Get your beer bellies ready because the fifth installment of the annual Orange County Brew Ha Ha will be taking place this Saturday in Oak Canyon Park in Irvine. If you've been to a brewery over the last few weeks, you may have noticed Cameron Collins or other Brew Ha Ha minions selling discounted event tickets and festival swag. If you were smart, you took advantage.
This festival will have over 80 — yes 80 — breweries from around the world pouring unlimited tasters for your drinking pleasure. Of course some of our Orange County favorites including Bottle Logic Brewing, Noble Ale Works, Beach City Brewery, Bootleggers Brewing and others will be serving up their classic brews for the end-of-summer beer bash. Aside from flagship beers and easy-drinking beer for the heat, you can always plan on the beer community to put out something funky and original.
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Example: If you haven't tried it yet or missed your chance to pick up a couple bottles, Bottle Logic will be pouring their Iron First Brewing Co. collaboration saison, Dr. Strange Matter. There will also be Sour Hour seminars with a special sour beer release from Cascade Brewing during while brewers Patrick Rue from The Bruery, Dr. Bill from Stone Brewing, and Preston Wessner talk about aging and souring beer.
On the food end, there will be plenty of popular OC food trucks and vendors to even out your buzz.
One of the best features of this event will take place before it even begins. Because the festival organizers are adamant on keep their crowds happy, those waiting in line to enter the beer fest with their general admission tickets will be corralled under the shade and enjoying some live music from The Smiths cover band, Sweet Tender Hooligans. In addition to all that hospitality, a little birdie told me that they will be releasing Stone's RuinTen IPA for those GA folk waiting in line to get into the event.
Those who paid $60 for a VIP ticket will have entrance one hour before the event actually begins. General Admission is $45. YOU CAN GET TICKETS HERE
Oh, one last thing: The craft beer community always loves supporting a charity with their festivals, and at this year's Brew Ha Ha, you will notice those pouring your beer won't be brewers but rather volunteer OC fire fighters. In support of those who have fallen in the line of duty, a portion of ticket sales will go to the Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation.
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