WASHINGTON CASK ALE FESTIVAL BACK to MEDIA

by Don Scheidt

...2000 seems to have been the year that the Washington Brewers Guild really came together in organizing public events. The Father's Day brewfest certainly got it all off to a good start this year, but even more impressive, if not quite as well publicized, was the first annual Washington State Cask Beer Festival, held in two sessions on October 21, 2000. Hale's Brewery hosted the event in its back area, setting up tables from 23 brewers who dispensed naturally conditioned beers from beer engines or by gravity. Lots of pale ales, IPA's, bitters, and other specialty cask beers were poured. While this was more of a specialty-beer event than the bigger summer festivals, it was certainly well attended, including a contingent from the Oregon Brew Crew, all of whom clearly enjoyed themselves greatly at the afternoon session.

Your correspondent sampled his fair share of interesting beers, as always. Diamond Knot's Industrial IPA, always a hop-head's delight, dry-hopped with Columbus, sported an OG of 1065 (not for the faint of heart). Elliott Bay poured Riot Ale, a strong pale ale at 17 Plato (about 1068 OG), dry-hopped with Cascades and Chinooks. Elysian Brewing featured a fruity, well-balanced Immortal IPA, primed with gyle and dry-hopped with Amarillo. Fish Brewing brought its Soundkeepers IPA, dry-hopped with Centennials, drinking strong and warm for a 6% abv brew. Grant's had a well-balanced Fresh Hop Ale, dry-hopped with Cascades.

Maritime Pacific served up an intensively hopped Imperial Pale Ale; Orchard Street Brewing satisfied with its Pale Ale, dry-hopped with Cascades to give a lively, balanced, fruity result. Pacific Crest featured a rustic, malty take on an autumn brew with its Octobercrest Harvest Ale, while Pacific Rim showed up with a cask Alki Pale Ale, dry-hopped with Fuggles and on of the lighter beers at 11.8 Plato.

Pyramid kraeusened its Pale Ale with Snow Cap, dry-hopped with Fuggles, and cellared it for three weeks to give a malty, dryish finish. Skagit River broke the mold a bit with its malty, fruity Winter Weizen, a dark wheaten ale with fruity, chocolate notes, subtle bitterness from Perle hops and a mild Tettnanger hop aroma. Snoqualmie Falls poured a good cask version of Copperhead Pale Ale.

Perhaps the most unusual beer of the show was provided by RAM/Bighorn Brewing, a stout aged in a Jack Daniel's whiskey barrel to impart charred-wood and vanilla flavors. It worked its magic on me, as did so many others, and by this point I had to call it a day, even with many other beer receiving raves.

...the Cask beer festival served a unique role: It gave brewers a chance to stretch out and strut their stuff with unique, one-off brews that showcased the fine old tradition of naturally conditioned ales. Although a number of Northwest pubs and brewpubs feature at least one cask beer among their offerings, cask beer is still not as well understood as it could be, and events like the Cask Beer Festival serve to raise awareness of just how good these beers can be. Americans in general still tend to serve and pour their beers, even craft ales, a bit on the overchilled side, and to sample these beers in an environment where they were served at a more appropriate temperature was pure delight. As much as any upcoming beer event, I'm looking forward to the next Cask Beer Festival.

exerpted from Celebrator Beer News, 12/2000-1/2001

BACK to MEDIA

Visit these sites for
product updates:
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Internet Explorer
Netscape

©2000 WA Brewers Guild
All rights reserved

Design & layout by
tansi graphics + design

BACK to TOP