Get ready to soak up some suds! San Diego Beer Week (which is actually 10 days long!) is our county’s biggest and best collection of major craft beer events, and it’s held every November.
Each year, a large number of our local breweries participate in epic collective events (like the VIP Brewer Takeover and the Guild Fest) in addition to organizing special tastings, menus, and collaborations all over San Diego. See the complete listing of events, which happen throughout the 10-day period and often number in the hundreds all together.
My advice: Get some of these great events marked on your calendar right away, grab tickets now, and lock them in. You don’t want Beer Week to come and go without you!
Here’s a quick look at just a few of the notable happenings scheduled for San Diego Beer Week this year:
A Sneak Peek at San Diego Beer Week
The Friday night VIP Brewer Takeover is a favorite for brewers and craft fans alike. Here, Shawn DeWitt of Coronado Brewing (left) hangs with Gordon Biersch’s Doug Hasker (center) and Bagby Beer’s Jeff Bagby. | Photo: Bruce Glassman
Friday, November 3: VIP Brewer Takeover (Broadway Pier, Downtown)
The night before Guild Fest on Broadway Pier is reserved for brewers and the beer-loving public to celebrate San Diego beer together. This is the night when many of the brewers and brewery owners show up to socialize with each other and to show off some of their rare and specialty beers to their peers. In addition to unlimited beer samples, a ticket to this event also includes unlimited food samples from local craft-friendly restaurants and food purveyors.
A Sneak Peek at San Diego Beer Week
Saturday’s Guild Fest will feature beers of every style and flavor and is the signature kick-off event for Beer Week. | Photo: Bruce Glassman
Saturday, November 4: Guild Fest (Broadway Pier, Downtown)
This is the official kick-off event that anchors the Beer Week festivities. More than 60 breweries line up along Broadway Pier and inside the Port Pavilion to showcase their beers for a thirsty (and adoring) public. If you’d like to get a one-day overview of the great breweries in town—in addition to experiencing nearly every style of beer known to civilization—then this is the event for you. Guild Fest features live music from great local musicians and numerous craft-friendly food purveyors, and tickets include unlimited tastings.
Wednesday, November 8th: #SDBeer Allstars Flight Contest (Longship Brewery, Mira Mesa)
A Sneak Peek at San Diego Beer Week
Longship Brewery Owner Dan Jachimowicz (right) and Fede Savinon of Hoppy Beer Hoppy Life stand beside a freshly brewed small batch of a Hoppy Table Beer, one of four small batch beers in Longship Brewery’s #SDBeer Allstar Flight that will release on November 8. | Photo courtesy Longship Brewery
One of San Diego’s newer breweries takes the lead and hosts a brewing showdown with the biggest social media names on the San Diego craft beer scene. Four #SDBeer Allstars have partnered with Longship Brewery to create four small batch collaboration beers that will be available for tasting and judging by the public.
The lineup of collaborators includes:
- @Craftbeeray, which brewed a Gose with Cucumber
- @SDBeerTalk, which brewed a SMASH IPA with Vienna malt & Chinook hops
- @HoppyBeerHoppyLife, which brewed a Hoppy Table Beer
- @CraftbeermeSD, which brewed a Belgian Saison with Orange, Ginger & Pomegranate
Each beer was selected, named, and brewed by each Allstar in collaboration with Longship’s brewing team and will be available in the #SDBeer Allstar Flight on November 8th. Patrons are encouraged to try them all and vote for their favorite. Food from the Eat Your Heart Out SD food truck will also be available from 4-8 p.m.
Thursday, November 9: Educational Barrel-Aged Tasting (Second Chance Beer Co., Carmel Mountain).
Discover the secrets to barrel-aged beer—from the different barrel styles and flavors to the specific aging requirements—in an exclusive San Diego Beer Week education and tasting event.
Participants will get up-close and personal with Head Brewer Craig Gregovics and Certified Cicerone & Barrel Geek Jesse Smith as they take you on an enlightened beer adventure, teaching you about all the many wonders of the world of barrels. Oh, and there’s also the tasting part!
A Sneak Peek at San Diego Beer Week
Green Flash will mark their 15th Anniversary with a big bash in Mira Mesa on Friday, November 10. | Photo courtesy Green Flash Brewing Co.
Friday, November 10: Green Flash Anniversary Party (Mira Mesa)
Celebrate the 15th anniversary of Green Flash at the brewery in Mira Mesa (6550 Mira Mesa Blvd). This year’s event will feature an amazing beer lineup (including some rare/archive beers), a DJ, giveaways, complimentary food, live screen-printing, and more to be determined!
A Sneak Peek at San Diego Beer Week
Karl Strauss Brewer Lyndon Walker (left) lays out a selection of hops while creating a Pale Ale with Pizza Port Brewer Matt Palmer. Their beer, along with dozens of other collaborations, will be featured at Collabapalooza on Saturday, November 11 in North Park. | Photo courtesy Karl Strauss Brewing Company
Saturday, November 11: Karl Strauss Collabapalooza (North Park Observatory)
The folks at Karl Strauss rallied together 30+ independent San Diego breweries to throw an epic party in North Park during San Diego Beer Week!
Collabapalooza is a beer festival that features one-off collaboration beers and rare releases from participating breweries. Each brewery will be pouring two beers—a small batch or rare beer of their choice, as well as a beer brewed in collaboration with another independent San Diego brewery. Proceeds from the event will benefit both the San Diego Brewers Guild and the North Park Main Street Association.
The festival takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. in the parking lot behind the North Park Observatory. General admission tickets include a commemorative Collabapalooza taster glass and unlimited 2 oz. pours. An exclusive VIP session will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. where VIP fans can get early access to the rare beers pouring at the event.
For more info and tickets, visit karlstrauss.com.
Participating Breweries:
- Abnormal Beer Company
- AleSmith Brewing Company
- Amplified Ale Works
- Bagby Beer Company
- Benchmark Brewing Company
- Black Plague Brewing
- Burning Beard Brewing
- Coronado Brewing Company
- Council Brewing
- Culture Brewing
- Duck Foot Brewing
- Eppig Brewing Company
- Fall Brewing Company
- Green Flash Brewing Company
- Half Door Brewing
- Karl Strauss Brewing Company
- Mike Hess Brewing
- Monkey Paw Brewing
- Mother Earth Brew Co
- Nickel Beer Co
- North Park Beer Co.
- Pizza Port Brewing Company
- Resident Brewing Company
- Second Chance Brewing
- San Diego Brew Co.
- Societe Brewing Company
- South Park Brewing Company
- Stone Brewing Company
- The Lost Abbey
- Toolbox Brewing
- Thorn Street Brewery
- Plus a few more surprises to be announced closer to the event!
A Sneak Peek at San Diego Beer Week
Food-and-beer pairings will be the central focus of the Beer Garden event at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, Sunday November 12. Last year, Chef Greg Frey of The Golden Door created this Tahitian Butternut Squash Dal to pair with beers from Green Flash and Mother Earth. | Photo: Bruce Glassman
Sunday, November 12: Lodge at Torrey Pines Beer Garden (Torrey Pines)
This is the capper to San Diego Beer Week; a grand beer-and-food pairing event that features more than a dozen chefs and more than two dozen breweries in an idyllic setting overlooking the golf course at Torrey Pines. Tickets for this event usually sell out well ahead of time, so get yours. (You can also see the listing of participating chefs and the breweries they are paired with.)
See you at Beer Week!
A Sneak Peek at San Diego Beer Week
Tasting glasses await attendees at the beginning of each Beer Week. | Photo: Bruce Glassman
