MENDOCINO Co., 5/12/22 — The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council is holding an event on Saturday, May 21 that will showcase local brewers, and help residents get more prepared for a wildfire or similar emergency. The Homebrew Festival and Wildfire Safety Expo will include the opportunity to sample beverages from around the region and vote in the People’s Choice Awards, as well as enjoy food, a raffle, and live music. There will also be information and resources available through the Fire Safe Council, including some goats helping with vegetation management and other family friendly activities.
The event was previously rescheduled during the pandemic, but is now planned for in Boonville on Saturday, May 21 from 3 – 6 p.m. at the beer park at the Anderson Valley Brewing Company.
Here’s the announcement, and more information can be found at mendohomebrewfest.com:
ilReady for some fun that’s both light-hearted and informative? The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council (MCFSC) invites you to experience the Homebrew Festival and Wildfire Safety Expo at the outdoor beer park at Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville from 3–6 pm on Saturday, May 21.
Homebrewers of beers, ciders, meads, and other fermented beverages from around Northern California will be competing to win the People’s Choice and/or Brewer’s Choice awards. In addition to dozens of local homebrews there will be raffles, food from Slam Dunk Pizza and Fairall Farm’s Little Blue Food Wagon available for purchase, and live music courtesy of the Back Porch Trio.
“We are calling it the fourth MOSTLY annual Homebrew Festival because we had to take two years off due to Covid,” explains MCFSC Executive Director Scott Cratty. “Hopefully this is a triumphant return and we can keep doing it for many years to come.”
Adults 21 and over may purchase a Homebrew Festival ticket that grants them unlimited tastings of the dozens of homebrews on offer. General admission is $35 in advance or $40 at the door, and “Very Important Taster” early access tickets cost $60 in advance or $70 at the door.
A separate tasting and judging will be conducted for the Brewers’ Choice award led by Fal Allen of Anderson Valley Brewing Company, and also includes special guest judge Assemblymember Jim Wood. One grand-prize beer will be selected to be commercially brewed by AVBC itself, giving the winning brewer not only bragging rights but also the opportunity to assist on brew day, learn about scaling their recipe for larger batch sizes, and see it produced using a commercial brew system. Event sponsors Ukiah Brewing Company, Hopland Taphouse, and Northspur Brewing in Willits will host pint nights with the winning brew.
Proceeds from this event will support MCFSC’s mission to inform, empower, and mobilize county residents to survive and thrive in a wildfire-prone environment.
The Brewfest is accompanied by a free Wildfire Safety Expo, with dozens of information and service providers in attendance plus live fire demonstrations, kids’ activities, and tips and swag for keeping yourself and your family safe and prepared for wildfires. Attendees will get a chance to order a reflective address sign, pet some grazing goats, and speak with and learn from local neighborhood Fire Safe Councils, fire departments and other first responders, local public and private organizations, and firewise service providers offering professional help in getting you and your home as safe and prepared as possible.
The Mendocino County Fire Safe Council is also offering a short quiz contest on wildfire safety. The quiz and all of the answers can be found on the MCFSC website (firesafemendocino.org), and all participants will be placed in a drawing for valuable readiness-related prizes including a potentially life-saving professional home risk assessment, gift certificates to local suppliers, and a fully-stocked emergency go-bag for four.
More information about both events may be found at mendohomebrewfest.com.
