OC Fest of Ales

ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA- With brews, food, music and friendly competition, Anaheim's third annual OC Fest of Ales will support local non-profit organizations during the one day, hop-filled event on Center Street Promenade.

After a year's hiatus, this year's festival will return bigger and better on Saturday, September 19 from noon-4 p.m..

Unlike previous years, all guests at the 2015 OC Fest of Ales will get the VIP experience with unlimited beer tastes from over 35 craft breweries and unlimited food tastes from Orange County eateries. One unique aspect of Anaheim's OC Fest of Ales is that food is included in the price of the ticket. No need to pocket out additional funding once you pass the entry gates.

Participating food and beverage contributors include:

BXCR, HammerBar, Lemon Drop, Colony Wine Merchant, Crepe Coop, Georgia’s, the Gypsy Den, the Healthy Junk, Hubert’s Lemonade, Infinity Sauces, Out of The Park Pizza, Pour Vida Latin Flavor, Snow Station, Tony’s Original Deli, Umami Burger and  Brandy’s Sweet Temptations.

Participating breweries include:

32 North Brewing, Absolution Brewing, Anaheim Brewery, Angel City Brewery, Backstreet Brewery, Ballast Point Brewing, Beach City Brewery, Bootleggers Brewery, Bottle Logic Brewing, Bravery Brewing, Cismontane,  Coachella Valley, Coronado Brewing Co, Dale Bros Brewery, Einstök Ölgerð, Firestone Walker, Golden Road, Heroes,  Hanger 24, Karl Strauss Brewing, Lagunitas Brewing, Left Coast Brewery, Legends Craft Brewery, Lost Coast Brewery,  MacLeod Ale Brewing, Main Street Brewery, Newport Beach Brewing, Noble Ale Works, Phantom Ales, Portland Cider, Rough Draft Brewing, Saint Archer Brewing, Strand Brewing, The Bruery, Tustin Brewing, Valiant Brewing,  and Wicks Brewing.

Hundreds of beer lovers will gather to support Anaheim Cops 4 Kids and Downtown Anaheim Association, two Anaheim non-profit organizations promoting a positive community.

This year, OC vintage-style, rock n' roll group, the Rayford Brothers will have festival guests dancin' on the promenade (sponsored by Anaheim Packing District).

Also featured during the event will be the announcement of the winners of the home brew challenge. The Brew My Brew Challenge brings together a special community of folks who don't just drink craft beer, but make it, too. The Best of Show winner will have their amateur creation brewed by Bottle Logic Brewery and recognized by the honorable Mayor Tom Tait.

Tickets are now on sale!

For more information and to purchase tickets for OC Fest of Ales, visit:
OC Fest of Ales.

Don't forget to enter code, "EPIC" to save $10 on your tickets at checkout!

Hope to see you there, I know I can't wait to hang out with my friends and have fun at the OC Fest of Ales!

Are you a citizen of Stone Ruination Nation??

Stone Ruination Nation is a celebration at stores, bars and restaurants nationwide featuring the newly reintroduced Stone Ruination Double IPA 2.0 and the sought-after annual release of the massive 2015 Stone RuinTen Triple IPA.

This Thursday July 30th, Out of the Park Pizza in Buena Park will be helping Stone Brewing Company celebrate Ruination Nation.  The celebration of all things Stone Ruination will begin at 7 PM and there will also be some sweet Stone swag available for attendees!

Out of the Park Pizza in Buena Park will be featuring:

• Stone's RuinTen Triple IPA
• Ruination Double IPA 2.0
• Double dry-hopped Ruination 2.0
• American oak-infused Ruination 2.0

2nd Annual OC Brew Hee Haw

"Brew Hee Haw" Craft Beer Roundup July 18-19 at the OC Fair

Costa Mesa, CA--Brew Ha Ha Productions, creator of the most award winning craft beer festivals in Orange County, along with the OC Fair are pleased to present the 2nd Annual Brew Hee Haw Craft Beer Roundup on July 18-19 opening weekend of the OC Fair.  The Brew Hee Haw offers day and evening tasting sessions and includes free admission to the OC Fair, a commemorative festival glass and special presentations by "Dr." Bill Sysak.

Brew Ha Ha Productions puts on some of my favorite events, such as the Sabroso Craft Beer and Taco Festival and the OC Brew Ha Ha.

New this year, the OCBG (Orange County Brewers Guild) is presenting an exclusive VIP hour prior to the General Admission sessions featuring rare and limited release beers as well as a unique VIP tasting glass.  Some of the breweries participating include:

• Bottle Logic
• Noble Ale Works
• Bootlegger's Brewery 
• The Good Beer Co.
• Barley Forge
• Beach City Brewery

Additional new features at this 2nd annual event are unlimited 2 oz. pours, more than 80 craft beer selections from some of the best breweries in the county, and no ticket fees when you buy the print at home tickets!  

• Two VIP sessions are offered on Saturday July 18th (12-4 p.m.) & (5-9 p.m.) and one Sunday, July 19th (1-5 p.m.).  
• Two GA sessions are offered on Saturday July 18th (1-4 p.m.) & (6-9 p.m.) and one on Sunday, July 19th (2-5 p.m.).  

Arrive before your session of choice to ensure you have the most fun with a day at the OC Fair plus a great beer event!

General Admission tickets are $50 in advance and $60 the day of the event.  

VIP tickets are $65 in advance and $75 the day of the event.  

A portion of the proceeds from Brew Hee Haw will benefit Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Orange County.  

For more information or to purchase tickets visit http://www.ocbrewheehaw.com/

For more information on the OC Fair visit http://www.ocfair.com/2015/

Firestone Walker Brewing Company's Helldorado Debuts July 18th, 2015

Inaugural Bottling of Barrel-Aged Blonde Barley Wine

Set for July 18

Paso Robles, CA: You’ve been warned: Helldorado may be blonde in color, but if you take it lightly, you’ll get gunned downed by a blast of barrel-aged flavor at an ABV of 12 percent.

Indeed, after years as an occasional draft rarity, Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s iconoclastic Helldorado—a blonde barley wine aged in retired spirits barrels—is set to make its bottled debut on July 18.

“The idea behind Helldorado was to create a super blonde barley wine that could still carry the strong barrel character imparted by these intense spirits barrels,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson, “You’ll want to expect the unexpected with this beer.”

Naked & Unafraid

Helldorado was originally brewed to fill a stylistic gap in Firestone Walker’s barrel-aged Anniversary Ale blending program, which is composed of eclectic component ales.

“A few years into the program, we noted that all of our barrel-aged components were really dark and thick,” Brynildson said. “We needed some differentiation in color and style. It got us thinking about how cool it would be to brew this really pale blonde ale, and then age it in spirits barrels to create this naked beer with tons of pure barrel expression.”

He added, “Helldorado is made with just one malt, El Dorado hops and the barrels. I’ve resisted the temptation to blend a little something else into it. It’s just this really interesting expression of barrels beyond anything else we’ve done, and I decided that there was no need to mess with it.”

Tombstone Days

The name Helldorado comes from a fortuitous road trip that Brynildson took with his grandfather to Tombstone, Arizona—home of the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral.

“We were walking around this old-timey desert town and grandpa suggested that we go have a beer,” Brynildson said. “We went to the local saloon and there was this poster on the wall advertising a local event called Helldorado Days, depicting this evil bull scaring the crap out of some cartoon guy—Hellll-dorado!”

At the time of the Tombstone excursion, Brynildson had just begun brewing this blonde barley wine with El Dorado hops. He also knew that the German word for “pale” is hell. “It was just too perfect, so I knew right then, sitting in that saloon, that I’d found the name for the beer,” he said.

The 2015 Helldorado is limited to 3,500 cases of 22-ounce bottles as part of Firestone Walker’s Proprietor’s Vintage Series. It will be available in select markets across the United States. The suggested retail is $16.99.