Kombucha aficionados, beer guzzlers and funk fans take note, Saturday marks the in-person return of the Santa Cruz County Hop N’ Barley Beer Festival at Skypark in Scotts Valley.
Felton resident Patrick Grube, who started the event 13 years ago, says he’s looking forward to its triumphant return.
“It’s really a fun experience,” the 41-year-old said of the event that will feature an assortment of food, two stages of music, activities for kids and around 60 beer vendors. “At least half of them are beers you’ve never even heard of.”
In 2020, Grube put on an online “sip fest,” where he sold commemorative glasses featuring a bandana-wearing Abraham Lincoln character but decided the fest would sit things out in 2021.
“It’s interesting coming back from not doing it for two years,” he said. “I think everybody’s ready to be outside, see people, try new stuff and listen to some good music.”
This year’s edition features Santa Cruz beer purveyors like Woodhouse Blending & Brewing, Buena Vista Brewing Co., Greater Purpose Brewing Co., New Bohemia Brewing Co. and Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, as well as out-of-towners like Hop Dogma Brewing Co. (Half Moon Bay), Societe Brewing Company (San Diego), Old Possum Brewing Co. (Santa Rosa), High Water Brewing, Inc. (Lodi) and La Cantina Brewing Co. (Salinas).
But on top of the hops-and-yeast mainstay, the event will also highlight brewed teas and crushed fruit beverages, which Grube says is important given the range of tastes amongst the crowd they’re trying to attract.
“I think some people fell off the gluten train,” he said. “I don’t personally drink a lot of beer, but I love cider—and this is the place to find cider.”
The event, which starts at 11am and goes until 5pm, will pump out a soundtrack that will likely traverse a variety of territory from reggae to jam to funk to bluegrass and rock n’ roll.
False Bottom Band and Love Creek are slated for the Solar Stage, while Ancestree, SuperBlume and The Higher Collective will take over the Good Times Stage.
Plus, Grube promises a diverse array of eats, from finger food to more substantial offerings.
“If you like beer, this is your annual thing that you go to, to have the most delectable food that you can imagine,” he said. “You can get small items and go to multiple vendors, or you can get full plates of stuff.”
Early bird tickets have already sold out, but general admission tickets are still available for $45.
There will be bubbles and a tie-dye station for kids, who can enter for free.
“A new thing that’s happening, as well, after the pandemic, there’s a lot of people that are creating craft non-alcoholic beers, and we’ll be featuring some of those as well,” he said, “—for those that are sober-curious.”
The event is a fundraiser for the Homeless Garden Project, a nonprofit that provides job training, transitional employment and support services to people in Santa Cruz County experiencing homelessness.
“This is the main point of the whole festival,” Grube said. “The Homeless Garden Project is unique among nonprofit organizations in that 90% of the people who go through their program successfully find themselves in long-term housing and sobriety.”
The Santa Cruz County Hop N’ Barley Beer Festival is July 9 from 11am-5pm at Skypark in Scotts Valley, located at 361 Kings Village Rd.
