No longer fermenting in silence in vats around San Diego County, the word is out. According to Men’s Journal, San Diego is THE top beer city in America. Now, we have yet another new title to live up to. So please join us in raising a pint and give up a big round of applause to the inaugural San Diego Beer Week 2009! Never a city to shy away from a good time, the festivities will be running from Friday, November 6 through Sunday, November 15th. Events will be hopping popping up across the county, hosted at a variety of locations including craft brewers, local restaurants, and public spots such as Balboa Park.
And the list is growing… Click here!
The non-profit San Diego Brewers Guild presents Beer Week to put a spotlight on what we might not have noticed growing, right under our nose: San Diego’s thriving craft beer culture and regional brewing heritage – by featuring San Diego’s breweries, restaurants, pubs, and other members of the craft beer community. In our county, 33 working breweries produce craft beers. That beats Portland’s impressive 29 local craft breweries, despite the Northwest’s tradition as a haven for beer snobs!
With so much natural beauty, San Diego county is already a major tourist destination. Could beer put us even higher on the prime destination map, the way wine has brought people in droves to Sonoma & Napa? Beer Week is hoping to promote beer tourism in San Diego, with special packages and rates available through the website for sweet spots such as Hotel Solamar in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, Lafayette Hotel near 30th Street in North Park (prime brew pub turf, if you haven’t already found yourself on an impromptu pub crawl…) and Town & Country – centrally located in Mission Valley.
The San Diego Brewers Guild Festival kicks off the week of festivities on Friday, November 6th with a special VIP event, followed by two general admission sessions on Saturday November 7th, 2009, at the World Beat Center in Balboa Park. The Guild Festival will be featuring more than 80 beers brewed locally in San Diego County. The following weekend, on Sunday, November the 15th, the Guild will host the Chef Celebration of San Diego Beer. Allied member restaurants will be on the scene, serving food prepared with beer or simply selected to highlight featured drafts.
Guild events are only the frosting on the glass… Look around your neighborhood, and you’ll likely find a place to raise a pint within easy reach, and in good company. But remember, please drink responsibly and never, ever, drink and drive!
What a great idea. I wish they would have had the beer week when I lived in Newport.
Aloha,
Keahi
Thanks Keahi… We’ll send SD Beer Week to Hawaii if you will send us your waves for a few weeks!
Aloha,
JT