While it’s the second year for the Real-ly LocAle festival, it is the debut of the cask-focused event across the street from Atlas Brew Works’ new Bridge District facility in the Anacostia neighborhood of Southeast Washington, DC.
The event itself is shaping up to be one worth your time. The DC Brewers Guild invites attendees to sample casks, with over a dozen at the event, and judge the beers. When you cast your vote, your favorite beer may be the winner, earning bragging rights for a local brewery for the next 12 months. In addition to unique cask offerings, there will be food trucks, music, and other activities like coaster crafting. $40 gets you unlimited pours from some of DC’s best breweries.
Atlas Brew Works is bringing their Mandarin Orange Ponzi. Per the brewery, “we upped the orange flavor from the Mandarina Bavaria hops in our Ponzi IPA by adding mandarin orange peel.” The IPA with citrus clocks in at 7.3% ABV. The last time I had an Atlas cask it was Lemon-Lime Ponzi at Denizens Winter Cask Classic, which was a lovely beer in February, so I expect this iteration to be even better given the deft handling of Atlas’ head of quality assurance, Sean Palmateer.
Franklin’s Brewery’s head brewer Jeff Hancock is fresh off his medal-winning Saturday thanks to the Great American Beer Festival bronze for his beer, Treetop, in the Kellerbier or Zwickelbier category (which saw 61 entrants). This year he offers not one but two German-style offerings. Buoy Marker is German-style Kölsch ringing in at 5.4% ABV with 21 International Bitterness Units, and a Standard Reference Method color of four. Very pale! The hops in his Kölsch-style beer are German Saphir. Per the brewery the beer is a “clean and crispy German ale that drinks like a lager. A simple malt bill of pils malt and malted wheat. Light straw in color with a light body striking a beautiful balance. Utilizing a newer-school German aroma hop named Saphir. Saphir lends a unique tangerine citrus flavor and fruit to compliment this unassuming beverage…with its high drinkability.”
In addition to the Kölsch-style beer, Hancock is bringing Moving Shadow, a German-style Schwarzbier clocking in at 4.6% ABV, 21 International Bitterness Units, and Standard Reference Method color of 27. He describes it as a “black lager that offers a smooth, dark-roasted malt profile with subtle notes of chocolate and coffee, yet remains a light and crisp, easy-drinking beer. Despite its dark color, it’s surprisingly light-bodied, with a clean lager finish that balances its moderate malt sweetness and hop bitterness, making it a refreshing dark beer for any season.”
The brewer notes, “I’ll be serving both of these beers out of traditional German gravity kegs called StichFaß (pronounced Stich-Fass) and might wear my Lederhosen as well!!”
On the topic of dark beers, Port City is bringing their Coffee Porter, a Robust Porter with Coffee. “Born out of early morning brew sessions and the need for a serious caffeine kick, this fan-favorite takes our GABF gold medal-winning Robust Porter and supercharges it with 10 lbs. of G Street blend from Swing’s Coffee Roasters, our neighbors right here in Alexandria, VA,” the brewery tells us. Expect this buzzy robust beer to ring in at 7.2% ABV.
Beyond their small-batch coffee porter, they are also bringing their award-winning Oktoberfest – Märzen. Per the brewery “Oktoberfest is a Märzen-style lager, brewed with German malts and hops, and served in the ‘Keller’ or ‘Zwickel’ style – meaning unfiltered and naturally carbonated. This bright amber beer has subtle flavors of toasted bread, leading to a clean, dry finish punctuated by just a touch of Noble hops.” Expect the easy-drinking lager to clock in at 5.2% ABV.
Aslin is bringing Man Eating Toaster, a Cinnamon Toast Crunch inspired with cinnamon, vanilla, and lactose, 6.5% ABV. Per Aslin, “We added milk sugar, dry hopped with Citra & Mosaic, and then conditioned on cinnamon & vanilla.”
DC Brau Brewing is bringing their Joint Resolution with fruit treatment. The beer pours a hazy, golden-yellow hue with a creamy off-white head, this unfiltered beer releases tropical and citrus aromatics like mango, orange, tangerine, and hints of resin and earth. The fruited IPA will ring in at 5.5% ABV.
Not to be outdone by a sub 6% ABV beer, they are also bringing a Wake Up in the Future vertical. The tasting of strong stouts will feature their 2020, 2021, and 2022 iterations. Via Brau, it is a “bold, brooding stout that pours nearly opaque, with deep brown/black tones and hints of mahogany at the edges. Aroma bursts forth with notes of raisin, orange marmalade, molasses, and bourbon barrel character. Expect layers of vanilla, oak, and dark chocolate to come through as it opens. On the palate, intense roasted cacao and Dutch chocolate mingle with malted milk ball sweetness, caramel, toffee, and refined vanilla. Barrel aging contributes warmth, oak spice, and a subtle well-integrated boozy backbone. Though richly layered and full in texture, its finish remains surprisingly smooth and warming rather than cloying.” Expect the Barrel Aged Imperial Stout to clock in at 15.5% ABV.
Silver Branch Brewing is also bringing two beers. Fletcher’s Finest and their gold-medal winning Pilsner, Glass Castle. Glass Castle bested 125 entrants in the Czech-style Pale Lager category as announced last Saturday at the Great American Beer Festival.
With Fletcher’s Finest cask lovers can expect “a balanced brown ale… nutty, toffee aroma with toasted malt” that “hits the mark every time,” according to the brewery. The Nut Brown Ale clocks in at 4.8% ABV on cask.
Glass Castle Pilsner was Silver Branch’s first beer. Per the brewery, “this Pilsener exemplifies our love for brewing history and tradition. We use soft water to mimic the mineral composition found in Plzeň, Czechia, the birthplace of Pilsener. Brewed using a traditional decoction mash (for a richer malt character) and natural carbonation.” The Czech Pilsner is 5% ABV.
Outside of these breweries, ticket holders can expect a cask of Haxan Porter from Right Proper, as well as beer from Soul Mega, Sinistral, Henceforth, and Crooked Run. We just heard that Red Bear is bringing Gourd Riddance Pumpkin Ale (7%) and Smashed Pumpkins, their brand new Maple Pumpkin Pie Stout (10.5%). Here’s that ticket link again!
