The Siris Cask Festival is returning in June, and this time you won’t have to schlep all the way out to Port Coquitlam to enjoy it.
Named after Siris, the original goddess of beer in pre-Sumerian mythology, the festival features more than 40 beers all made exclusively by women. This year’s festival will take place June 10 at 12 Kings Pub in Vancouver.
“The goal of the festival is to provide a venue to showcase the skill of female brewers in B.C. and across Canada,” said organizers from the Tri-Cities Cask Festival Association in a press release last week. “This reaches back to a time when the important duty of brewing beer was exclusively the role of women in society.”
The festival also raises funds for an ongoing bursary for Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Brewing Studies program. Last year the Siris Bursary was awarded to Kristy Tattrie to help her finish her studies.
Currently, only a handful of craft breweries in B.C. have women designated as head brewers, but there are dozens women working as lead brewers and hundreds working at craft breweries across the province.
“This small club needs more members, so that in the future nobody will feel compelled to ask the question about what it means to be a ‘female’ brewer,” said Siris associate director and Steamworks head brewer Julia Hanlon. “The Siris Cask Festival and bursary is one step towards this and I am very honoured and proud to be part of this event to help more female brewers join this amazing community.”
- The second annual Siris Cask Festival is June 10 at 12 Kings Pub in Vancouver, from noon to 4pm. Early VIP opening at 11am for women only. Visit SirisFestival.com for tickets and info.
