The Fresno Craft Beer Festival bills itself as “the ONLY craft beer festival in Fresno.” Just one problem. It’s in Madera.
The event, which runs from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11 and features 30 breweries, is at ApCal (which some may know as Appellation California). The wine tasting and event venue regularly hosts live music and other events on its big lawn with the 100-year-old oak tree. ApCal isn’t that far from Fresno. In fact, the boundary between Fresno and Madera counties follows the San Joaquin River and ApCal, on Avenue 7, is only 1.3 miles from the river via Highway 99.
The festival’s logo features the city of Fresno’s flag, though. And Facebooker Kiel Thomas Schmidt points out this language on the website promoting the festival:
“No more hot parking lot festivals or trying to find a parking spot in scary part of the city. Our place is beautiful, spacious, safe and FUN!”
Says Schmidt: “It also seems to slam both the Downtown Fresno’s Sudz in the City and Tower’s Oktoberfest. Though, I bet there won’t be any craft brewers at this one that weren’t at the other two.”
So what do you think, dear readers? Does it matter that the Fresno Craft Beer Festival isn’t in Fresno or is ApCal close enough? Are you offended by the apparent dis of the other beer festivals?
I never really liked St. Patrick’s Day. While, I enjoy the story about the dude chasing snakes with a stick, there is that whole “wear-green-or-else” thing that puts me off.
Don’t pinch me bro.
People do celebrate the day (for an entire weekend it seems), so I put together a quick Post-No-Bills-style collection of event fliers for you. Feel free to included others in the comments or shoot a link to jtehee@fresnobee.com and I’ll add it in.
UPDATE: This event is actually TONIGHT (Thursday). If you thought you missed it, you still have time.
Image borrowed with gratitude from BC’s.
An admission: Until a few weeks ago, I had never been to BC’s Pizza and Beer. But people talked about its selection of import and craft beer, the hard-to-find stuff that most places have never heard of, much less carry.
Those people were right. I was not only impressed by the beer selection, I was a bit overwhelmed.
That’s preface to The Green Flash Tap Takeover happening at 4 p.m. at BC’s tonight. Green Flash is a San Diego brewery that has some of my favorite beers. The Double Stout is particularly amazing. Tonight, on tap, BC’s with have six Green Flash beers:
Green Flash 1st Anniversary American Strong Ale
Green Flash 5th Anniversary Double IPA
Green Flash 8th Anniversary Surf’s Up Symposium IPA
Green Flash Palate Wrecker Double IPA
Green Flash Le Freak Belgian Style IPA
Green Flash West Coast IPA
Order a pint and you get to keep the glass because that’s how these things work. If you go, please tell us all about it.
Fresno doesn’t have an IKEA or a Dave & Buster’s, but guess what we do have that you won’t find pretty much anywhere else in the U.S.? Beer! Specifically, Modelo Light.
Fresno is a test market for Modelo Light. The Mexican beer Modelo has been around for a while, but Fresno is the first place to get the 90-calorie light version. It’s available in Mexico for years. The company that imports Modelo Light is pretty sure it’s going to do well here (the test is mostly of its marketing) and already plans to roll it out to the rest of the country. And yes, I realize this is the perfect opportunity for a Fresno joke. I’ll leave that up to you guys, but I personally think it’s kinda cool we’re getting the beer first.
The guy from the importing company described it with words like “bold flavor” and “refreshing attributes.” I bought a six pack last weekend to test it out and the word “yummy” is how my amateur beer-drinking self would describe it. For a bold beer, it wasn’t overpowering.
You can get the beer at several local Hispanic supermarkets that I’ll list at the end of the blog. Tower Sports Club also serves Modelo Light.
For those following the count-down clock, we’ve hit the zero hour (to the chagrin of at least one user). Those following me over from my previous gig at Fresno Famous will need no introduction, but the rest of y’all probably want to know what I am about.
First off, I like lists. So:
Downtown. When the Vagabond Lofts were built in 2006, I was the first to move in. Literally, the very first resident in the complex (OK, I had a roommate). I was what then-council member Henry T. Perea called an urban pioneer. I fully buy into the idea that a city is only as good as its downtown, and that Fresno can be (heck, it already is) a vibrant, cultural hot-spot. To that end, I’ll be keeping up with the city’s efforts to get people back to the urban core. For now, check out I Believe in Downtown Fresno. You don’t have to take the pledge, but you can at least get informed.
To keep from being all north Fresno vs. south, I also have an affinity for Fig Garden Village and the Tower District and have no problem hanging out at River Park when I need to.
Two cool things happening this Saturday night that you should start planning for now: this year’s third annual Zombie Pub Crawl in the Tower District and the new-look Sudz in the City, which has to the Fulton Mall and is now more focused on craft beer.
This year’s Taco Truck Throwdown 2 is Thursday (Aug. 30). So if you haven’t started your pre-TTT fast yet, I’m going to recommend you do that ASAP. This year’s event, organized by us and the Fresno Grizzlies, promises to be bigger and better than last year’s — which you might remember was a monster.
People will, no doubt, have questions though, so I put together this handy-dandy guide to all things Taco Truck Throwdown to help you prepare for the event.
Keep on reading. Then come out and fill your face will tacos at Chukchansi Park.
Clovis beer oasis BC’s Pizza & Beer kicks off its third annual IPA Beer Festival today. It’s expected to last two weeks — unless someone goes there and drinks everything up real quick. Point being: Don’t wait around if you’re looking to sample some rare IPAs.
Up at Friant and Fort Washington, the Cask & Cork Bistro & Pourhouse has recently taken over the space previously occupied by Yalla Yalla and Bentley’s Bistro before that.
It’s a swanky sort of place with a nice patio, some craft beer and interesting menu items. Oh, and bacon.
Chef Daniel Renteria previously ran a food distribution business that sold gourmet cheeses, meats and other high-end food. Now his menu reflects some of those foods, such as a baked goat cheese appetizer made with black truffle oil, and a charcuterie plate with chorizo, salami and prosciutto.
It’s happening May 3 (that’s two weeks from today) at the Grizzlies game. The tweetup returns to the centerfield pool this year, which seemed to be a big hit two years ago. Expect the usual tweetup good time — a special $5 ticket with our very own $1 beer station (it’s Tecate Thristdays, ya know?), prizes and more.
Watch our Twitter accounts for some pre-Tweetup fun — like a chance to throw out the first pitch. Oh, and be sure to tag all your Tweetup-related chatter with #GreatFresnoTweetup.
Saturday is one of the biggest bar days of the year — and accordingly, there are parties all over this town. Here’s our rundown of events to help you figure out what fits your fancy. Consider it your virtual pot o’ gold.
Clubs, live music, bars and more club — all in the gallery of fliers below. Happy and safe travels on your St. Paddy’s Day green beer quests.
Watch out for Post No Bills for more weekend happenings.
The Fresno Grizzlies’ popular Thirsty Thursdays been nixed for this season. But fear not, fans of $1 beer. You can still swill hops on the cheap at The Chuk during Thursday night home games this season — you’re just going to have to change your vernacular.
The $1 beer night is now called Tecate Thirstdays. On the surface, it might appear that this is just a marketing change to satisfy beer vendor Tecate, but that’s not the case.
In fact, Thirsty Thursdays is trademarked by another minor league baseball team, Asheville Tourists. Rather than dealing with a list of licensing requirements to use the name, the Grizzlies just came up with their own.
So, in short: Name is changed, but the point is the same: “Fans can purchase $1 12-ounce Tecate and Tecate Light through the end of the 5th inning, as well as $1 soda all game long,” the Grizzlies said, in announcing this year’s weekday promo schedule.
For the next in my 7Qs series, I cornered Ephiram Bosse to ask him questions about his recently opened Fulton Mall business, Fresno Brewing Co. It’s a coffee place with plans for beer in the coming months — hitting both ends of the brewing spectrum, ya know?
One update to something Bosse talks about in the video: Twee Boutique, the cool Tower District boutique, has opened a second location next to Fresno Brewing Co., in what sounds like it’s going to be a commune of cool stuff.
On Sunday, athletic director Thomas Boeh said: “We’ve been evaluating data after each season for the last several years, and we saw a trend that was not reflective of us being able to pursue the goal of a conference championship, and our community was not responding any longer to the record that we had.”
In a press conference this morning, Hill said, among other things: “I feel that I gave it my best shot for 15 years, it wasn’t good enough. I hope the next man can come in and take you all where you want to go … So as I say goodbye, I thank you for everything. I think the Fresno State football program is in a great position to make a run. … Thank you for everything you gave me. Goodbye, Fresno.”
As the Pat Hill era comes to a close, we at The Beehive have identified five very important things that are likely to see happen in the post-Pat Hill era at Fresno State.
We’re another day closer to Yard House opening its River Park location — 11 a.m. Sunday. We gave you videos yesterday. Today, here’s a Half Yard’s worth of factoids about Yard House — including its menu, beer selection and much more. Shout out to Bee artist John Alvin on the design handiwork.
View the full-size PDF below. Or, if you just want the text, go to fresnobee.com.
We’re just a few days away from Yard House opening its doors in Fresno. The SoCal-based chain — known for its huge draft beer selection and rock ‘n’ roll atmosphere — opens Sunday at 11 a.m. at River Park, near the old Border’s. It’s open until 12:30 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Yard House location is more than 13,000 feet, gobbling up what was three empty spaces at River Park. You can read a whole lot more about Yard House in Friday’s issue of The Bee, but for now, here’s a virtual tour of Fresno’s Yard House and a look at its famous “Half Yard” beers. Videos by Eric Paul Zamora of The Bee.
Between now and Sunday, Fresno is turning into a food festival hotbed. There’s is no reason you should go to Applebee’s or any other mundane place.
Instead eat here:
TACO TRUCK THROWDOWN: It’s tonight at Chukchansi Park. Eight taco trucks from around the Valley — from Madera to Visalia — all selling tacos inside the stadium while the Grizzlies have their final Thirsty Thursday of the year. You can buy ticket packages with game tickets and t-shirts ($18 or $23) or individual tacos for $1.50 each. Then you can vote for your favorite to help crowd a winner. Gates open at 6 p.m. Game is at 7 — but you might wanna get there early to beat the rush.
FRESNO BBQ AND FUN FEST: Remember that rib cook-off that attracted 10,000 last summer? Well, this is that — just with a new name, the Fresno BBQ and Fun Fest. Three of last year’s ribbers are back and five new ones are bringing their barbecue specialties to town. It’s underway now and runs until 9 p.m. at Eaton Plaza. Then 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, plus 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. There’s no admission charge, but you can buy $75 VIP tickets that get you into an all-you-can-eat buffet with food from each vendor. More info here.
FRESNO GREEK FESTIVAL: The veteran of this bunch is the Fresno Greek Festival, an institution of Greek food and culture (and Kopi-watching!) It starts its 51st year on Friday and runs through Sunday at St. George Greek Orthodox Church. There’s all sorts of food to try, made right here in Fresno, with lots of love. The festival even offers a “Greek Food To-Go” option for Friday’s lunch. It runs ’til midnight Friday and Saturday and ’til 6 p.m. on Sunday. Everything you need to know is right here.
We already know about The Growlers show tonight at Fulton 55, which oughta be a great one for the indie music fans amongst us. Get tickets here, if you need ‘em.
In addition to whatever antics The Growlers have planned, it looks tonight is looking a bit partial to T & A. While it’s not as dirty as it sounds, Sequoia Brewing Co. is hosting a Beer for Boobs event at its North Fresno location. Rockville will be playing and money will be raised for breast cancer research.
Confession: I’ve never been to Sudz in the City. I don’t think I’ve ever actually been in Fresno the weekend of Sudz in the City. I’m always out of town. Just one of those peculiar happenstances.
I often hear mixed reviews on Sudz. Some people love it — perhaps even loving it a little too much, in a fall-down, act-a-fool kinda way. Other people complain that the lines are too long and the beer runs out and, of course, people start to act a fool.
Beehive reader Dave sent me his report from this year’s Sudz and wanted to hear from others. So we’ll happily oblige. Dave writes:
I went and it wasn’t bad, lots of beers and food but the set up was odd and there’s rumors that there was a lot of disorganization outside the gates, which led to long line getting in. Was just curious what people who went thought of it and perhaps some feedback would help the Downtown Association for next year.
So, Beehivers, who got their Sudz over the weekend? Was it worth it? Would you go next year? What could be better?
Once you thank me for being back to help you plan your weekends …
1. GUZZLE SOME SUDZ
Beer drinkers of Fresno unite. It’s time for another year of Sudz in the City, the annual microbrew festival at Chukchansi Park. If you’ve never been, it’s a pretty easy thing: You buy your ticket, which entitles you to try a bunch of different beers — from local stuff like Tioga-Sequoia Brewing Co. to regional faves. Watch out for long lines and drunk douches.
Here’s another happening for tonight, another of those wonderfully odd promo nights that the Fresno Grizzlies think up. The team has rounded up the sign twirlers from all the corners around town for a showdown that will crown Fresno’s top twirler.
They’ve got twirlers from Little Caesars, the guys who want you to sell your gold and others. Anybody have an odds on favorite? It’s also a Thirsty Thursday, so get there early for $1 beer. Tickets here.
GET YOUR SUDZ: Fresno beer drinkers, raise your glass for this year’s Sudz in the City. It offers the opportunity to taste numerous brews inside Chukchansi Park, with live music, food, etc. More info here. When you’re done, go see “The Hangover 2.”
FAY WRAYS: Local rock band Fay Wrays are releasing their new album at Fulton 55 on Saturday night, with a big lineup of good local bands — Fierce Creatures, Achievement House, etc.– and a nice-looking poster. Look for free music from Fay Wrays on the site later this week.
SPOTTIEOTTIEDOPALISCIOUS: Another cool tribute night from The Soulflower Group — they do the Prince tribute and others. This one is dedicated to one of my favorite hip-hop groups: OutKast. It’s happening Friday at Audie’s Olympic. You better get up, get out and get something, Fresno.
The Fresno Craft Beer Festival bills itself as “the ONLY craft beer festival in Fresno.” Just one problem. It’s in Madera.
