On June 28, Downtown Vista hosted the return of Rhythm and Brews. The event is the premier San Diego Brewers Guild craft beer and music festival, but has been on hiatus since 2019. Four hundred fifty tickets were sold — a great showing, if smaller than the earlier events.
“We wanted to start smaller and get it just right,” said Erik Fowler, executive director of the San Diego Brewers Guild. “We will build on this year and make it bigger and better every year.”
For North County beer aficionados, bringing the event to our neck of the woods was exciting — no battling with fair traffic or stressing over parking. Focusing on the excellence of our North County beer community has been a priority for the San Diego Brewers Guild. Vista was definitely up for the challenge.
To launch the event, Downtown Vista hosted a Beer vs. Wine event in the historic AVO Theater the night before. Event coordinator Bill Hornung organized the faux debate as a way “to bring the wine and beer communities together. The reality is both are full of fun, cool people, so why keep them separate.”
Will Burtner (Will the Wine Guy) and Zeke Corley (Different Day Radio Producer) hosted and led the judge panel and audience through six local beer and wine tastings. Gentle barbs and good-natured exchanges highlighted the evening.
Abnormal Beer Company’s Boss Pour IPA won the beer side of the competition while Burtech Family Vineyard took the top recognition for wine. Wine, overall, was judged superior by a two-vote margin.
While wine may have won the evening, the next day was all about beer as 30 local breweries.
Several of Vista’s newer breweries were in attendance, and their beer offerings reflected the recent shifts in the beer industry. Michi Brewing Company’s Cody Gagnon brought a New Zealand pilsner and a pineapple hefeweizen. Robin, a visitor from Carmel Valley, said the hef, called Mah-No-Ah, was the best beer she had at the festival. Her partner, Freddy, favored Battlemage’s Imperial stout, Blood of the Old Gods.
“This is the top beer event in the county, so having it right here in our backyard is amazing,” said Mike Stevenson, co-owner of Carlsbad’s Culver Beer Company.
Matt Lawson of The Roadies Brewing Company explained that the Rhythm and Brews Festival helps with “reestablishing the camaraderie of brewers in the North County. It also allows us to show what differentiates us as a brewery and show off what we do to our community here in Vista.”
Community and camaraderie were definitely the themes of the day. For Burgeon Beer, which has a tap room in downtown Vista, the festival “gives us the opportunity to meet with Vistonians in the wild,” said Tori Bleher, a Vista native and Burgeon Marketing Coordinator.
“It allows us to engage in our community in a face-to-face way so we get to know each other better.”
While most of the breweries in attendance are based in North County, Fall Brewing made the trip from Mira Mar to join the party.
“These events allow us to make connections, new friends and tell some of our story,” said Nate Squillace of Fall. “It’s important to meet the beer fans in person”.
While IPAs of all sorts were available, almost every brewery brought alternative beers and seltzers, so there was something for everyone. One of the unique standouts was Weir Beer’s Haterade Hard Seltzer. Perfect for when the event heated up.
Although there wasn’t a mediocre beer in the crowd, my favorites of the day were Roadies Future Jamz (fruited sour), Booze Bros Dave’s Light American Ale, and Fall’s Tora! Japanese lager.
On the hoppier side, Burgeon’s Carlsbad Crush Pale Ale and Thorn’s Pale Ale were light, hoppy, and had a dry, clean finish.
The success of the event helped highlight the excellent beer scene that Vista has nourished.
“Just look at the diversity it brings out from our community and beyond,” Councilmember Dan O’Donnell explained. “We’ve worked hard to make downtown Vista accessible for everyone.”
Hornung added to the sentiment: “Downtown Vista is simply easy. Easy to park, easy to walk, check out public art, enjoy great food and beverages, hang out with your dog and, most importantly, have some great conversations with friends.”
The return of Rhythm and Brews was a success. And hopefully, we will host many more in the future right here in North County.
Jeff Spanier is the co-host of “I Like Beer the Podcast.” Listen wherever you get podcasts. Follow Spanier’s adventures on Instagram @ilikebeerthepodcast.
