Guest post by Beau Schmitt from The Brew Project
During our search a few months ago, we couldn’t find an Oktoberfest showcasing a notable lineup of San Diego beers. And we were shocked. I mean, we’re in San Diego, the global Mecca for craft beer. So we decided to create one, which we aptly named: BIER.
Every September & October in San Diego, there are numerous Oktoberfests. Their locations range from Ocean Beach to La Mesa and offer notably different atmospheres. Some are drunk-fests and some are family friendly. Some incorporate macro beers like Goose Island, Elysian, Bud Lite & Stella for sponsorship dollars (neither German-styles nor local). And some focus more on Oktoberfest’s history and education.
It’s no secret that San Diego is America’s craft beer capital. With almost 130 licensed and operational breweries within county lines, there’s a beer for everyone. Duck Foot, Amplified & Green Flash have gluten-reduced beers. Council & Cellar 3 make fruitful varieties of sours. Monkey Paw & Pizza Port make crazy, uniquely flavored beers. The weirdest one we’ve had on draft is Monkey Paw’s Funky Sea Monkey, a charcoal colored Gose brewed with Squid Ink. Yeah, weird, but salty good.
Our confidence in the San Diego brewing culture led to BIER’s creation. The ultimate goal is to throw an annual Oktoberfest wholly dedicated to San Diego breweries. The next step was creating a portfolio of German-style beers from the local brewing community. And they did not disappoint. Over 45 San Diego breweries responded with a list of German-style beers, which were curated into the following draft list:
Enjoy: AleSmith’s Oktoberfest, Bagby’s Kolsch, ChuckAlek’s Alt Bier, Coronado’s Schwarzbier, Helix’s Bavarian Weizen, Hess’s Oktoberfest, Pizza Port’s Marzen, Rip Current’s Hefeweizen, Societe’s German Lager, Stone’s Berliner Weisse & Thorn Street’s Oktoberfest – all under blue and yellow ribbons.
BIER – SD Oktoberfest will be a celebration of German-style beers brewed by our San Diego breweries. On Saturday, October 8th, join us at noon for BIER. Oktoberfest on the grassy rooftop of the Hard Rock Hotel in Gaslamp. Don’t worry, you won’t be getting little 3oz pours. All 12oz pours are only $5. Accompanying the beers will be sausages & pretzels, Stein holding contests, costume contests, the German Zeitgeist Band & much more. Get your Lederhosen ready.
Click here for tickets and more info – use promo code “westcoaster” for $5 off your ticket.
This post sponsored by The Brew Project.