IF SEVEN IS A LUCKY NUMBER, seventeen should be extra lucky, given that it does happen to include a seven, plus a ten, and ten has long held positive connotations ("this meal/album/movie is a ten"). So when a bustling brew festival marks its 17th annual go around, the lovely luck in the air does feel somewhat special and happily hops-scented. To sense this luck in person, you'll need to be at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center on Saturday, July 7, where the 17th annual Monterey Beer Festival will take place. (Indeed, it is on the 7th day of the month, adding just a bit more enchantment to the proceedings.)
SO WHAT BREWERIES WILL SHOW? Again, you're in luck: The roster is flush with favorites, from Dust Bowl Brewing Co. to Alvarado Street Brewery & Grill to Mission-Trail Cider Company to Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. Live tunes and DJ tracks'll keep the cheers-ing cheery, with DJ Fredo, The Spazmatics, and Daze on the Green providing the entertainment. And if you go the VIP route, ticket-wise? Check it out: There's a doughnut-pairing option as well as "complimentary small bites" and "giveaways."
MAKE FOR MONTEREY... for a venerable glass-and-good-times to-do, but don't forget to buy your awesome designated driver a ticket. Find your information here. It all begins at 12:30 on the 7th, with an earlier entry time, by an hour, for VIP ticket holders. And the beneficiary of the day? It's the Monterey County Fair Heritage Foundation.
