Right on the heels of a weekend of crazy barleywine drinking comes another extravaganza of beer: The 9th Annual Washington Cask Beer Festival. Before we even get into it, we heard last night that the early session sold out and, after checking online, the late session seems to be sold out, as well. Your best bet is to try calling these select ticket outlets to see if they have any left; some of them should.

What's in store for this year's festival? How about almost 60 cask-conditioned (plus a few bottle-conditioned) beers served in two sessions. Washington brewers are the feature, but they also let in a few beers from OR, CA and ID. Many brewers bring something special for the event, and there will be some unique beers to sample for sure. Do yourself a favor though, and try to sample some more traditional cask ales, such as Pike IPA, along with the extreme offerings.

Last year's festival had moved to a smaller room at Seattle Center, but this year it is back at the large, wide open Fisher Pavilion. A welcome change in our eyes.

The full beer list can be found here. Admission includes a tasting glass and UNLIMITED beer tastes (uh-oh....). Separate tickets required for each session.

Washington Cask Beer Festival // March 22 // Session 1: 12-4pm; Session 2: 6-10pm // $35adv, $40 at the door

(Beer previews and info after the cut.)

Awesome pic thanks to kurt_schlosser on Flickr

These are some that we're really looking forward to:

Elysian Hubris Imperial IPA - A hop bomb at its best. This would make a great permenant addition to their lineup, but we're guessing there is just a few hops in it(which are in short supply).

Issaquah Brewhouse Burnt Bourbon Cherry Frog Stout - Sounds like a lot going on, but could be right up our alley.

Pyramid Old Bastard Barleywine and Redhook MC Hammer IPA - Two special, small batch beers from two large brewers.

Boundary Bay Imperial Oatmeal Stout (WABL members only) - If you aren't a member of WABL, you haven't been listening.

Georgetown Brewing 9lb Hammer - Looking forward to this stand-out porter in cask form.

Here are some more specifics from WABL (Washington Beer Lovers):

This year's event will also put focus on the Herbert's Legendary Cask Festival Ale. Since 2001 when it first debuted this collaboration beer has been brewed by a group of Washington brewers at a different host brewery every year in honor of the NW beer icon, Bert Grant. This year's Herbert's was brewed by over a dozen brewers at the newly opened Northgate Ram in mid-February. The first keg will be tapped on Monday, March 10th, 8pm at the Herbert's Release Party at Latona Pub (6423 Latona Ave. NE, Seattle, 98115). A new Herbert's display was also put together by a group of brewers so the guests can learn about the stories behind the Herbert's and Bert Grant, the man who inspired this hoppy NW beer at the event.

Additionally, the WABL (WAshington Beer Lovers) members can also look forward to sampling the 2008 Cask Festival WABL Beer- Imperial Oatmeal Stout by Boundary Bay Brewery. WABL Beer is a special beer brewed by a different Washington brewery for each Washington Beer Commission festival that is available exclusively to the WABL members.

At the end of each session the People's Choice Awards will be announced to crown the favorite beers voted by the guests. Last year's winners were Adambier by Hair of the Dog Brewing Co. (1st session) and Bottleworks VIII Special Oak Aged Version by Flyer's Restaurant & Brewery (2nd session).