This fall Wellington Brewery will be marking a historic milestone by becoming Canada’s first independently-owned microbrewery to celebrate 30 years of craft brewing.
To mark the occasion Wellington Brewery will be hosting “Thirty”, a two-day anniversary cask beer festival Sept. 26 and 27 at the brewery in Guelph.
The weekend festivities will feature 30-plus “one-off” cask beers, food trucks and live music. Each session will showcase unique Welly One-Off cask beers as well as a selection of collaboration beers brewed with fellow Ontario craft brewers and friends of the brewery. The cask beer lineup will also feature a well-curated selection of guest casks from Ontario craft brewers and cider makers.
Cask-conditioned ale is unfiltered, unpasteurized, naturally carbonated beer that continues to ferment and age after being packaged. Before the use of modern draught systems, cask was the only way to serve beer.
Wellington Brewery was one of the first modern brewers in North America to produce traditional cask-conditioned ales, which have become increasingly popular in the last decade.
“Thirty” builds on the success of Wellington Brewery’s long-standing Realist Party, expanding the annual event into a multi-day cask festival happening outdoors under large tents. For food lovers, each session will feature local food trucks serving up delicious snacks and meals with menu items paired with select beers.
The weekend will include performances from a selection of independent musicians and performers co-presented with local arts festivals including Hillside Festival, Guelph Jazz Festival, Riverfest Elora and Kazoo Fest.
The festival will feature three sessions: two on Sept. 26 and one on Sept. 27. Tickets for each session are $20 (plus tax and service charge) and are available now via Ticketfly.
Each ticket includes an eight-ounce sampling glass, two drink tokens, a commemorative program guide, and local shuttle bus transportation.
A portion of the proceeds from “Thirty” will go to support the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington. Further details about the event including performers, cask beer lineup, and more, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets and more details about the event are available at www.wellycaskfest.com.