CA Craft Beer Week Launches To Support Independent California Craft Breweries And Struggling Local Communities

CA Craft Beer Week, a statewide co-marketing initiative headed by the Bay Area Brewers Guild and the California Craft Brewers Association, in collaboration with six other regional brewers’ guilds, launched January 15th to lend support to California’s hard-hit neighborhood breweries, restaurants, retailers, bars and bottle shops.

CA Craft Beer Week officially takes place February 12-21; however, the platform is immediately rolling out virtual events, activities, and product offerings on its website now through February, lending support to struggling businesses during the tough winter months and a challenging past year of closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Curated craft beer-centric events and offers

Providing a platform for co-promotion and rekindling lost community connections, CA Craft Beer Week is rolling out curated, aggregated listings and self-produced craft beer-centric events, activities and offerings, including:

• Special Auction showcasing California’s most popular craft beer scenes and featuring mixed-pack ‘tasting tours’ of award-winning breweries, shipped to consumers throughout the state: SF Bay Area, San Diego, Central Coast, Sacramento, and Los Angeles, Orange and Inland Empire counties.
• Online events and activities, including a virtual Kick Off Event on February 12 featuring California craft beer luminaries, produced in partnership with The Brewing Network, an international craft beer media outlet headquartered in Concord, CA.
• A unique competition-based fundraiser to benefit California’s craft beer industry and community charities. In collaboration with over a dozen social media influencers representing regional teams, a Zen and the Art of Beer “challenge” will encourage craft beer fans to de-stress and find their (beer) zen. Categories include Pet Zen, Yoga Zen, Outdoor Zen, and more.
• Coming soon: Tasting packages, gift boxes, take-home pairings, meal offerings, merchandise bundles from dozens of California breweries, restaurants and bars, centered around five CA Craft Beer Week themes: Community & Collaboration, Diversity & Inclusion honoring Black History Month and our diverse communities, Valentine’s Day gifting and ideas for an intimate evening at home, Culinary beer and food pairings and take-home menus, and Creativity spanning music, art, fashion and other creative areas.

Recognizing the vital role local breweries play in our communities

“It’s vital our industry, community leaders, and those who don’t want their communities to become ghost towns do all they can to save neighborhood businesses,” says Joanne Marino, Executive Director of the Bay Area Brewers Guild, the lead organizer for CA Craft Beer Week. “Studies have proven that local breweries play vital roles in reviving neighborhoods and local economies. But as manufacturers–running a brewhouse, packaging, paying for larger spaces, investing in capital equipment, and maintaining a larger workforce–breweries incur higher costs to stay open,” Marino continues. “Most cannot afford to hang on much longer. And once a local brewery closes, that business won’t be coming back.”

Reflecting the collaborative spirit of CA Craft Beer Week, a curated list of breweries are participating in a regional auction and guild fundraiser, with mixed packs featuring releases from rising stars and rock-solid favorites alike: Humble Sea Brewing Co., Monkish Brewing Co., Silva Brewing, The Lost Abbey, Three Weavers Brewing, GameCraft Brewing, and some 65+ more. See a partial list of participating brewers below:

Participating Brewers List

Bay Area Brewers Guild:
21st Amendment Brewery
Alvarado Street Brewery
Barebottle Brewing Co.
Cellarmaker Brewing Co.
East Brother Beer Co.
Fogbelt Brewing Co.
HenHouse Brewing Co.
Hop Dogma Brewing Co.
Humble Sea Brewing Co.
Narrative Fermentations
Original Pattern Brewing Co.
S27 Alehouse & Brewery

Sacramento Area Brewers Guild:
Bike Dog Brewing Co.
Crooked Lane Brewing
Flatland Brewing Co.
Fort Rock Brewing
Jackrabbit Brewing
King Cong Brewing
New Glory Craft Brewery
Tilted Mash Brewing
Touchstone Brewing
Track 7 Brewing Co.

San Diego Brewers Guild:
AleSmith Brewing Co.
Belching Beaver Brewery
Booze Bros. Brewing Co. / Owl Farm
Burgeon Beer Co.
Coronado Brewing Co.
The Lost Abbey / Port Brewing
Karl Strauss Brewing Co.
Mike Hess Brewing Co.
Pizza Port Brewing Co.
Stone Brewing Co.
Second Chance Beer Co.
Societe Brewing Co.

Central Coast Brewers Guild:
Enegren Brewing Co.
Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.
Liquid Gravity Brewing Co.
MSpecial Brewing Co.
Santa Maria Brewing Co.
Silva Brewing
Topa Topa Brewing Co.
Ventura Coast Co.

Los Angeles County Brewers Guild:
Beachwood Brewing
Boomtown Brewery
Brewyard Beer Company
Claremont Craft Ales
Eagle Rock Brewery
El Segundo Brewing
Highland Park Brewery
Los Angeles Ale Works
Monkish Brewing Co.
Smog City Brewing
Three Weavers Brewing

Orange County Brewers Guild:
Brewery X
Chapman Crafted Brewing
Delahunt Brewing Co.
GameCraft Brewing
Laguna Beach Beer Company
Stereo Brewing
Topa Topa Brewing Co.
Ventura Coast Co.

Inland Empire Brewers Guild:
Craft Brewing
Garage Brewing
Hamilton Family Brewery
Skyland Aleworks
Stone Church Brewing
Wicks Brewing

About CA Craft Beer Week

CA Craft Beer Week is a collective outreach initiative led by the Bay Area Brewers Guild and the California Craft Brewers Association, both non-profit trade associations, in collaboration with the Central Coast Brewers Guild, the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild, the Orange County Brewers Guild, the Sacramento Area Brewers Guild, and the San Diego Brewers Guild.

Stay healthy, San Diego!