Bartender! Bartender! When is the next San Diego beer fest?

In only its seventh year, San Diego Beer Week has become so big that it now includes 500 foamy festivities across the county, plus two major events to open and close it. And “beer week” runs 10 days.

The celebration kicks off Nov. 6 with the San Diego Brewers Guild Festival (often referred to as Guild Fest), a two-day opening held downtown, on Broadway Pier. Guests will sample San Diego’s finest rare and specialty beers, as well as limited edition brews made solely for the evening. The all-inclusive ticket includes unlimited beer and food samples throughout the evening. The festivities continue the next afternoon.

After hundreds of smaller events, San Diego Beer Week will conclude with the Beer Garden at the Lodge at Torrey Pines on Nov. 15, from noon to 3 p.m. Twelve chefs and two dozen breweries will team up for beer and food pairings to celebrate the craft beer movement.

Visit the fest website for all ticket options and pricing. Additional information about all beer week events can be found at www.sdbw.org/schedule.

The event will benefit both the Chef Celebration Foundation and the San Diego Brewers Guild. Last year’s beer week drew thousands of out-of-towners, who accounted for 6,900 room nights booked, tourism experts say.

Meanwhile, an industry study found that craft brewing continues to grow substantially across the United States. It is now a $55.7-billion business that generates 424,000 jobs. California tops all other states, with a total of $6.9 billion dollars contributed and 50,279 full-time jobs.

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