Beer festival draws 1,000 hops lovers

The first Santa Cruz Hop ’N’ Barley Festival proved to be a success, drawing a crowd of more than 1,000 people who wanted to taste the wide array of beers on tap.
The beer fest featured 20 breweries and went from noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 10, at Skypark in Scotts Valley.
Tickets were sold out by 3 p.m., organizer Patrick Grube said.
Grube said he sold about 900 wristbands at $20 apiece. Proceeds went to the Community Housing Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, which seeks to provide low-income housing solutions and affordable commercial space.
The wristbands came with a glass and unlimited tastes of beer from brewery tents, which included Boulder Creek Brewing Co. and Gordon Biersch.
Grube said the festival went beyond his expectations.
When he started making plans six months ago, he was hoping just to break even.
“We didn’t have any sponsors,” Grube said. “My wife and I put up 80 percent out of pocket, so we’re ecstatic it did so well.”
Grube was still calculating how much the festival made as of press time Wednesday, July 14.
Santa Cruz Mountains Brewing Co. was one of the breweries in attendance.
“I thought it was well attended, and that shows that Santa Cruz needs more of this kind of event,” said Nicole Beatie, the brewery’s operations manager.
The festival also featured live bands, a crowd of all ages, and a kid- and pet-friendly atmosphere.
“The event went incredible,” Grube said. “Everyone was excited, and the breweries were great. It was nice to make more than we planned.”