San Diego Beer Week returns on Friday at breweries, brewpubs, bars and restaurants throughout San Diego County.
The 16th annual Beer Week, a celebration of the local independent craft beer industry, begins with a virtual kick-off toast at all San Diego Brewers Guild member locations at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Individual breweries will host events and offer beer specials throughout the week – it’s really 10 days – all of which are posted on the Brewers Guild calendar. The events culminate in the Capital of Craft Beerfest, 1 p.m. Nov. 9 at Kilowatt Brewing in Kearny Mesa.
More than 30 local breweries are set to be part of the hops-focused festival, and guests can enjoy unlimited tasters in a customized taster glass. A fan vote will be conducted by Brewery DB’s to determine the People’s Choice Hoppy Beer Award.
General admission for the fest, Beer Week’s marquee event, is $70. VIP tickets, granting an extra hour of tastings, are also available for $90.
Brewery DB also will provide curated beer trails during Beer Week for those looking to sample suds at multiple breweries.
Beerfest will have food trucks, interactive games, and live music. The lineup also features local band Los Tortugas, which includes Karl Strauss Brewing Company Brewmaster Paul Segura.
“We hope all San Diegans will celebrate our great industry, whether it’s at our big event or at their favorite brewery,” said Brewers Guild Executive Director Erik Fowler.
Beer Week events include Weir Beer Company’s grand opening celebration in Vista on Friday, and AleSmith Brewing Company’s Signature Speedway Grand Prix, which features tastings of 12 different versions of its coffee stout from Nov. 7-8. Tickets start at $20.
And for the eighth time a Capital of Craft IPA collaboration beer will be released for San Diego Beer Week, bringing together Fall Brewing Company, Black Plague Brewing, BLAH Brewing, Hodad’s Brewing, Hopnonymous Brewing, and Ketch Brewing.
The West Coast-style IPA be available on draft and in cans at all Guild member breweries throughout the celebration.
Fans are asked to use the hashtags #SDBeer, #SDBeerWeek and #SDBW in social media posts during Beer Week.
San Diego breweries this month won 12 medals at the Great American Beer Festival, the nation’s largest professional brewing competition.
San Diego County is known as The Capital of Craft, a moniker that was trademarked in 2015. San Diego has the most craft brewery locations among all counties in the U.S. with more than 150. The Brewers Guild was founded in 1997 with 15 breweries.
