Something big is brewing. Hoptimism is real.
Ale aboard.
In short, crack open your favorite beer pun and buckle your wheat belt, because greater Santa Cruz’s first family of tap rooms has another wave of intrigue on tap.
The OG mothership, Beer Thirty, celebrates 12 years—that went fast—with a beer fest on Saturday, Aug. 8, from noon–5pm at its sizable Soquel beer garden plus adjacent spaces (2504 S. Main St., Soquel), bringing together 30 close brewery partners.
That flows alongside live performances by J.A.M. and the Buttered Biscuits and the Henry Ward Band, plus DJ Ryan Lincoln.
Bubb’s Burgers, Taquizas Gabriel and Sleight of Hand Pizza will supply the eats, while local artists and apparel makers offer event merchandise. The all-ages, dog-friendly party will also benefit the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.
Tickets range from $10 for entry to $30 with commemorative glass and three beer tokens to $50 for a glass and unlimited (yet responsible) pours.
Co-owner Kym DeWitt describes B30’s last dozen years as “amazing.”
“Going from not knowing if Santa Cruz wanted our vision to seeing that they actually loved it—and wanted more of it—was pleasantly surprising,” she says.
Now Beer Thirty is expanding to take over the neighboring 3 acres that centered around the former Skatepark Soquel and adding 32 live music dates a year.
“We’re focusing on experiences,” DeWitt says, “bringing something unique and really firing it up.”
Meanwhile sister spot Beer Run (in the old Wienerschnitzel, 800 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz) inches closer to full-on sausage house-beer garden in its centrally located yard, with glassware and dishwashers OTW. But with all the other projects in the works, and the long wait to date, DeWitt notes, there’s no rush.
Up in the mountains, additional sibling Trout Farm Inn (7701 E. Zayante Road, Felton)—fresh off a Coffis Brothers show as part of the Live on the Pool Deck series—has happy hour splashing 3-5pm weekdays, full bar-restaurant service, Cream + Sugar roadside coffee and ice cream, and membership, day pass and walk-up pool options.
And down in the valley, Beer Mule Bottle Shop + Pour House (45 Aviation Way, Watsonville) just toasted seven years with a party of its own.
It’s a lager-than-life sort of situation, beerthirtysantacruz.com
CITIZEN SCIENCE
Good Times reader Catherine Byrne beamed in recently via ne**@*****ys.com with a joyful report on Pizzeria Avanti (1711 Mission St., Santa Cruz), proclaiming it’s not just revived but all-caps “FABULOUS!” Byrne describes a warm vibe, lovely new art, refreshed plants and flowers, adding, “[it felt more like the pizzeria of old—[t]he food was really delicious and reasonably priced for Santa Cruz.” She goes on to call the warmed olives tops in town, the fresh Caesar and brussels sprout-arugula salads noteworthy, and the vegetarian pesto pasta, thin-crust pepperoni and veggie King Gorg pizzas, and the pot de crème all memorable, with the added observation zero TVs and nightly service are also nice differentiators, pizzeriaavanti.online.
BITE-SIZED INSIGHTS
The latest “Edible on the Air” on KSQD with Christine Barrington and me is now available as a podcast, as we talk Scotts Valley spots, salmon salvation, Huxal Mezcal and more, ksqd.org/edible…Food Trucks a Go Go does its monthly, picnic-friendly, free-admission flavorscape at Skypark (361 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley) again 5–8pm July 31 with a range of tasty trucks, face painting and live music, while the beer and wine garden benefits local students through the Scotts Valley Educational Foundation, foodtrucksagogo.com…
Tin Can Coast: A History of Industry, Greed, and Fishing in the Golden State has published, and chef-author Joseph Ogilvy speaks 11:30am Sunday, Aug. 2, at the Monterey Abalone Festival (Aug. 1-2, Japanese American Citizens League Hall, 424 Adams St., Monterey), jaclmonterey.org…Dai Thanh Supermarket has debuted its third and largest San Jose grocery store (4148 Monterey Road), for those looking for a Vietnamese ingredient more elusive on this side of the hill…Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami: “This may be the most important proposition revealed by history: “At the time, no one knew what was coming.”
