On January 30th, 2016 (Saturday) Central City Brewing held their annual Winter Cask Festival. This is probably the marquee cask event in BC and I was happy to once again attend.
This year the festival brought us 40 casks from breweries only found in British Columbia. This years ticket got you a branded sample glass with three samples tokens. More tokens could be purchased at the front desk. Like years past many of the casks swung to the Imperial side of things which makes sense as most winter beers are higher in alcohol.
The Brew List
1 Black Kettle – Kentucky Uncommon
2 Brassneck – Old Money Mild
3 Bridge Brewing – Ambleside Amber Wassail
4 Dogwood – Organic Honey Giner and Ginseng
5 High Mountain Brewhouse – ISA
6 Howe Sound Brewing – Gathering Storm Cascadian Dark Ale
7 Moody Ales – Champions Scotch Ale
8 Phillips – Imperial Rye Lager
9 Red Collar – “Wobbly Bob” Dry Hopped English Strong Ale
10 Vancouver Island Brewing – Mid-Century West Coast Steam Beer
11 Big Ridge – Honey Saison
12 Spinnakers – Honey Muscle Saison
13 Big Rock Urban – The Muscles from Brussels
14 Townsite – Triple Red Power
15 Four Winds – Wild IPA Pepper Pot
16 Nelson – Bent Pole IPA
17 Russell – Barrel Soured Punch Bowl IPA
18 Whistler – Snow…White IPA
19 Driftwood – Old Cellar Dweller
20 Main Street – Barleywine
21 Powell Street – English Style Barley Wine
22 Steel & Oak – Barley Wine
23 Axe & Barrel – Winter Green Cocoa Porter
24 Callister – Midnight in Kentucky
25 Coal Harbour – Blackwing Baltic Porter
26 Fuggles & Warlock – Dark Cow Chocolate Milk Porter
27 Persephone – “Debris Slide” Oaked Chocolate Smoked Porter
28 Real Cask – India Export Porter
29 Bomber – Mocha Imperial Stout
30 Dead Frog – Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout
31 Doan’s Craft Brewing – American Rye Stout
32 Old Yale Brewing – Fresh Chilli and Ghost Chilli Stout
33 Parallel 49 – Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout
34 Red Truck – Swamp Thing Stout
35 Steamworks – Breakfast Stout
36 Deep Cove – Golden Sour
37 Moon Under Water – Oud King Crow 2015
38 R&B Brewing – Cherry Kettle Sour
39 Yellow Dog – Raspberry Sour Bruin
40 Central City Brewing – Mystery Cask
Like I mentioned before this is one of the best if not best Cask events in the entire province every year and it was not different this time. The beer was great and the people attending were awesome. I had great conversations that paired amazingly with the beer I was drinking. I wish more places in BC would hold pure cask events to this scale.
My favourite beers of the night were a tie between two beers once again.
Moon Under Water – Oud King Crow 2015
Fuggles & Warlock – Dark Cow Chocolate Milk Porter
If you have never attended a cask festival or one of Central City Brewing’s amazing cask festivals then you need to change it up and attend. Not only do you try great been but you will meet many new people that are really into Craft Beer.
Here are my full sized photos.
Mike's Craft Beer 