Showing posts with label breweries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breweries. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Fifth Annual OC Brew Ha Ha

Even though I'm always sad for summer to come to an end, the OC Brew Ha Ha always helps make the transition an easier one.


Last year was my second year attending the OC Brew Ha Ha and somehow, it was even better than the first time I attended!  Music by Reel Big Fish, amazing craft beer, food, and friends made for a wonderful afternoon. If you're wondering how great last year's event was, you can check out my write up here.  

Reel Big Fish!
This year the line up of breweries and musical performers is another one that is making me eager for September to arrive!   Along with live music, there will also be world class beer experts giving presentations throughout the event, homebrew exhibitors, and a cigar booth.  If you're a fan of Morrissey and the Smiths, chances are you've heard of Sweet and Tender Hooligans.  Those of you who are Southern Californian locals may even have had the opportunity to see them perform live.  I have never had a chance to catch one of their shows and am really looking forward to finally seeing them in person. 


While I am a huge advocate for drinking beers made by local breweries such as those from Bottle Logic Brewing, Beach City Brewery, Bootlegger's Brewery, Newport Beach Brewing Company, and Valiant Brewing, it is always nice to try beers from other parts of Southern California as well as those from different counties and states.  This year, even more breweries will be participating in the OC Brew Ha Ha.

Breweries scheduled to attend include:

As in past years, a collaboration beer has been made for the event.  This year Bottle Logic Brewing and Iron Fist Brewing have worked together to create a saison, Dr. Strange Matter. Brewed using authentic farmhouse yeast and pink peppercorns with Wakatu and Waimea hops and a dash of locally sourced caramelized honey. Dr. Strange Matter has been aged in Chardonnay barrels and is a perfect beer for a hot summer day.

Once again, Brew Ha Ha will be held at Oak Canyon Park near Irvine Lake.  While the event is held during the summer when it can be a bit warm, there are plenty of shade trees to help keep people out of the glare of the sun.  The venue is located in an area that makes you feel you've traveled farther from the major freeways than you actually have.
OC Brew Ha Ha, 2013
Most events have a mixture of brewery representatives and volunteers pouring beers.  The Brew Ha Ha also has volunteers who just happen to be off-duty fire fighters.  This helps to remind attendees that some of the ticket sales profits will go to an excellent cause, the Fallen Fire Fighters Relief Fund.


A fire truck that serves beer!
As in years past, food trucks and vendors will be on hand serving food to help compliment the over 175 beers to enjoy during the afternoon.  There will be a wide variety of food to choose from and there is nearly something for everyone's food tastes.  Food trucks and vendors scheduled to serve up tasty food at the OC Brew Ha Ha this year include:

Brew Wings
The Burnt Truck
Devilicious
Dos Chinos
Garlic Scapes
Porko Rico
Slater's 50/50
Stadium Brew Co
The Iron Press

Tickets for the OC Brew Ha Ha are the same price as last year, which is pretty awesome since this year offers unlimited tastings of beer.
General admission tickets are $45 while VIP tickets are $60.  If you're into math at all, that equates to a really good deal.  Even though I hate to see the summer come to an end, the OC Brew Ha Ha is a great way to ease into the fall season.

 Important Information:

  • When:  Saturday September 6th, 2014
  • General Admission, 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
  • VIP, 12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
  • Where:  Oak Canyon Park, 5305 E Santiago Canyon Road, Silverado, CA, 92676
  • Tickets are available through Eventbrite, here.
  • Tickets include a commemorative festival glass, which is a great souvenir
  • Designated driver tickets are available for purchase upon entry and must be accompanied by a standard ticket holder. 
  • OC Brew Ha Ha is a 21+, rain or shine event.
  • Staff members will gladly assist attendees with utilizing cabs and Uber. 
  • For information on camping at nearby Lake Irvine call 714-649-9111 x 305 
  • For festival information visit www.ocbrewhaha.com
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Monday, August 5, 2013

This Saturday, Surf 'n' Suds Beer Festival in Carpinteria!

Living in California, many of us are fortunate enough to live within driving distance to the beach. The upcoming Surf 'n' Suds Beer Festival reminds us not only how lucky many of us are to live near the beach, but also how many amazing breweries are in our great state.
This Saturday, August 10th at Linden Field at Carpinteria State Beach, Deep Surf Magazine will hold the inaugural Surf 'n' Suds Beer Festival.  Over thirty breweries will be on hand to serve delicious beer in an amazing beach setting.  

Breweries scheduled to attend include:
Not only is this a beer event, but it is also an event that celebrates surfing.  Live music will be provided by three bands; Afishnsea the Moon, The Kick, and The Rincons.  Surfboard shapers who are from the area will also be available to showcase their latest surfboard creations.  Throughout the event, movies celebrating surf culture will be shown to help add to the ambiance.  Of course, food is essential during any event where beer is served.  Three vendors will have food available for purchase; B & D's Curbside Grill, The Burger Bus, and Tiki Taco.
Both VIP and general admission tickets will be available.  VIP tickets are $60 and provide attendees to enter the festival one hour prior to general admission ticket holders.  General admission tickets are $45.  For $20, Designated Drivers may also attend the festival.  The Designated Driver ticket also comes with a $5 food voucher.  The event will begin at 11:30 a.m. for those who purchase VIP tickets and 12:30 p.m. for general admission ticket holders.  Beer will stop being served at 5:00 p.m. with the gates closing at 5:30 p.m..
Tickets are available for purchase here.  Don't miss out on a fun opportunity to enjoy the beach and some great beers!

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Sunday, February 10, 2013

San Francisco bound this weekend!

San Francisco is by far one of my most favorite towns.  I love the drive from Southern California up north, the scenery is gorgeous.  I almost enjoy the drive more than the destination!  This next weekend, I'll be venturing to San Francisco for a few days and am debating what to do while there.  I've visited a few breweries and craft beer bars on past visits, but I always like to try something new with each trip.


No traffic driving through Los Angeles is always a nice treat.


Beer at Bear Republic, so yummy!


Breweries I have visited on the way and/or in the area of San Francisco include:
Hollister Brewing Company, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, Firestone Walker Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Bear Republic Brewery, and Russian River Brewing Company.
I'm looking for suggestions for craft beer bars or breweries to visit on my next trip.  Which ones are your favorites?
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Great American Beer Festival

Last year, I had no idea what the Great American Beer Festival was all about.  Reading people's tweets and Untappd check-ins, I figured out it was a pretty epic beer event.  Breweries I had never heard of along with beers that sounded foreign.  I decided that 2012 would be my year to attend the festival.

Travelling from Orange County, CA to Denver, CO is a pretty short flight.  Arriving at the airport, I was extremely excited to hope on the plane, but the airline had different ideas.  Our flight was delayed by an hour, which at first made me sad.  Thankfully, the Jack Daniels and Coca Cola I consumed aboard the flight made the delay slip into my memory.  The first highlight of my trip to GABF was not being charged for my mixed drink.  I was pretty excited and smiled and thanked the flight attendant as we deplaned our aircraft.

Arriving in Denver, it hit me, we were here!  The land of craft beer!  But first, we had to take a shuttle to our rental car facility.  I had reserved a compact car and of course, at the rental agency the employee tried to up-sell me.  Would I like to drive a BMW for only $65 extra per day?  Would I like to upgrade to a full size car for $30 extra per day?  I politely declined all of the employees offers.  When she finally checked to see which car I would be driving, she told me they were sold out of the compact cars.  At first I thought, great, now I will HAVE to drive a BMW!  To my surprise, I was told I would be able to drive an SUV for the compact car price.  Second upgrade of my trip!

After our short drive to our hotel, which was located ten miles or so from the Convention Center, we were told that the room we had requested was no longer available.  I started to laugh as the front desk clerk told me they were going to upgrade us to a two room suite.  At this point, I was really starting to love Denver and I hadn't even been to GABF yet!

Rad table at New Belgium
The next morning, we joined the owners of Bootlegger's Brewery, where my boyfriend works, and some of the other employees for a journey to some of the local breweries.  Our first stop was New Belgium Brewing.  We were greeted by an amazing selection of food and beer to sample as we waited for our tour to begin.  The beginning of the tour started with a visit to a shiny curved slide, how many work places have a slide besides fast food restaurants?  We continued with viewing the various production areas of the brewery.  Along our tour, we had a stop at a small tasting area where we were able to re-fill our glasses.  

Grabbing a bottle of fresh Fat Tire!

My favorite part of the tour was visiting the bottling and packaging area.  This is where we were each allowed to take a bottle of freshly bottled Fat Tire off of the line.  I felt like I was in the opening credits of Laverne & Shirley!  We were also allowed to taste fresh Fat Tire directly from the fermenter.
Fresh Fat Tire from the fermenter.

Our tour guide was very patient as we snapped photos and took our time trying to take in all of the sights.  I loved seeing all of the bicycles along our tour.  After working at New Belgium for a year, every employee is given a bicycle.  What a cool idea!  The sheer magnitude of the bottling and packaging facility was a bit overwhelming.  Robotic arms were moving cases of beer with ease while we just watched in awe as they were completing their tasks.


O'Dell Brewing's Tasting Room
After our tour concluded, I was able to purchase some of my favorite beer, Super IPA.  We were then on our way to our next destination, O'Dell Brewing just a few minutes down the road.  O'Dell Brewing is not as large as New Belgium but is still an impressive facility.  While we did not go on a tour, we did spend a good amount of time sampling beers in the lovely tasting room.

Oskar Blues' Tasting Room
Instead of getting a tasting flight, I opted for a full pint of beer.  Our next stop was Oskar Blues' tasting room.  I really liked the ambience of Oskar Blues which had live music as well as a no frills environment.  Just like at O'Dells, instead of a flight of beer, I opted for a pint of beer.  We were pleasantly surprised to find different years of Ten Fidy available and tried the 2009 version.  It did not disappoint!


Upon finishing up at Oskar Blues Brewery, we headed back into downtown Denver.  This is when I had my first opportunity to visit GABF.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I entered the massive convention center.  My first thought after receiving my tasting glass and entering the doors of the convention center was simply, "wow!"
Live music at GABF
I've been to numerous beer events, but nothing comes close to the number of brewery booths that are set up at GABF.  I was a bit worried that I might get lost and never find my way out until I quickly realized that the layout was organized according to region.  I was happy to see that there were not any huge lines at any of the booths, as I've seen at other events for popular beers.  Since I'd had such a long day, I didn't end up staying only a few hours during my first session of GABF.  I decided that going to bed early would be better so I could enjoy my second session at GABF more fully.
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Friday, June 29, 2012

My town, my street...

El Cajon Brewing Co.


Last week I was able to spend time in my hometown, San Diego.  While I grew up in one of the craft beer meccas, I never have spent much time drinking or trying beer in the area.  We decided to visit four breweries, all within a short drive of each other.  
Cauldron Crest Pils and Amaziah Red Ale


 Our first stop was El Cajon Brewing Company.  Although the list of guest breweries on tap was substantial, I was disappointed there were only two beers brewed by El Cajon on tap.  I tried both the Cauldron Crest Pils and Amaziah Red Ale which were both easy to drink and perfect for a hot afternoon, which are common in East County!  


Green Flash Brewing Company


Next up was my favorite brewery of the day, Green Flash Brewing Company.  All I could say as we entered the facility was, "Wow, this place is AMAZING!!!"  It is a huge area which has all the elements of their brewery from brewing to bottling along with an area to taste some of their freshly made beer.



Green Flash Retro XPA
I loved the openness of the building as well as the separate area for merchandise and growler fills.  I can see how this space, although  larger than average can quickly fill up with eager beer drinkers!  There were tours available, but we decided just to have some smaller sized samples.  I really liked that they had petite tasters, as we had previously tried many of their beers on other occasions.  I decided to try the Green Flash Retro XPA which was outstanding.  I love how Green Flash consistently creates great beer.  

Ballast Point Brewing Co


After our small samples of beers, we headed to stop number three, Ballast Point Brewing Company.  Although there was a good sized crowd when we arrived, we were served quickly after our arrival. As with Green Flash, I'd had many of the beers that were on tap and was wanting to try something new.



Ballast Point Big Eye IPA with and without ginger 


After looking over the tap list carefully, I decided to do a side by side comparison of the two versions of the Big Eye IPA one with and one without ginger.  While both beers are very tasty, I preferred the non-ginger version.  After a short time, we decided to continue on to our fourth and final stop of the day, Manzanita Brewing Company.  
Manzanita Brewing Company flight of beers
Ever since I first learned there is a brewery located near where I grew up, I've been eager to try their beer.  Manzanita Brewing Company, located in Santee, is near the 52 freeway in East County.  Their small tasting room was filled with regulars who were both helpful and eager to talk about their local brewery.  We decided to get a tasting flight of all of the beers.  My two favorites were the IPA and Pale Ale.  While we were visiting the tasting room, we found out that the brewery is moving just down the street.  It is always exciting to hear about breweries who are expanding.  I can't wait to visit more breweries in San Diego!
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Friday, June 15, 2012

Epic Beer Weekend...the journey begins!

Last weekend was the informal kick-off of #summerfun, my most favorite time of year, with my journey to the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest in Paso Robles, CA.  This is an event that I have eagerly been awaiting since the tickets arrived in the mail back in February!


Hollister Brewing Company's
Hip Hop Double IPA and Hippie Kicker
On Friday, the journey from Orange County to Paso Robles was made much more delightful by stopping at two breweries for the first time along the way.   Hollister Brewing Company , located in Goleta, CA is adjacent to the 101, which makes it an easy stop on the scenic trip up the coast of California.  Located in an unassuming strip mall, the restaurant and brewery is a bright and open venue.  Starting off with a full pint of their Hip Hop Double I.P.A., which won medals at both the 2008 and 2009 GABF (Great American Beer Festival) was a perfect way to start my beer journey of the day.  At 9.5 % A.B.V., the beer was surprisingly easy to drink!  I'd have to say, the Hip Hop Double I.P.A.
was definitely my favorite beer I had while visiting Hollister Brewing Co..


With so many other beers that I wanted to sample on their menu board, a tasting flight seemed like the best way to proceed and I wasn't disappointed with any of the other beers that I tried including; 5th Anniversary Ale, Hollister Hefeweizen, Lucky Man Red, Tiny Bubbles, Table 42 Red, Patterson Porter, and The Pope IPA.  
Although I would have been perfectly happy to spend the entire weekend at 
Hollister Brewing Company, we had to continue our journey.  


Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company's 
Hoppy Poppy IPA
Upon the recommendation of some friends, we decided to visit Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, located in Buellton, CA.  When we first drove up to the industrial complex facility, we thought that their tasting room was just a standard small brewery facility.  When we opened the doors to the brewery's tasting room, though, we felt as if we had walked into somebody's swanky living room.  With tables and flat screen t.v.s in the outer lobby area to greet you, this was definitely someplace we wanted to spend some time in.  The actual tap area also includes more seating with a view of the brewery production area which is simply gorgeous.  You really feel as if you are hanging out at a (wealthy) friend's house.  My first choice at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co was their Hoppy Poppy IPA.  I'll admit, I love IPAs, but the name is what really got me to choose this beer.  I also had the Danish Red Lager and had a hard time deciding which one I preferred.  I really wish we had had more time to sample more of the beers at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company.  I know I will definitely be visiting again, though!
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