Pictured above: The assembled brewmasters take a break from the festivities and pose for the camera

Although to the uninitiated it may have looked like Spinnakers’ upstairs pub was hosting a massive keg party, with nearly 20 of the metal behemoths propped up on the bar, ping-pong tables and other makeshift serving stations, this was actually the Victoria brewpub’s first cask beer festival, held Saturday, March 14, from noon to 5 pm.

Cask beer, also known as “real ale,” is the freshest beer you can get, cask conditioned (i.e. dosed with yeast to create a second fermentation in the barrel) and poured with out added carbonation. Brewers from both Vancouver Island and the lower mainland brought casks of specially made beers—everything from Yaletown’s Belgian-inspired sour Mélange à Trois to Phillips’ crisp IPA that they innovatively drew through your choice of Cascade or Chinook hop-laden “filters”—to kick off this event. Only 100 tickets were made available, which sold out in a week—with minimal promotion—a strong indication that Victoria is thirsting for even more variety in its already burgeoning craft beer market.

Spinnakers’ owner Paul Hadfield seemed to be enjoying the success of the event as much as the mixed crowd—men and women, old and young all well represented—as he mingled with the visiting brewers and guests alike.

Adem Tepedelen is a Victoria-based freelance writer and winner of the 2008 Michael Jackson Beer Journalism Award for his story, "Trouble Brewing," on the worldwide hops shortage.