Ninth Taste Of Brews Long Beach Announces “Craft Championship Challenge”

Taste of Brews’ features high profile names like Bootleggers (Fullerton), Lagunitas (Petaluma), Ballast Point (San Diego), Sierra Nevada (Chico) and Golden Road (Los Angeles) positioned among younger breweries like Four Sons (Huntington Beach), Concrete Jungle (Ventura), Pacific Plate (Monrovia), Calidad (Los Angeles) and Chihuahua (Newport Beach). Local fan favorites include Common Space, Ten Mile, Rock Bottom, Beachwood, Belmont, Steady, Trademark, Scholb, Liberation, Timeless Pints, Ximix, Hog Canyon, House, Phantom Carriage and Hop Saint.

Other participants include Speakeasy (San Francisco), Guinness (Ireland), All-American (Anaheim), Angry Horse (Montebello), Newcastle Brown Ale (UK), Seekout Seltzer (Oregon), SLO (San Luis Obispo), No Clue (Rancho Cucamonga), Hop Valley (Oregon), 2 Towns Ciderhouse (Oregon), Pacific Plate (Monrovia) and Pizza Port (Carlsbad). Also featured are Boochcraft (Chula Vista), Estrella Jalisco (Mexico), Saint Archer (San Diego), Bocanegra (Mexico), Inquisitors (Los Angeles), Firestone Walker (Paso Robles), Stereo (Placentia), Mike’s Hard Lemonade (Canada), Phantom Carriage (Carson), Santa Ana River (Santa Ana), Rev (Covina), Divine Science (Anaheim), ABK (Germany), Ska (Colorado) and White Claw (Canada) among others.

A hallmark of Taste of Brews, the long-running festival features a number of brands and styles that are new to the marketplace and not yet carried in major retailers. These emerging breweries go head-to-head against established regional and national brands, providing attendees a truly unique tasting experience. The excitement will only be heightened with the all-new, friendly competition. A complete list of participants is located at http://tasteofbrews.com/lbtob.html.

“Taste of Brews is one of the few tasting events where I can try craft brews that I can’t find at Bevmo or Total Wine,” said Carrie Pennington of Torrance, a frequent attendee. “I also can sample larger regional and national brands at the same time. It’s a win-win for attendees.”

Gourmet food trucks include the Green Truck, Bison Burger, Tropic Truck, Middle Feast, Pinch of Flavor, Fettes Schwein, BBQ Smokehouse, Ralph & Riches and Canvas Truck, providing attendees with the largest selection of healthy eating options to date. An extensive recycling program will be in place—all food vendors are required to use environmentally friendly packaging and utensils.

Staged near the Aquarium of the Pacific and across from the iconic Queen Mary, Taste of Brews Long Beach has become a “must do” festival for craft breweries and aficionados alike. The event prides itself on delivering a quality tasting experience; focusing on craft beer and not superfluous activities that do little to enhance or showcase participating breweries.

Taste of Brews’ adheres to strict guidelines including providing sufficient breweries and representatives to speak with the public (in many cases, the brewers themselves), quality portable toilets and multiple food options per attendee, thereby cutting down on unnecessary wait times. A veteran staff provides move-in and out assistance for vendors, ongoing trash and recyclable removal and constant ice replenishment to maintain optimal beer temperature.

The festival employs more licensed/bonded security than similar events, a professional medical (EMS) staff and plenty of free drinking water provided by Essentia Water. Taste of Brews’ prides itself on consistently delivering a first-class tasting environment for breweries and genuine craft beer enthusiasts therefore no tickets are sold via discount sites ensuring an upscale audience of craft beer devotees.

The brewery, cidery, seltzer or kombucha that wins the inaugural Craft Championship Challenge will receive a host of perks as the reigning champion during the 10th Annual Taste of Brews in 2020. Benefits include first choice on positioning, “Super VIP” service throughout the event and priority move-out. In addition to yearlong bragging rights, heading into TOB, the champ will receive prominent logo placement on the Taste of Brews’ website, heightened promotional efforts and more.

Taste of Brews’ online-only pricing starts at $40.00 for the 4-hour session (noon to 4pm) and $30.00 for the 3-hour session (1pm to 4pm) which includes unlimited beer tastes, plenty of free drinking water, food samples, access to food trucks and live entertainment. Prices are due to increase in mid-July and they will be higher at the door. Purchasers of four-hour passes may enter the park early ensuring no wasted time standing in long lines outside the venue.

All attendees must be 21 or older and no children or pets are allowed; apologies but this includes strollers and babies.

Shoreline Aquatic Park AKA Lighthouse Park is located at 200 Aquarium Way in Long Beach. Parking is available at the Pike Parking Structure located at 65 Cedar Ave. for an additional fee. Proceeds benefit the Long Beach Marine Institute and Make-A-Wish OC-IE, both 501(C)(3) non-profits.

A limited number of brewery and vendor spaces remain available. Please contact brewmaster(at)tasteofbrews.com or call (714) 375-1132.

Fans can follow along at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tasteofbrews/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tasteofbrews/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TasteofBrews
YouTube: https://youtu.be/7kMx16RaBRI