SDBW runs from Nov. 2 to Nov. 11 this year with more than 500 events at local breweries and restaurants across the county
By Christina Bravo ••
San Diego Beer Week kicks off this weekend. NBC 7’s Audra Stafford shares where you can participate.
San Diego's craft brew scene is marking an accomplishment this month: 10 years of San Diego Beer Week (SDBW), a special county-wide celebration filled with hundreds of beer-centric events.
SDBW runs from Nov. 2 to Nov. 11 this year with more than 500 events at local breweries and restaurants across the county. From beer-themed scavenger hunts to food-and-beer pairings, homebrewing workshops and suds-inspired music festivals, there are a wide array of events for locals to chose from during SDBW's 10-day run.
Crafthounds
Currently, CraftHounds partners with a few local breweries, too, including 32 North. Customers can order growlers; a driver will pick up the freshly-poured growlers and deliver them to the customer's front door.
Crafthounds
CraftHounds offers more than 4,000 craft brews, from local labels -- like the beloved Modern Times Beer -- to brews from around the world.
Monica Garske
A CraftHounds order from Servall Liquor on University Avenue in Hillcrest, awating delivery.
Monica Garske
Servall Liquor in Hillcrest is one of CraftHounds main retail partners.
Monica Garske
CraftHounds offers well-known San Diego brews, as well as rare finds.
Monica Garske
“We have about 4,000 craft beers right now that you can order,” Adam Gendler, director of product and marketing for Crafthounds, told NBC 7.
Monica Garske
The vast inventory allows beer enthusiasts to think outside the box and maybe pop open something new.
Monica Garske
“We really take pride in being able to offer those kind of rare finds that you might not be able to find somewhere else,” he explained.
Monica Garske
This online “craft beer superstore,” as Gendler calls it, aims to open up beer enthusiasts to trying new things and discovering new beers.
Monica Garske
“That’s the best part about craft beer – is the incredible selection that we have to choose from – especially here in San Diego,” he said. “That’s what makes this craft beer scene so awesome.”
Monica Garske
Stone, a San Diego staple.
Monica Garske
Servall Liquor, located at 1279 University Ave., is also known as "Craft City." The store boasts more than 2,000 craft beers.
Monica Garske
Servall Liquor, located at 1279 University Ave., is also known as "Craft City." The store boasts more than 2,000 craft beers.
Monica Garske
CraftHounds drivers keep coolers in their cars so they can deliver cold brews to customers.
Monica Garske
So many labels from which to choose.
Monica Garske
The minimum order amount to use the delivery service is $12 -- about the price of a six-pack or a couple of 22-ounce bombers.
Monica Garske
Servall Liquor is a huge supplier of brews for CraftHounds.
Monica Garske
The company partners with 26 retailers across the county, plus some craft breweries.
Monica Garske
Servall Liquor is a huge supplier of brews for CraftHounds.
Monica Garske
Servall Liquor is a huge supplier of brews for CraftHounds.
A limited edition beer celebrating the local beer industry will be offered at several of these events. "Capital of Craft IPA" was a collaborative effort between Guild-member breweries. The hoppy brew features a 2-row pale malt and white wheat malt and is made with agave syrup.
While events begin on Friday, SDBW officially kicks off with its main event, Guild Fest. More than 60 independent breweries will gather in one place, San Diego Embarcadero South, to offer sips of their creations.
Guests with a $50 general admission ticket will get a commemorative tasting cup and unlimited samples at the annual festival, which runs from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
San Diego's craft beer industry continues to grow. NBC 7's Audra Stafford reports on the businesses' impact on the region's local economy.
The event closes on Sunday, Nov. 11 with another tentpole event, the SDBW Beer Garden. The Lodge at Torrey Pines will be home to dozens of local brewers and chefs from 12 bto 3 p.m. for this food and beer pairing event. An admission ticket for $85 gets guests unlimited bites and sips.
For a list of all the sudsy offerings during this year's SDBW, visit here.
NBC 7 San Diego
According to the San Diego Farm Bureau, there are now 15 hop growers in the county compared to zero almost a decade ago.
NBC 7 San Diego
Hop farms have seen large growth thanks to San Diego's thriving craft beer scene.
NBC 7 San Diego
It is currently hop harvest season in San Diego, and brewers are hopping at the chance to create "wet hop" style beers with the plant.
NBC 7 San Diego
Brewing with whole, fresh, hop flowers is a process known as “wet hop.”
NBC 7 San Diego
This type of beer has grown in popularity over the past decade, but it’s not cheap to produce.
NBC 7 San Diego
A batch of wet hop beer will use several times as many hops as a typical brew, all for a flower that will only soak in the beer for about 90 minutes of the nearly two-week-long brewing process.
NBC 7 San Diego
Gary Johndro, who owns San Diego Golden Hop Farm, has about 1,400 hop plants right now. He expects to sell the entire hop haul over the next couple of weeks.
NBC 7 San Diego
Nickel Beer Co. in Julian and Monkey Paw Pub & Brewery are a couple of San Diego-based breweries that produce wet hop beer.
NBC 7 San Diego
Hops typically thrive in the much wetter, longer summer days of the Pacific Northwest, but San Diego growers have found certain varieties of the plant do very well in Southern California.
No one has (yet) given San Diego County a crown for its contribution to the beer industry but the sheer amount of awards given to local craft breweries -- which for the most part are not more than three-decades old -- has given San Diego a special place in the hearts of beer lovers across the country.
