Fall is a great time for hopheads in the Northwest. It’s harvest time, so we get all the great fresh hop beers filling our taste buds with all that amazingly fresh hoppy goodness (and I must say that Fremont Brewing‘s Cowiche Canyon Fresh Hop was my absolute favorite this year), the annual Hopfest at Brouwer’s Cafe and the Yakima Fresh Hop Ale Festival. Then, as if that weren’t enough, we get both Hoptoberfest and the IPA Cask-O-Rama from Beveridge Place Pub. What more could a hophead ask for?
The Selections From Cask-O-Rama 2011
Well, Hoptoberfest, and the annual voting for Beveridge Place Pub’s house IPA for the next year, is nearlyover. Voting ends on November 4th and the winner will be announced at the kickoff of this year’s IPA Cask-O-Rama. This annual event lets you enjoy some of your favorite IPAs (and perhaps some others you haven’t tried) on cask. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, cask beer is generally served a bit warmer and less carbonated than usual – form a cask (container) that is unpressurized. In Beveridge Place Pub’s case, the entire bartop is taken over with casks, brought in and setup especially for the Cask-O-Rama (See photo above).
My top three choices from last year’s Cask-O-Rama were:
- Humulo Nimbus IPA from Sound Brewery
- Imperial IPA from Iron Horse Brewery
- Hop Diggity from Port Townsend Brewing
My Cask-O-Rama 2011 Taster Tray
This year’s IPA Cask-O-Rama kicks off on Thursday, November 8th at 6:00PM and runs until the 10th at midnight. The cask list for this year’s festival has not yet been announced, but check back as I will update this post when the list becomes available. Cask beer is best served fresh (and the most popular IPAs disappear first), so if you’re serious about voting or you don’t want to miss out on getting some of your favorite on cask, I suggest you get down to Beveridge Place Pub on Thursday the 8th to make your selections. I hope to see you there.
Drink responsibly and stay safe out there.
