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2nd Shift Cask Festival - 2020

2nd Shift Cask Festival - 2020

January 19th, 2020


2nd Shift Brewing Company
Cask Festival
With something going on nearly every weekend, it's hard for St. Louis beer-lovers to get bored during the winter months. For example, this past weekend, I attended my second beer festival of 2020, and it is likely one of my favorites. 

On Sunday, 2nd Shift Brewing Company held its annual Cask Festival, which brings together a number of their closest friends and some fantastic small-batch beer. For those that are unfamiliar, Cask Festival is a smaller beer festival where 2nd Shift invites their friends to bring small cask just for the festival. During this event, you will likely find variations on existing beers brewed with unique new ingredients or a brand new beer brewed just for the festival; either way, you are in for some exceptional beer choices.

One unique thing with this festival is that it allows each attendee a unique opportunity to pour their beer; while sampling as few or as many beers as we like. Many of the brewers are also in attendance, too, allowing attendees the option to ask questions or compliment the brewer/staff on the unique beers they selected to bring to the festival. Cask Festival is a truly unique experience that offers a casual and intimate feeling for beer lovers. 

Tasting Glass
During the event, you will find small batch casks filled with unique beer that was brewed just for the festival, and will likely not find anywhere else. Last year the event was held inside the brewery; however, this year, the layout was a bit more spread out, allowing attendees more space to enjoy their beers and conversation with others in a more relaxed atmosphere. This year there were fewer cask placed in the brewery providing additional open space. Additional casks were placed outside in a tent and a separate indoor garage that provided some shelter from the cold.

Several fires were burning outside, which provided the perfect spot to warm up with a cold beer and converse with friends, both new and old. In addition to the outside fires, the taproom was also open with tables, and Guerrilla Street Food was also serving up some of their delicious Filipino-American goodness, perfect for helping warm you up on a cold winter day!

Overall, the 2nd Shift Cask Festival is quite possibly my favorite event of the year. While some might turn their heads and an outdoor beer festival during the St.Louis winter, I say bring it on!



Personal Highlights:

One major plus of this event was seeing Wellspent Brewing Company, founder/brewer Kyle Kohlmorgen, making his triumphant return to the St.Louis beer scene before the reopening of his Midtown St.Louis brewery, which unfortunately closed last summer but is reopening in February! Kudos to Kyle on bringing not one, but two killer casks!

Favorite Festival Brewery:

Branch & Bone LogoThere are so many great breweries to check out during the festival; it's a tough choice to pick just one. However, one brewery stood out to me during the festival, and that was Branch & Bone Artisan Ales, located in Dayton, Ohio. 

During the festival, I was fortunate enough to chat with head brewer, Brett Smith, and sample six of the unique beers from Branch & Bone, and each one was as good as the last. For their cask, they brought a Foeder Saison with Mixed Berry Tea, which was delicious. They also had some NE IPAs, Wild Ales, and a Churro inspired Pastry stout that they collaborated with another favorite brewery of mine, Listermann Brewing Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

I am already planning on making a stop in Dayton during my next Cincy trip to stop into Branch & Bone. So happy to have discovered this great new brewery!


Favorite Festival Beer:

Beer Label
Again, this is another tough decision as there were just so many top contenders. I think the beer that impressed me the most was a variant of an existing beer from White Rooster, out of Sparta, Illinois. White Rooster brought a coconut variant of their Necromancer Imperial Stout, which brewed with cacao nibs and Uganda vanilla beans. While I haven't tried Necromancer itself, the coconut variant was phenomenal. It was an incredibly smooth & easy-drinking beer that clocked in at a whopping 15% ABV
Labels:
Location: 1601 Sublette Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA

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