Hello everyone, Diane here!  As many of you know, for almost two years now I have been sharing many of my food adventures on The Episodic Eater and for even longer on Vintage Zest.  Since then, I have been lucky enough to be invited to restaurant openings, food festivals, and events featuring wine or beer.  Although I have always been a foodie, I don’t fancy myself a sommelier nor a cicerone.  That’s why I dubbed myself The Episodic Eater in the first place!

Since I am apt to get wordy, I’ll cut to the chase.  Since I know my strengths, I decided to expand The Episodic Eater family just a bit and I am ecstatic to introduce our new beer guru, Beerface McGillicutty.  With a name like that, he just HAS to be authority on beer, right?  😉

But honestly, we have attended several events in the past and I am so happy that he has agreed to impart his knowledge and thoughts right here.  So be ready for some upcoming posts with great insights and just a dash of humor.

Take it away, Beerface!

Out at the California Beer Festival which took place in San Dimas, California this past Saturday, we were treated to some great beer, some hot weather, a bit of rain, and available shade (thankfully).

The festival’s setup was quite nice as the beer stands were on the outskirts of the park, allowing for free movement between.

Food trucks also had their own dedicated area which made for no confusion as to where you should eat and where you should drink.

Now that the description of the logistics is out of the way, lets move on into why you are reading this, and why we attended this festival; THE BEER.

There were several stars of the day which really stood out amongst a solid lineup of breweries, and offerings within those breweries.

Sanctum Brewing Company – Pomona, CA

California Roll’N (7% abv) – American Ale

Let me start by saying this beer is not a beer for everyone. You must like sushi and you must enjoy flavor complexity. That being said, I am a person who this beer is for. I enjoyed everything about it. Coming in light in color, the beer tasted exactly like an actual California roll. The flavors which were most prevalent were the crab and the avocado.

• Pairs well with: seafood and rice

Tangeronimo (9.5% abv) – Belgian Golden Strong Ale

The Tangeronimo is a lovely crafted beer. Flavors of tangerine were immediately present on a sweep of the glass, as well as the initial taste. The finish yielded some unexpected richness which contained infusion of tangerines, though the Belgian influence surely had a lot to do with that. I would not go as far to say it was as refreshing as boasted, though that is not knock on this offering. Stellar brew.

• Pairs well with: grains, chicken, spicy foods

Fireman’s Brew – Canoga Park, CA

Brunette (8% abv) – German Doublebock

While the Blonde and the Redhead were very good in their own right, their Brunette is absolutely stellar on draft. I’d only had the pleasure of trying it in the bottle previously. The roasted notes of the Brunette were outstanding and gave the brew a richness which was very much desired after a run of IPA’s and Pales at booths before.

• Pairs well with: meats

Big City Brewing Company – Kingston, Jamaica

Royal Jamaican (4.4% abv) – Alcoholic Ginger Beer

This ginger beer had a ton of spice to it. The snappy flavor was a major wake-up call, and a welcome one at that. Very refreshing, perfect for the nature of the day. If you are thinking you might taste alcohol, rest assured, you will not. Outstanding change of pace at the perfect time, perfect place.

• Pairs well with: It is a palate cleanser, it should be used as such.

The drinking experience on the whole was very pleasurable. The California Beer Festival was a well set up event with legitimate stars of the brewery world present.

Look forward to more event and beer reviews from Beerface McGillicutty and follow me on Twitter at @BeerfaceM.

Thank you Beerface!

By the way, The Episodic Eater is new on Snapchat!  Check out a sneak peek of our snap story below, and make sure to follow us at @episodiceater for more new food adventures!

On a personal note, I loved the festival as well!  It was well attended but not overcrowded with long lines.  The different bands they had during the event were an eclectic mix but all really, really great.  There was a great energy and even some dancing later due to everyone enjoying the festivities and the music.  🙂  Overall, a great event that we’ll be back for in 2016.

California Beer Festival
Frank G. Bonelli Park
San Dimas, CA
http://californiabeerfestival.com/sandimas/