CA Craft Beer Week Kicks Off With Live Events This Friday

CA Craft Beer Week kicks off this Friday, February 12, with a power lineup of craft brewers for a virtual gathering, followed by dozens of events, products and offerings from California craft breweries, bars, restaurants and more throughout the state spanning its ten days.

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Join the California craft beer community to kick things off on Friday, LIVE, for timely talks and craft beer education:

CA CRAFT BEER WEEK – 2021 VIRTUAL KICK OFF – Friday, February 12

Celebrating California craft beer & brewers as international trailblazers & style innovators

Craft beer luminaries and emerging brewers will be toasting, roasting and talking about California’s craft history — and how the state has and continues to make history — driving the IPA explosion and leading the way with never-ending style innovation.

AFTERNOON HOMEBREWER SESSION
Live with White Labs. Program details & link to register HERE!

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From the Garage to the Brew Deck: Homebrewing Tales from Pro Brewers

Former homebrewers turned pro join White Labs’ Kim Derr and Erik Fowler to talk about what it takes to make the leap. Presented by White Labs; registration required.

Doug Constantiner, Societe Brewing Co
Lester Koga, Barebottle Brewing Co
Regan Long, Local Brewing Co
Andrew Mohsenzadegan, Flatland Brewing Co

OFFICIAL EVENING PROGRAM
Live with The Brewing Network, with founder Justin Crossley as Master of Ceremonies
Event embed and program details HERE.

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Opening Toast: Toasting the tradition of Beer Week

Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo, Russian River Brewing Co.
Jay Brooks, Mercury News, Author, Co-Founder, San Francisco Beer Week

Headliner Conversations: Being a rebel when it matters & California’s international influence

Greg Koch, Stone Brewing
David Walker, Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

Discussion: The Resurgence & Reinvention of the IPA

Tim Sciascia, Cellarmaker Brewing Co.
Chuck SIlva, Silva Brewing Co.

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Bold Pairings for Bold Beers

Brewers and Cicerones™ join Whole Foods Market’s Certified Cheese Professional Stephanie Foss to talk best pairings for challenging styles like a hazy IPA or pastry stout. Presented by Whole Foods Market. Advance videos, beer-and-cheese pairing guide, and in-store cheese coupon HERE.

Beny Ashburn, Crowns & Hops
Teo Hunter, Crowns & Hops
Sayre Piotrkowski, HenHouse Brewing Co.
Andy Crocker, Original Pattern Brewing Co.

Style Innovation Is California’s Middle Name

Kim Sturdavant, Pacifica Brewery
Alexandra Nowell, Three Weavers Brewing Co.
Derek Gallanosa, Moska Brewing Co.
Jonas Nemura, Radiant Brewing Co.

Open Session: Reminiscing & Staying Connected in an Outlier Year

Shaun O’Sullivan, 21st Amendment Brewery
Dave McLean, Admiral Maltings
with Jay Brooks and the craft community

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Beyond talking heads, the CA Craft Beer Week Kick Off program includes history lessons, beer education and sessions focused on sharing and camaraderie. During the afternoon panel, pro brewers will share how they got started as homebrewers and will be joined by the specialists at White Labs to talk about how to scale up recipes for larger pro-brewer sized batches.

For an educational beer and cheese pairing ‘course,’ viewers are encouraged to purchase recommended cheeses to enjoy alongside local California craft beers. A special Whole Foods Market Cheese & Beer Pairing Guide provides on-demand pairing videos, specific cheese recommendations, and a $5 off coupon for in-store purchases at local Whole Foods Market stores, making it easy to stock up and get ready for a fun Kick Off and CA Craft Beer Week.

CA Craft Beer Week is organized by the Bay Area Brewers Guild and the California Craft Brewers Association in collaboration with regional brewers guilds. This statewide initiative was launched to lend support to California’s hard-hit neighborhood breweries, restaurants, retailers, bars and bottle shops. For more background on CA Craft Beer Week’s origin, refer to the December announcement.

‘Official’ CA Craft Beer Week dates are February 12-21, however, the site is showcasing events, activities and product offerings immediately, and throughout the month. Visit
here to learn more and keep watching as more events, activities and offerings from California breweries and businesses are added.

CA Craft Beer Week wouldn’t be possible without leading support from Whole Foods Market as a sponsor, as well as support from White Labs Inc., Barretto-co, Whale Pod, Visit Santa Rosa, BSG Craft Brewing, Briess Malt & Ingredients Co., The Printed Image, Custom Label, Hollingbery & Sons Hops, GigaYeast and Admiral Maltings.