Quench your thirst for suds at San Diego Beer Week’s top event, the Capital of Craft Fest

The San Diego Brewers Guild proudly touts the region as home to more than 150 breweries. There are so many, in fact, that that the area has earned the nickname the Capital of Craft.

So why not apply that tag to its signature annual festival, previously known as the Brewer’s Guild Fest?

“It was changed to the Capital of Craft Beer Fest last year, so technically it’s the second year as Capital of Craft,” event promoter Kevin Hellman explained. “Because the moniker Capital of Craft Beer kinda is what San Diego is known as.”

A celebration of the region’s thirst for suds takes place starting Friday with San Diego Beer Week which, despite its name, is a 10-day event that continues through Nov. 16.

And one of the premier events of the week is the Capital of Craft Fest, a 21-and-older event set for Saturday at the Harley-Davidson Festival Grounds.

The festival also has a new location to go along with its new name.

While previous gatherings were held behind Kilowatt Brewing, this year’s event is being staged at the Harley-Davidson Festival Grounds on Morena Boulevard, near Costco.

“The venue capacity is a little over 2,000 (people). Our goal for this year is 1,200,” Hellman said. “Last year it was capped at 400-500. Our goal is to grow it and do a larger reach, to continue the growth and continue to spread the word about San Diego beer and the guild and to try to do more for the members.”

He described “a big, giant lot that we’re gonna use for this event” with an upgraded stage and sound system. Food, arts and crafts vendors will participate while a couple of them offer art exhibits.

More than forty brewers have committed to attend this year.

“I think there (were) 25 or so brewers last year, so we have a lot more this year,” Hellman added. “It’s just, I think, going to be a fun time as a kickoff event for San Diego Beer Week.”

Attendees will have access to unlimited 20-ounce craft beer samples, poured into a
commemorative cup. Among the brewers confirmed for the event are well-known locals like Stone Brewing, Alesmith Brewing, Ballast Point, Bay City Brewing, Mission Brewing and Karl Strauss Brewing Co.

Food vendors include Full Belly BBQ, Doggos Gus – which specializes in bacon-wrapped hot dogs – Bread & Cheese Eatery and LuLu’s Cookie Bar.

In addition to the food and drink, live music is scheduled.

“There’s an ‘80s band called Flash Pants,” Hellman said. “They actually got started with the revival of the ‘Gong Show’ (in 2017) and they won it, and they’ve been playing since.”

Additionally, there’s a DJ who’ll spin tunes. He takes his stage name from one of the more notable movies set in San Diego, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

“Twon Burgundy obviously is a pseudonym – Twon Burgundy instead of Ron Burgundy. He’ll be spinning his favorites,” Hellman said.

Since craft beer is so popular in San Diego County, a number of events celebrating it have popped up over the years. But Hellman said there’s one aspect of the Capital of Craft festival that separates it from the others: the fact that it supports the local brewers guild, a nonprofit made up of allied brewery members, tradespeople and other providers supporting the production and distribution of craft beer.

“These are all San Diego Brewers Guild members, so they’re all San Diego brewers,” he said of the event’s beer vendors. “You go to some of the other beer festivals and they’re just trying to have as many brewers as they possibly can, they don’t care what the beer is, where it comes from. So they might go to a distributor that’s got 20 brews from wherever. Some of its corporate beer, some of it’s not.”

“But this, we try to promote San Diego beer,” he said. “that’s what the Guild’s all about.”

General admission starts at $50. Tickets are available at Eventbrite and attendees receive $5 off with the code SDBEER.