Here's your last chance to win a pair of general admission tickets to the 21st Annual Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival that will be taking place on Saturday, June 1st, 2014!

How To Enter:
1. Tell everyone what your favorite wine or beer is in the comment section below. 
2. You need to fill in all the forms (favorite beer/wine and e-mail) or you will not be considered.
3. You have until 11:59 AM (PST) on May 16, 2014 to enter. Any entries after that time will not be considered.
4. That's it. 

How to win:
1. It is all luck.
2. I will pick a random number and count through the entries until I reach the number.
3.  I will announce the winner on this post after the winner has been confirmed.

Restrictions:
1. You may not win more than once.

This is the 21st year of this annual event and to celebrate its coming of age, beer has been "officially" included in the title of the event.  Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food & BREW Festival kicked off its 2014 festival with a commercial beer competition on May 3rd.

To make the introduction of beer something really special, we added a commercial beer competition to the mix to highlight local and regional breweries. We thought this would be a great way to bring attention to the growing craft beer movement and give you a chance to explore new beers or beer styles and plan your beer tasting experience once you step through the gate. 

All of the beers that entered the Best In Fest competition will receive a full pints&pairings write up that will feature food pairing suggestions for each beer.  The two runners-up and the winner will get full pints&pairings podcasts to help you better plan your beer and food experience at the Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food & BREW Festival on June 1st. 

Before I get to the competition recap, I want to thank the festival's brewery co-chairs, Jess Card (far left) and Manny Gallo (second left).  Their behind the scenes work is why there will be a festival full of beer this year. Thanks, guys!

I would also like to thank my judging crew. They took time out of their busy Saturday morning schedule and put their palates and beer knowledge to the test for me.  Believe me, it's no easy task judging commercially produced beers. You can read more about the judges HERE

Last, but not least, a big THANK YOU to Kristin Palos (behind the camera) who is the events coordinator for Casa Pacifica and the person who gave me the opportunity to get involved with such a great organization. Thank you, Kristin.

Now, let's get to the competition. 

Round 1

Seven local breweries entered into the inaugural Best-In-Fest competition. To ensure the integrity of this competition, the beers were poured out of sight (called blind judging) so the judges didn't know anything about the beer in front of them except its style. In this round, each beer was evaluated against its own style and given a score based on its aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and overall impression.

The scores were entered into spreadsheet and added together and the three highest scoring beers moved to the second round.  Only 18 points separated the bottom scoring and top scoring beers.

Round 2

The identity of the beers that moved on to the second round were kept a secret, again to ensure an unbiased evaluation. Round 2 doesn't use score sheets, rather a round-table style of discussion was used to choose the best of show beer.

The conversations in this round ranged from style accuracy to food pairing possibilities to drinkability before the winner of this round was picked. 

Best in Fest 

In the end, it was Institution Ale Company's Restraint that won Best in Fest. Their American Brown Ale got top marks by all the judges for its food pairing possibilities and drinkability.  

I am really excited about this event. This inaugural event will feature beer, food, beer, #beerpairing panels and more beer ... right up my alley. Come and join me and a bunch of fabulous breweries and other beer geeks on May 17th!

General Admission Tickets: $100 includes food, beer, wine and panel discussions.

VIP Tickets: $200 - includes special hour prior to event start time with passed apps by Circa, tastings of Sam Adams Barrel Room Collection and a special presentation by Pacific Gravity Home Brew Club in addition to food, beer, wine and panel discussions.

Tickets can be purchased here.

“The Art and Craft of Beer Pairing” –  This panel will be teaching our crowd the art of beer pairing – beer isn’t just for swilling in the backyard while grilling dogs, it’s a hand crafted, sophisticated beverage, that is meant to go with food.  The flavors that craft breweries are achieving these days are varied and complex, and these panelists will teach you how to pick just the right ones to go with your next meal. Whether you have prepared a slow braise of lamb shank or just grilling in the backyard, you will be armed with the knowledge of how to pick the best beer to go with your next meal.


Panelists:
Ting Su – Co-Founder of Eagle Rock Brewery
Christina Perozzi – Goose Island Educator
Cyrena Nouzille – Co-Founder of Ladyface Ale Company
Anne Conness - Executive Chef and Partner of Simmzy's and Tin Roof Bistro

“Fun with BEER!” – Cook with it!  Marinate a steak!  Wash your hair!  Fix your lawn!  These are just the few fun things beer is good for besides giving you a buzz (or, while it’s giving you a buzz).  Don’t just drink it, play with it!  Our lively panelists will show you how to really make beer the star of your next party.  Or, your next bath…


Panelists:
Greg Bechtel – Bon Vivant at El Segundo Brewing Co.
Mike Simms– Owner of Simms Restaurants
David LeFevre – Chef of MB Post and Fishing With Dynamite
Rich Marcello – Co-Owner of Strand Brewing Co.
Nikki Martin – Host of Grill Next Door and Food Network Star

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA  – The Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce is introducing the First Annual Bite at the Beach food and beer pairing event brought to you by Stella Artois. The event will premiere on May 17, 2014 from 2-7pm at the MBS Media Campus in Manhattan Beach. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased through the Manhattan Beach Chamber’s website.

It's almost time again for one of Ventura County's premier beer festivals! The Moorpark Beer Festival will be holding its third annual event this year on October 6, 2012. The Moorpark Morning Rotary Club (MMRC)is sponsoring the event. MMRC will use all the profits from this event to help local families, schools, seniors and veterans. So you're drinking for a cause!-)

This year the festival will host 2500 attendees which is up from 1000 last year.  If you were present last year you know that elbow room was at a premium and so you (and everyone else) will be happy to hear that the event grounds have tripled in size! 2 1/2 blocks or High Street in Moorpark will be sectioned off for this festival. This year there will be plenty of room for you, me and all our friends to hang out and enjoy some quality craft beer.

And speaking of craft beer.  The general admission ticket will get you unlimited tastings from at least 19 California-based craft breweries and two homebrew clubs this year!  So be sure you hit all the big craft breweries (Lagunitas, Iron Fist, Karl Straus, etc) and don't skip any of the locals (Enegren, Sundowner, or Surf).  But what ever you do, DO NOT skip the homebrew stations.  These local homebrewers know what they are doing and you are sure to taste some truly unique and delicious one-offs. 

Is your mouth watering, yet?  

There will also be nine food stations along the way. Local favorites like Custom Melt and The Dugout will be there and the MMRC will again be grilling up some tri-tip sandwiches! Please note, however, that food is not included so you will want to bring along some extra cash. It is easy to get carried away at a festival so be sure to follow these tips.  Eat a hearty meal before you arrive, force yourself to take water breaks and eat throughout event. These simple tips will help you stay hydrated and slow your alcohol consumption.  You don’t want to be that guy/girl! You know the one I am talking about, the one that makes a mess all over his/her shoes and everyone else who is standing around. 

I am the most excited about the VIP section ($100/ticket) this year.  Listen to these perks! It has its own own brewery, Figueroa Mountain! And its own food, Custom Melt! AND comfy sofas to relax in! So go get your VIP tickets before they sell out and hang out with me.

There is so much more happening this year that I could go on and on.  But I do want to mention that Cantera Cellars will be present for those "I don't like beer" folks and there will be two bands providing a beer fest soundtrack! Learn about all the newest updates, etc. at http://www.moorparkbeerfestival.com .

Last but certainly not least, plan now.  Plan on how you are going to get home safely after the event.  There are several hotels in the area that offering special rates and the MBF is offering specially priced designated driver tickets.

See you in October!