Community on tap: On the heels of a change in ownership and 10th anniversary, Sidetrack Brewing Co.'s Cask Fest returns March 21

As it observed its 10th anniversary earlier this year, Sidetrack Brewing Co. celebrated not only longevity, but a smooth transition in ownership.

When Dan Herr and Anne O’Neill decided to sell the business, it only felt natural for Pilar Westell, who already owned Zendo Coffee next door, to take over operations. With Zendo entering its 13th year, the area was already near and dear to Westell’s heart.

“The community is the whole reason that I’m doing what I’m doing,” said Westell, who assumed ownership of Sidetrack last July. “When I started Zendo, I had two babies that are now teenagers and it was just me and them. And the community that was coming into Zendo every day was the community that also held babies while I made coffee and kept us in food and clothes and put a roof over our heads.

“I think it just comes down to, I can’t imagine doing anything else with my time or with my career.”

The change is accompanied by some continuity on the beer side. Cordell Rincon, who has been with Sidetrack for three years, has remained as head brewer. He got to know Westell a little bit during that time since she would serve him coffee every morning before his shift.

“From neighbors to cohorts,” Rincon said.

While Sidetrack’s identity as a small, neighborhood pub isn’t changing, one of Westell’s primary goals moving forward is to have an even more robust event schedule.

“I think trying to just continue that never-ending process of finding ways to engage with everybody within the Downtown community, but then also just within the community at large,” Westell said. “I think people’s drinking habits are changing, but there’s still this need to have these places that you can come and hang out and always run into somebody or make a new friend.”

One tradition that will continue at Sidetrack is Cask Fest, which celebrates the old ways of beer production. The fourth edition of Cask Fest will take place on Saturday, March 21, and includes 15 participating breweries from noon to 4 p.m. While beer today is typically filtered, carbonated and pushed out of a keg using CO₂, cask beer is sealed in a cask and dispensed using a hand pump once it is ready. Cask beer typically has a shorter life span than keg beer, and it’s also characterized by “a much gentler level of carbonation, a rounder mouthfeel … and a slightly more complex flavor and aromatic profile,” according to craftbeer.com

While Sidetrack usually has a couple cask conditioned beers on hand at all times, it’s a relatively foreign experience for many other brewers.

“We’re all experimenting, basically,” Rincon said. “Very few have done it, and if they have, it’s kind of just been at this festival. I’m going to give them some time to think about what they want to throw in there or what they want to do. They can’t taste it before we tap it.

“So it’s always a nice surprise, a pleasant surprise, to see what (comes from) all the work that’s been done.”

Those who purchase a ticket will receive a commemorative pint glass, a two-ounce sample from every cask and a full pint of their choice. Rando’s Food Truck will also be on site.

“I think this is such an amazing event because we have so many talented breweries across the state all coming to one space to be a part of this really, really cool thing,” Westell said. “And one of the things I’m learning about the beer community is it’s just so friendly — everybody’s super supportive of one another. I think this event has been a showcase all of those things: the amazing beer, the amazing community and really to get people to come in and hang out and have a fun afternoon on the back patio.”