San Diego Beer Week Returns November 1-10, 2024

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – San Diego Beer Week, presented by the non-profit San Diego Brewers Guild, returns November 1-10 at breweries, brewpubs, bars, and restaurants throughout San Diego County. The 16th annual celebration of the local independent craft beer industry is highlighted by The Capital of Craft Beerfest on Saturday, November 9 at Kilowatt Brewing in Kearny Mesa.

Beer Week begins with a virtual kick-off toast at all Brewers Guild member locations on Friday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m. Fans are asked to use the hashtags #SDBeer, #SDBeerWeek, and #SDBW in their social media posts. Individual breweries will host events and offer beer specials throughout Beer Week, all of which are posted on the Brewers Guild’s calendar.

Tickets for Beer Week’s marquee event, The Capital of Craft Beerfest, are $70.00 (plus fee) and can be purchased here. Only 400 tickets are available for the 21-plus event that runs from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. in the backlot of Kilowatt Brewing at 7576 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. VIP tickets are also available for $90.00 (plus fee), which grants an extra hour of tastings beginning at 12:00 noon.

More than 30 local breweries will be pouring their best hop-forward beers at the festival, and guests can enjoy unlimited tasters in their customized taster glass. The IPA-focused Beerfest will also serve non-hoppy beers for those who prefer other styles, but a fan vote will be conducted by Brewery DB’s virtual tap list to determine the People’s Choice Hoppy Beer Award. The winning brewery will receive a trophy from the Brewers Guild. Brewery DB will also provide curated beer trails during Beer Week for those looking to sample multiple breweries throughout the County.

Beerfest will have food trucks, interactive games, and live music. The musical lineup features local band Los Tortugas, which includes Karl Strauss Brewing Company Brewmaster Paul Segura. Karl Strauss is San Diego’s longest continuously operating post-Prohibition brewing company.

“With apologies to the holiday season in December, Beer Week is thee most wonderful time of the year,” said Brewers Guild Executive Director Erik Fowler. “We are especially excited for the return of Guild Fest, which comes this year with a new name and theme that celebrates San Diego as an IPA mecca, after pausing the event last year during a transitional period for the Guild. We hope all San Diegans will celebrate our great industry, whether it’s at our big event or at their favorite brewery.”

Beer Week events include Weir Beer Company’s grand opening celebration in Vista on Friday, November 1 and AleSmith Brewing Company’s Signature Speedway Grand Prix, which features tastings of 12 different versions of its iconic coffee stout. Tickets start at $20.00 and can be purchased here.

For the eighth time a Capital of Craft IPA collaboration beer will be released for San Diego Beer Week. This year’s edition brought together Fall Brewing Company (host), 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 10-day celebration.

The Guild on the Streets series will return in 2024 after launching in 2023, but this year it will focus on neighborhood cleanups in lieu of happy hour socials with Executive Director Fowler and Brewers Guild board members. The scheduled cleanups are in Grantville (the east end of Mission Valley) on Friday, November 8 at 12:00 noon and in North Park on Sunday, November 10 at 12:00 noon. Participants should meet at San Diego Brewing Co. at 10450 Friars Road for the Grantville cleanup and at Black Plague at 2899 University Avenue for the North Park cleanup.

“Beer Week has become a staple of San Diego, and we’re always striving to make it bigger and better each year,” Fowler said. “People often joke that Beer Week is ten days long, but if there’s ever a reason to exaggerate something, it’s for our city’s world-renowned craft beer. Ten may not equal seven, but Beer Week is a perfect ten.”

San Diego breweries this spring won 12 medals at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival, the nation’s largest professional brewing competition commonly referred to as “The Oscars” of the craft beer industry. Five breweries won a Gold Medal, including San Marcos’ Craft Coast Beer & Tacos, Solana Beach’s Culture Brewing Co, Oceanside’s Green Cheek Beer Co, Imperial Beach’s Pizza Port, and Mission Valley’s Puesto Cerveceria.

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 United States with more than 150.

The Brewers Guild, which was founded in 1997 with 15 breweries, is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization that promotes local small businesses and entrepreneurs of craft beer via education, events, and community involvement.

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