Boonville Beer Fest
Days are longer, nights are warmer and beer festival season is getting into full swing. So pull out your calendars, pour a glass of your favorite Mendo brew, and start planning your road trips!
Mendocino Brewing has been making some changes this year, and a beer fest is one of the best places to check out what’s new and chat with the brewers. Mendo’s new Rock Point Session IPA has already been making the rounds—mostly recently at the East Bay Festival in Martinez. The new brew was a huge hit, and the keg ran dry in just over an hour! Everyone seemed to appreciate both the hop flavor and the lighter ABV, which does suit long summer evenings.
If you’re eager for a taste of Rock Point, here are some of Mendo’s favorite picks for summer festivals–and the list keeps growing. Get there early, before it’s all gone!
May 2nd – Boonville Beer Festival ( Boonville Ca.) Held in scenic Mendocino County, this is the best beer festival in Northern California. The festival draws over 100 different Californian Craft breweries all serving special beer releases and new spring seasonal ales. The event also includes camping for the public at the Mendocino Fairgrounds, while all the breweries camp on the Anderson Valley Brewing Co. property a quarter mile from the festival.
May 9th – International Beer Festival (Fort Mason, San Francisco Ca.) – This is the biggest charity beer festival held in San Francisco and has already been sold out for the past month. The event features beers from all over the world, with bit more focus on local craft beer. This is good event and pretty rowdy at times, but it’s fun and well organized.
Monterey Beer Festival
June 2nd – Taste of Success (Golden Gate Club, San Francisco Ca.) This is a charity fundraiser for at-risk teens to help them have access to higher education. The event is open to the public and includes gourmet food from local SF restaurants and wine, spirits and beer from Mendocino County. Highly recommended.
June 10th – Black Hawk Grill – Mendocino Beer Dinner (San Ramon Ca.)- The Black Hawk Grill is going to feature a four course beer pairing menu with four Mendocino ales: Rock Point Session IPA,Talon Double IPA, Peregrine Pilsner and the classic Red Tail.
June 13th – Monterey Beer Festival (Monterey Fairgrounds) One of the largest beer festivals in Santa Cruz County. The event has a large industry turnout and is a little on the wild side. Very well organized, this fest the only chance this community gets to sample this many different beers.
June 20th – Californian Craft Beer Festival (Stratford Lake, Novato Ca.) The CBF organizers run a great series of beer festivals in Ventura, Marin and Santa Cruz, and I highly recommended this event to music and beer fans. Great BBQ and Craft Beer–how could they go wrong? The event gets great industry support and is good value to the customer.
June 20th – Walk on the Wild Side (Oakland Zoo) This is a charity event that benefits the Oakland Zoo and great event that features local restaurant and breweries. Always a sold-out event, so get your tickets quick. Highly Recommended.
Breastfest
July 11th – Marin Brewing Co. Breastfest 2015 (San Rafael) The festival has fortunately moved back to Marin County at Marin Fairgrounds. Breastfest is one of my favorite local events and is a fantastic charity event to promote women’s health programs in Marin County. The event gets great brewery support and the beer lineup is always interesting.
July 18th – Pheasant Hill Blues and Brews ( Pheasant Hill Ca.) The only beer festival in Pheasant Hill, this is one of best Blues and Craft Beer events in the far East Bay. Great beer, BBQ and blues.
See you there!
Which fests are you attending this summer? Did we leave out some of your favorites? Inspire us in the comments below!