California Festival of Beers

Two day drinking festival going towards a good cause — perfect event for a small college town! Beer Fest took place at the Madonna Inn with 50+ breweries.
First Day — Connoisseur Pairing is the smaller night event held indoors at the Madonna Expo that features music and art. It’s mainly an event catered to people who want to pair different brews with food and cigars.
Second Day — Grand Tasting is the HUGE event that takes place outdoors in the Meadows from 11am — 4pm. There are about 3,000+ people, most of which are local college students. All the breweries come out and the guests can sample alllll the beer they want! There are usually a few food vendors as well (Spikes, Marston’s, Pacifica Catering, Popolo.) They also had a couple of random activities like life size beer pong with big trash bins and a soccer ball.
Beer Fest tickets are pretty pricey and run up to around $ 80 for GA but all the proceeds go to the SLO Hospice Center, an organization that provides support for anyone experiencing life threatening illnesses or grief of a lost one. Definitely one of the biggest events of the year in SLO and always a great time!