On a perfect Coronado Saturday afternoon, my husband and I cruised up to Ferry Landing on our bikes. For the first time that I could remember there, it was almost impossible to find bike parking. In the area surrounding the annual Beer by the Bay festival, bikes were locked to sign posts and trees and overflowing bike racks. Two smiling policemen purposefully looked the other way when we invented our own bike parking. Way to show up to a festival, Coronado!
At the entrance to the Beer by the Bay festival, members of the Islander Ladies Club greeted guests and sold tickets ($40-$45 ahead of time, $50 at the door). Nearby, people sold hats and Chuck Heavy shirts, part of the effort to benefit numerous organizations, including One More Wave in honor of fallen SEAL and Coronado local Charlie Keating IV.
The second annual Beer by the Bay festival was hopping when we entered a little after the start time of 1pm. The doors had opened for VIP guests at 12pm, and those willing to pay a premium for tickets were enjoying the shaded seating while stringing pretzels onto necklaces. On a warm day with the beer flowing, we could appreciate the benefits of being a VIP.
Surrounding the roped-off area were booths for local breweries. Fifteen local breweries were present, including some as local as Coronado Brewing Company and others from outside San Diego such as Absolution Brewing Company from Torrance, CA. Each booth offered at least two beers on tap, sometimes more. At least one–Coachella Valley Brewing Company–offered tastings of additional beers on the hour every hour throughout the afternoon.
“I think this is outstanding,” said Brent Schmidman, Director of Sales and Distribution for Coachella Valley Brewing Co. “This is our first time at this event, but we’ve poured out of most of our beers.”
Two wineries were also in attendance for those who wanted to mix it up throughout the afternoon. Both the wine and the VIP area were new additions this year to Beer by the Bay, according to Alisa Kerr of Islander Ladies Club, and it was easy to see that they were a big hit.
At the far end of the row of booths stood a stage where various local artists were also performing. Ron Wheeler, Matt Heinecke, Seeking Alpha, and DJ Dinari all sang throughout the afternoon, and in front of the stage a game of cornhole was open for anyone to play a pick-up game. I’m from Virginia, and I personally believe that nothing goes together quite so well as beer and cornhole.
Once we had tasted from several breweries, we were ready for something to eat. Where is a pretzel necklace when you need it? I ran into my friend Coree, and she raved about the bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos for sale. We wove through the crowd to find the food, and once again found things that pair perfectly with cold beer: pizza by Village Pizzeria, pork sliders and stuffed jalapenos from Lil’ Piggy’s, and delicious street tacos from Candelas.
We sampled almost everything–as well as a large percentage of the beer–and everything exceeded our expectations. Perhaps it was the perfect breeze off the bay, the sun making us just the right amount of thirsty, and the friends we kept running into, though. We had three kids waiting for us at home, so it’s perhaps no wonder that we stayed as long as we possibly could.
Once we had tasted from several breweries, we were ready for After Beer by the Bay. I asked Alisa Kerr of the Islander Ladies Club what she thought of the second annual event. “Beer by the Bay exceeded our expectations yet again! Â The breweries really delivered an outstanding variety of craft beers, the musicians were amazing, and we had a festive crowd of happy beer drinkers. Â Everything came together so nicely; we could not be more pleased with the turn out and all the positive feedback. Â It was a perfect day!”
Alisa also added, “One of the sentiments I got most frequently from the beer vendors and guests was, ‘So this is what happens when a group of girls hosts a beer festival… this is amazing!’  I’m really proud of all the members of Islander Ladies Club for all the time, effort, and talent they put into making this an exceptional beer festival.  And, of course, we can’t thank locals Rob Crenshaw and Tim DeWitt enough for all their help coordinating our breweries.”
Laura Davis of the Islander Ladies Club also added, “We sold out! That was exciting, and our beneficiaries–the Wampler Foundation, Coronado Schools Foundation, and One More Wave in honor of Charlie Keating IV–were the best part! I grew up in Coronado and I love being able to give back to my hometown through Islander Ladies Club. This event just puts a smile on my face because we can see the day of how much fun people are having and we hear for weeks–even months–how much people enjoy it!”
The Islander Ladies Club hosted another wonderful event that brought together some of the best parts of Coronado, from the beer to the food to the beneficiaries to the friends. It was well-attended this year, and promises to be even bigger and better (as much as that is possible) in the years to come.
