San Diego International Beer Fest: It's Huge

Count 'em up: More than 200 breweries'll show at the Junetime jamboree.

GLANCE AT ANY MAP... and you'll instantly see that California is not only longish, and highly ocean-fronting, but it has some notable girth. It's colossal, in short, not only in land mass but in people power, too. In fact, many of the cities that call the state home are also girthy in a gargantuan, big-of-population way. So when something trucks into view that has "California's biggest" in its handle, you know that the "biggest" in question likely has some large-a-tude to it. And if you happen to be searching out "California's biggest beer festival," you only need to glance to the south of the long 'n colossal land mass, at San Diego, which is the Junetime home to the San Diego International Beer Festival. In a state that's studded with sudsy goings-on, throughout the year but seemingly more so in summer, this Del Mar shindig is so grand it encompasses three days, from Friday, June 16 through Sunday, June 18. The "Del Mar" part of that sentence, and the dates, may reveal that is all happens on the grounds of the...

SAN DIEGO COUNTY FAIR, and "(y)our ticket to the SDIBF includes a day of fun at the San Diego County Fair." When you're not riding the Ferris wheel, or petting a pig, you can stroll the beer festival and sample libations from 200+ brewers from near, far, and just about everywhere. (Well, not everywhere everywhere, but you'll enjoy a pleasing portion of what planet-wise brewhouses are offering.) There are beer-related goods to buy, too, and games, and contests, and a full-on Beer Stage that clues you into the nuances of crafting some zingy foam. As for who's showing? Find a comfortable chair and scroll, scroll, scroll: Big Sky Brewing, Fall Brewing Company, and Odyssey Beerwerks are just three of the several many oh-my-gosh dozens. Want to find a nearby spot to bed down for the night? Catch a cab to one of these not-far-from-the-fairgrounds spots.

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