Boonville Beer Festival Review: A Day of Suds and Sun

Its Remote Location is Actually a Boon for This Annual Beer-Drinking Event in Northern California

The name of the town pretty says it all.

Boonville.

It’s 125 miles north of San Francisco, it’s a few blocks long and there are no stoplights.

But the second Saturday of each May, some 7,000 people make it their weekend home (May 14 in 2011). The reason: The Boonville Beer Festival.

This is a simple way to soak in the sun and soak down the suds. Many people stay in the adjacent campground where they party for two (or three, perhaps even four) days. Put on by the Anderson Valley Brewing Company just up the street in Northern California’s Boonville, it is held each May.

The event is held at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds. There are 80 breweries – all microbrews – and it’s put on by the Anderson Valley Brewing Co., which is right around the corner. There is beer to the right, beer to the left, live music and food. By the afternoon, most people – having been mostly satisfied after their early rush to try just about everything – settle into the large grassy area to the left of the entrance.

Tickets are $55 at the door and it runs from 1-5 p.m. Arrive by 11, for people want to maximize their beer tasting from the start, so a huge line begins to form in the late morning.

Link: Boonville Beer Festival

– BOONVILLE BEER FESTIVAL IMAGES –