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San Diego Beer Week: Southern California’s Leading Beer Celebration

San Diego, California is a world renowned getaway destination with an average temperature over 70℉, a plethora of different themed amusement parks, and events offering something for everyone. You’ll have no trouble finding fun things to do, from enjoying over 70 miles of pristine beaches to participating in can't-miss community events like San Diego Beer Week.

 

This event is celebrating its 8th anniversary bringing together breweries of San Diego County. Event planners are expecting over 20,000 people in attendance, with patrons traveling to the event from as far as Europe and South America. Beer Week will feature over 100 different breweries and 500 different beer-themed events in locations all over San Diego County. The action kicks off with Guild Fest, a precursor to San Diego Beer Week, which remains a popular event. Throughout the 10-day celebration, you’ll encounter beer tastings, music concerts, unique dinners, smaller festivals, and more. The event is 21-plus, so make sure to bring your ID. We got the opportunity to interview a representative for the event, to talk about this unique beer experience.

 

RAL: Tell me a little bit about the event.

SDBW: San Diego Beer Week (SDBW), presented by the San Diego Brewers Guild, brings together over 100 breweries from across San Diego County (and beyond) for the region’s most highly anticipated annual celebration of beer. The 10-day happening, beginning Friday, November 4th and continuing through Sunday, November 13th, consists of more than 500 beer-centric events held at locations throughout the county.

 

RAL: How long has the event been running?

SDBW: This year will be the eighth consecutive year of SDBW.

 

RAL: How many annual participants do you draw?

SDBW: Last year, more than 20,000 attendees took part in SDBW county-wide. We had attendees travel to San Diego from 28 states and eight countries, from as far away as Great Britain, Finland, and Brazil.


 

RAL: What is the typical demographic makeup of the event? Children? Families? Couples?

SDBW: SDBW draws a range of visitors of all ages (that are 21+).

 

RAL: What makes this event unique?

SDBW: San Diego Beer Week is one of the region’s most highly anticipated events of the year. The event showcases San Diego County’s finest craft breweries in a 10-day celebration of the city’s innovative craft beer industry. SDBW is the only week of the year when many of the county’s 130 breweries come together to host festivals, exclusive beer tastings, pairing dinners, and much more.

 

RAL: Take me through the activities, attendees will encounter.

SDBW: The week starts with the San Diego Brewers Guild Festival on November 4th & 5th, featuring upwards of 70 local breweries. Now in its 14th year (Guild Fest existed before SDBW), the fest is the official kickoff to SDBW and has significantly increased in size and attendance since its early beginnings. Guild Fest begins with the VIP Brewer Takeover on Friday, November 4th, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, an evening that showcases the rarest, specialty beers from local breweries. The following day from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, guests are invited to try San Diego’s finest beers, while enjoying food and music from local craft beer-friendly restaurants. The event is expected to sell out this year, as it has the preceding two years. The week will be capped off with The Beer Garden on Sunday, November 13th, from noon to 3:00 pm, the official closing event of SDBW which pairs acclaimed local chefs and breweries at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, a landmark San Diego hotel with spectacular ocean views.

 

RAL: Are there any lodging specials that are set up specifically for the event?

SDBW: A complete list of the San Diego Brewers Guild’s lodging partners, offering exclusive SDBW rates, can be found here: https://www.sdbw.org/lodging.

 

SDBW’s closing event, The Beer Garden, takes place at San Diego’s iconic The Lodge at Torrey Pines. The property offers special ticket and room rates, here.

 

RAL: Does the event drive business to your local economy?

SDBW: Yes. Craft beer tourism has contributed to San Diego’s economic growth in a big way in recent years, as millions of visitors come to explore the region’s dynamic craft brewing industry. Beyond the craft beer industry, SDBW has an economic impact on various ancillary industries, including hospitality, culinary, travel, and tourism. According to a recent update from the National University System Institute for Policy Research, 114 San Diego-based breweries and brewpubs generated $851 million in sales and employed 4,512 workers last year (2015). 


 

RAL: Does the event support a particular cause in the community?

SDBW: San Diego Beer Week supports the San Diego Brewers Guild, a non-profit organization founded in 1997 with the mission to promote awareness and increase the visibility of fresh, locally brewed beer through education and participation in community events. SDBW is the Guild’s largest community event and is representative of the organization’s tradition of bringing a craft to the masses while giving local brewers needed visibility and opportunity for continued success.

 

Specifically, Guild Fest raises funds for the San Diego Brewers Guild and San Diego State University’s L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management. Proceeds from The Beer Garden at the Lodge at Torrey Pines benefit both the Chef Celebration Foundation and the San Diego Brewers Guild.

 

RAL: Why should people come to your event?

SDBW: Via SDBW, visitors are provided with a unique opportunity to experience all that the renowned Capital of Craft has to offer including sampling exclusive brews, meeting brewers and exploring breweries.


For more information about the San Diego Beer Week, please visit their website.