2018 Southern California Homebrewers Festival Information!
The 27th Southern California Homebrewers Festival, was May 4-5, 2018. We were at the lovely Vail Lake Resort, just outside Temecula, California. A report produced by the Long Beach Homebrewers can be found here.
The Southern California Homebrewers Festival brings together more than 35 homebrew beer clubs for a weekend of tasting and education. The night of Friday May 4th, 6-9 pm will feature a Pro Pour tasting from an array of commercial breweries that have their roots in homebrewing. Saturday, May 5, is the main day of Fest. From 11am – 9pm, all of the homebrewers will be serving beer from their booths; an almost limitless selection of styles! Some footage from the 2016 Festival can be found here.
Our homebrewers festival is rain or shine! Please see our Terms and Conditions for more info.
Campsites are now open to the public for rental on Fest weekend. Call Vail Lake Resort today to reserve your site. RVs, trailers, and tent camping are welcome that weekend.
Only California Homebrewers Association members can attend Fest. Both CHA memberships, and Festival Registration, went live January 1, 2018. If you would like to join us, please register for an account on our site, visit our Shop to get a membership, and then a festival registration. Check-in at the Fest is paperless; you must be 21+ with valid, government-issued ID to get in.
A shuttle will pick up and drop off Fest attendees in Temecula (Motel 6, 41900 Moreno Rd, Temecula, CA 92590). If you have purchased a Fest registration, check out the Shop to get a $0 Shuttle Reservation.
Festival Guest Panels
This year, we have two panel discussions during the day of Fest.
Panel 1: Women In Brewing
11:30 am
Panelists:
Sarah Luker: Yeastside Brewers and Co-Owner/Brewer, Transplants Brewing
Judith A. Downie: Beer historian in San Diego
Amber Sawicki: Assistant Brewer, Iron Triangle Brewing
Kim Morton: Homebrewer and Artist/Quizmaster, Transplants Brewing
Moderated by Sarah Bennett: Beer journalist in LA/Orange County
Panel 2: Homebrew Club Barrel Projects & Mixed-Fermentation Brewing
12:30 pm
Panelists:
Andy Carter: Ventura Independent Beer Enthusiasts
Andy Gamelin: Société du Lambic
Dan Pixley: Moderator of Milk the Funk
Kevin Osborne: Co-owner/Brewer, Cellador Ales
| Time | Event |
| Friday May 4 | |
| 2:00 PM | Club Setup Opens |
| 2:30 PM | Ice service begins |
| 5:30 PM | Early Festival Check In Begins |
| 4:00 - 7:00 PM | Bragging Rights Entry Dropoff |
| 5:00 PM | Campground Shuttle Service Begins |
| 5:30 PM | Clearing of the festival area |
| 6:00 PM | Craft and Homebrew Pour Begins |
| 9:00 PM | Craft and Homebrew Pour Ends |
| 9:30 PM | Last Shuttle from festival area |
| 10:00 PM | Festival gates close for the evening |
| Saturday May 5 | |
| 7:00 AM | Club Setup Opens |
| 9:30 AM | Ice service begins |
| 10:00 AM | Mandatory Reps Meeting and Alcohol Server Training |
| 10:00 AM | Campground Shuttle Service Begins |
| 10:30 AM | Festival Check-in begins |
| 10:30 AM | Clearing of the festival area |
| 10:45 AM | Festival Re-Entry Begins |
| 11:00 AM | Festival Starts |
| 11:00 AM | Announcements |
| 11:10 AM | Band: Steve Casselman |
| 11:30 AM | Panel #1 : Women In Brewing |
| 12:30 PM | Panel #2 : Homebrew Club Barrel Projects & Mixed-Fermentation Brewing |
| 2:30 - 3:30 PM | Band #1 Set 1: Maltose Falcons |
| 4:00 PM | Raffle |
| 5:00 - 6:00 PM | Band #1 Set 2: Maltose Falcons |
| 7:00 - 9:00 PM | Band #2: Mercy Brothers |
| 9:00 PM | Festival Ends |
| 9:30 PM | Last Shuttle from festival area |
| 10:00 PM | Festival Gates close for the evening |
| Sunday May 6 | |
| 8:00 AM | Clean up / Club booth tear down |
| 11:00 AM | Tent breakdown |