CityBeat Festival of Beers

San Diego does it again… Everytime I think San Diego can not get any better this happens… BOOM
$ 42 gets me what??? all you can drink beer, great memories, free taster shot glass and a day I partially remember.
Other then the fact we showed up late ***gf, thanks for changing 10 times*** this little event was awesome. It had tons of local favorite beers and some not so local. I wish I had enough time to put all the drinks in my belly but sadly time fell short and I was left running around looking for people who still had beer available.
I wish I could be much more detailed in reviewing all the different brews or even the music going on in the back ground… but sadly this time I can not.
What I do remember is I came home with a flask, why I don’t know but apparently they were selling them and I thought it would be a sweet idea to get one. I do remember that out of all my drinks I had the Bad Apple 10%‘er was amazing and its definitely something I would be purchasing outside of the festival. I took tons of photos and will probably be purchasing some of thes beers outside.
If you have the chance to make next years, I highly recommend getting the VIP pass and getting there earlier then everyone else.
See you next year guys… This time on Time

As a volunteer for the 2013 event… I don’t plan to return next year.
I registered to volunteer months ago with my friend and after tracking down the volunteer coordinators contact, I was assured that that would not be a problem. When it came down to it only 40 people showed up of the 200 that registered. I ended up getting moved to another booth 30min before gates opened. I was left basically ALONE to pour beer I was not allowed to drink for the rest of the afternoon. The vendor was basically non-​existent and only came around to pour his friends drinks. I feel my generosity was taken advantage of.
When it comes down to it, I don’t completely blame all the volunteers that didn’t show up. The event staff needs to be better about their volunteer acquisition and retention. Being an avid volunteer, more people would have probably shown up had they felt more expectation to be there. Maybe giving assignments earlier in the week? Reminder emails that didn’t show EVERYONES email address on it would have also helped. (Please learn to use BCC)
In the last hour attendees started stealing display items that I specifically said were not to be taken. (SHAME ON ALL OF YOU.)
One star because I got a free tshirt and the older gentleman volunteering (alone) in the booth next to me was there to back me up when I got slow opening beer bottles (yes, beer bottles). Also, given my unexpected situation, Glad to know that most attendees enjoyed the service they received. You’re welcome.

The brewery selection was great. Overall the setup ws pretty good, but it was 85 degrees out and there was very little shade so some access to water would have been good. There were no water fountains (that I could find) and no vendors selling water (maybe they sold out?). That was pretty rough on such a hot day.

All the beer you can drink, in San Diego, for four hours for a mere $ 42 (for the VIP Ticket, which I highly recommend). Not only does the VIP ticket allow you entrance an hour early, but that’s one extra hour of drinking before the general admission. During this hour, you can go to certain breweries and sample special limited pours. I recommend hitting those up first because sometimes they run out before the hour is even over. The event itself never feels overly crowded since it spans a whole block on El Cajon.
The selection of beers is truly amazing. Most breweries are at least pouring two different beers. Certain lines can be longer than others, but you can just skip that one and just remember to come back.
Overall, this is a great event, and I’ll be back again next year.

Any time I’m told I can drink multiple beers for 3 hours for $ 35 bucks, you would almost have to beat off with a stick to keep me away! They close off about a block of El Cajon Blvd on one side of the street to have this event.
The sign at the entrance says 1800 max. I was thinking that is a crap load of people! This is going to be really hard to hit up all the booths? Once inside presently surprised it was relatively easy to move form one booth to the other.
You get a souvenir 3 or 4 oz mug to get your tasters in. There is about 40 different beer company’s here. From the San Diego heavy weights like Karl Strauss and Stone. To lesser known brewery’s and smaller start ups.
Really good selection of beers from IPA’s, ales, stouts, and ciders. Started at the far end and hit almost every booth and ended up at the last booth it was 4 pm. Ha, with an hour left went back and hit up some of the brews that I liked the most. Then they shut the whole thing down at 5 sharp.
Great event! Good times! And for about 11 bucks an hour to drink as much as you can you, definitely get your moneys worth. Well done!

The limited ticket sales makes this amazing. You never wait more than a few minutes, even for the most popular breweries. All around great atmosphere; friendly pourers, and even the security guards were chill. Fantastic way to spend the afternoon and well worth the money. Most breweries came well prepared and didn’t run out of beer until very near the end.

Fourth Annual: Awesomer. Unlimited tasters this time.
Bought VIP tix for an additional $ 10, and beat the main crowd by getting in an hour earlier than the main start time (and, as a result, it was a little easier to find a place to park — a little). We also got a taste of several additional beers. And we got to pee offsite instead of in the nasty big blue box.

Loved it!
This was very well organized – it was not a long wait to get into the festival, it was also easy to get beer tastes. There were so many breweries and a nice selection of food. The people were friendly, from the people working security to the police to the pourers to the consumers.
Great location and easy parking around the area. I can’t wait until next year!

I opted with the $ 10 more, to get the VIP entrance. With that, comes the privilege of entering the event an hour before the GA peeps. Yep, that means you get a good head start to getting drunk. You also get a special menu/​sampling of VIP only beers. But i kinda didn’t care for them because 1) they are almost all dark stout types, which i don’t care for, at 1 in the afternoon, under the scorching sun. 2) a lot of the breweries have booths with various types of beer, and make one a VIP beer. But i notice a lot didn’t deliver on that promise, so the sampling menu was not accurate. When i pay more to get special samples, i expect them to be available, and not «oh. sorry, we don’t have those actually! how bout this regular ones?». Also i notice that the VIP beer is made available after the hour is over, so the GA people can have them too. So really, all you get for the $ 10 more is an extra hour to roam around, to use the Porter potties and to say that you are cool because u get in first!
That said, the selection was good. Again, a little too many dark ones i didn’t care for, but hey, it’s unlimited samples, so i just ended up going back for seconds and thirds on some. They didn’t question or judge– problem solved. I think i got my money’s worth.
No one good rowdy and crazy. Cops patrol the area, to make sure that doesn’t happen. This is good organization. Porter potties were scattered into 3 areas, about 50 total maybe. good call, very good call. Another plus.
There weren’t as many food stands as i’d expected or hoped. Having been to the LA beer fest, this one lacks in the variety of food trucks and offerings. BUT, what they had were a burger truck, a turkey meatball/​grilled veggies/​shrimp cocktail stand, a brats/​hotdog stand and the delicious Giglione’s Cheesesteak stand. Who needs quantity when you have the important staples? And did i mention the cheesesteak was delicious?
Overall, it was a good afternoon, made better with the company (so be sure to go with more people. The more, the merrier the drunk party becomes!

WOW!!! So worth the $ 32 bucks! With 40 Beer companies to choose from and 75 flavors where can you go wrong :) I went with a group of 7 which made it that much funner! The little free beer mugs they gave us were never empty as we went from one table to the next. Yep! I was buzzed by the time we left :) Most tables didn’t have a line and if they did you waited in them less then 30 sec. My friends and I made it to every table with no problem and we even went back for doubles at some! Good time! Good Friends! Good beer! One of the top 10 things to do in SD for sure!

The only «beerfest» I’ve been to where they didn’t have ridiculously long lines or run out of beer. And it was right in front of my house!

Beeeeeeerrrrrr. Mmmmmmmmm.

I was so damn excited to find out that the Festival of Beers was just a block away from my house!!! This was a blast! My only complaint was that at 1:30 p.m. there was a long line to get in for those of us who had bought tickets online and no line for those who were buying their ticket there. Also, after paying the online fee it was $ 34 and there it was $ 35 so we only saved a dollar but anyways BACK TO THE IMPORTANT STUFF: THE BEER!!! There were soooooooo many awesome beers and so many awesome people serving them. We loved a blueberry one and one that had a chili inside! With the ticket you get 10 samples but we got way more than that! Some vendors didn’t check and others asked us to come back for a refill. Next time I will sign up early cause the first 500 who did go the cutest little souvenir glasses and my friend and I really wanted one. Unfortunately, we didn’t find anyone drunk enough to forget their glass there! :) Karl Strauss had the most awesome stickers that say, «Make Beer, Not War» and we put them on our shirts and they were a BIG HIT with the crowd. It was also awesome seeing Unilocal there! I can’t wait till next year!

6 hours, 27 beers, 2 cheesesteaks, and 2 polish sausages later… one very full and happy Sean.
When I first arrived, I was excited and also startled by the amount of people already inside drinking, and the half-​block long line that had formed at the entrance. Fortunately, the staff of volunteers were lightning fast, herding people through the gates like cattle to a slaughterhouse. After a short wait in line, my companions and I were riding the beer train to Drunktown.
I was amazed by the assortment of beers available at my fingertips. I had to say a vast majority I’d never tried or heard of before. The breweries were happily handing out beers as fast as I could drink them. My single greatest regret is that I didn’t bring a second stomach with me, although I think I still did a pretty good job with the one I had.
To help dilute all the delicious suds and prolong my ability to stand upright, the people of Citybeat offered us cheesesteaks from Gaglione Bros. as well as a sausage stand, and a taco cart. I apologize if there were names for these two eateries, but what do you expect from a guy drinking beer all day?
Among other non-​beer booths, I was glad to see Claire M hard at work holding down the Unilocal table. Citybeat also knows how to fire up the crowd with some rockin’ bands. Although Geezer was the only act I stuck close to the stage for, I know the other bands were melting faces throughout the day.
There wasn’t a single beer I didn’t enjoy, and I felt like I was Charlie in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. There always has to be a favorite treat, and for me, it was Angel City’s «Che». A nice, crisp beer with an unusually strong roasted malt flavor that I thought was just amazing and completely different than I’d ever experienced. Che was by far the beer I went back for the most refills of. This was followed in close second by Big Sky Moose Drool. It’s a dark brown ale that was surprisingly light, which would allow more drinkability without getting that full feeling as quickly. I also enjoyed it because it was lean on that hoppy bite that most people like, or pretend to like. However I am proud to say I am not a big hop guy, and this beer fit the bill.
The San Diego Police was on scene, making sure nothing crazy happened. I’m pleased to report I didn’t see them interfere with anything. They let all the guests enjoy their day, and we returned in kind by not rioting or lighting the stage on fire. I think there may be some who say there could have been more toilets available. However, being the beast that I am, I only required one pee break for the whole event. Not my fault you have a small bladder, maybe you should wear a diaper next time.
This was a day filled with friends, beer, meaty-​meat sandwiches, sausage, music, and uhh… beer! About once every 37 minutes, someone would say «why can’t this be EVERY weekend?!». A fair question. By far my favorite drink-​fest to date and I’m absolutely looking forward to next year.