Brewery
Snoqualmie Falls Brewing
Two Beers Brewing
Lazy Boy Brewing
Silver City Brewery

Belgianfest
DATE & HOURS:
Saturday, January 22nd, 2011
Session 1: 12-4pm
Session 2: 5:30-9:30pm

LOCATION:
The Workshop at Magnuson Park
6310 NE 74th St., Seattle, WA 98115

PARKING:
Plenty of free parking is available at the event site.

BUS:
Metro bus routes 74 and 75 serve the park along Sand Point Way N.E. Connections are in the University District (Routes 74 and 75) and Northgate (Route 75).

ADMISSION:
$30 advance tickets or $35 at the door (if available)
Admission includes a commemorative tasting glass & ten 4oz tastes
Designated driver admission is $5 and available at the door only (includes free water/soda)
Must be 21 years old or older and have a valid ID

Tickets are on sale online now at www.washingtonbeer.com and beginning Monday, January 10, at Big Time Brewery, 4133 University Way Northeast, Seattle, WA 98105 and at Full Throttle Bottles, 5909 Airport Way South, Seattle, WA 98108.