International Beer Festival at the Fair
Now in its eleventh year, the San Diego International Beer Festival says it has become the largest beer festival on the West Coast. Take that, Portland! The event includes 200 breweries from more than 14 countries, including many hard-to-find specialty brews of ale, cider, porter, stout, and mead, plus educational demonstrations on stage from with industry professionals, food pairings presented by So Rich Chocolates and The Homebrewer, and beer accessories and gifts from vendors.
Oh, and there’s a world competition: 2016 included 1374 entries from 254 breweries from 28 U.S. states and 14 countries across the globe vying for the Best of Show trophy and Champion Brewery awards. Ticket includes a T-shirt and admission to the San Diego County Fair.