Beer filled Saturdays are the best kind of Saturdays!

Air conditioned beer event = rad!

This past Saturday was a whirlwind kind of day.  The day started off by driving out to Pechanga Casino in Temecula for their fifth annual Microbrew Fest and chili cook off.  

Glasses waiting for attendees

This event is sponsored by Habitat for Humanity's Inland Valley location, so the proceeds go to a fantastic cause!   

Bootlegger's Brewery

Besides beer and chili, there was also a silent auction with a wide variety of items available to bid on.  Instead of drinking beer at the event, I was helping pour beer which is always a fun experience.  A steady flow of festival attendees throughout the afternoon made the time pass quickly. 

Yeah, just because...

On our way back to Orange County, we had lunch at my favorite fast food Mexican restaurant from San Diego, Sombrero in Corona.  Having a good meal before heading back home was essential since the second part of the day I would actually be drinking!

Cheers!

Congrats, Mr. Nagel!

After leaving Corona, we headed to Anaheim to help OC Beer Blog celebrate his second anniversary.  When we arrived at Noble Ale Works we were greeted by many familiar faces.There was a steady line of people eager to drink standard Noble Ale Works beer as well as some of the special beers created just for the event. As we were getting ready to leave, Slaves Against the Machine were tuning up their instruments.  I wish I'd been able to hear them because they sounded great just from the few notes I was able to hear!

Cutest beer baby, ever.

Happy Birthday, Stephanie!

Our next stop of the day took us to Bootlegger's Brewery in Fullerton to help celebrate the Amazing Stephanie's birthday.  It also happened to be Stein Night!  It was great to see all of the creative steins that people brought in for the competition.    

Sam judging steins.

I'm glad I don't have to help judge because it would be hard to pick the winners!  Some of our friends had not been to Bootlegger's Brewery, so it was nice to introduce them to beers they haven't tried before.  The favorite of the evening was the Black Phoenix, which is a coffee chipotle stout.

A drink with Christmas added!

The final destination of the evening was Hopscotch in Fullerton for dinner and drinks.  Hopscotch always has unique items on their food and drink menus.  The birthday girl was very happy with one of the newest items on the menu, a mini loaf of bread served with freshly made peanut butter and jam.

Lynchburg Lemonade = yum!

I had one of the new summer cocktails, the London Lemonade which was great.  I was also happy that even though one of my favorite drinks was not on the menu, a Lynchburg Lemonade, the bartender happily made it for me, it was amazing!Saturday was a fun-filled day.  I'm glad I was able to see so many of my favorite people!

Beer Events this Saturday!

Living in Southern California, it seems there is a beer event every weekend, sometimes even during the week on school nights!  This weekend isn't any different.  On Saturday Pechanga Resort and Casino will host their fifth annual Micro-Brew and Chili Cook Off.  

For $45 attendees can enjoy unlimited 2 oz pours of refreshing craft beer as well as samples of chili.  Along with the craft beer and chili, there will also be a silent auction and live music.  Tickets for designated drivers are $25.  Proceeds from the event will go towards the Inland Empire Habitat Humanity.  The event is from 1:00-5:00 p.m..  Ballast Point Brewing, Bootlegger's Brewery, Craft Brewing Company, Hangar 24 Brewing, Ironfire Brewing, Kat Daddy Brewery, New Belgium Brewing Co, Ninkasi Brewing, Packinghouse Brewing Co, Refuge Brewery, Sierra Nevada, Samuel Adams, Track 7, Stone Brewing Co, and others will be pouring their beer at the event.  I had the opportunity to attend this event last year and it was fantastic.  One of the best parts?  The event is held inside one of the ballrooms at the hotel, which makes it even nicer to enjoy the beers available.


Another great event that I'm looking forward to this Saturday is OC Beer Blog's 2nd Anniversary Party which will be held at Noble Ale Works.  The party is free to attend, with attendees having to pay for their own beer.  There will be standard Noble Ale Works beer on tap along with specialty beers only available for the party.  Seabirds food truck will be serving up tasty food and Slaves Against the Machine will be playing some amazing music to help everyone better enjoy the yummy beers.  The party will be from 5:00 until close.  Celebrating two years of Mr. Gregory Nagel contributing to the craft beer community is something you definitely don't want to miss!