To celebrate the 12th anniversary of the OC Brew Ha Ha, event promoters are going back to basics.
In recent years, Brew Ha Ha has expanded to include a ska music festival and has playfully been referred to as the Brew Ska Ska. While that was a success, promoter Cameron Collins of OC Brew Ha Ha Productions said it was time to bring the focus back to the beer.
He listened to the diehard, beer-loving fans that helped build the event in its early years and curated the 2022 edition of Brew Ha Ha — which kicks off at noon Saturday, Sept. 10 at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado — to include over 160 tastings from local craft brewing pioneers as well as up-and-coming craft breweries, hard seltzer and kombucha makers, cider houses and meaderies.
There will also be live music throughout the four-hour event courtesy of cover bands Blink-180True (Blink-182 tribute), No Duh (No Doubt tribute) and Green Today (Green Day tribute).
“We obviously still wanted it to be a party and we thought this would be a fun for people, who will be able to sing along to every song being played,” Collins said, noting that their key demographic is beer-drinkers between the ages of 35-55. “We wanted beer to be the focus with the music being the soundtrack that it’s set to. These are the bands we were all listening to as craft beer was starting to become a thing, so what’s better to party to than all the same music we all knew and loved and grew up listening to at that time.”
In keeping with the times and ever-changing palates of consumers, Collins said through the years there’s been a shift within the industry as the younger generation coming up is more interested in lighter fare and lower calorie beverage options.
“People aren’t looking for the big, heavy beers anymore like they used to,” he said as breweries shift from heavy IPAs and barrel-aged beers to things like Mexican lagers and even producing their own seltzers. The legalization of marijuana for recreational use and the rise in ready-to-drink cocktails has also had an affect, he said.
As for the tasting options on-site for Brew Ha Ha, Collins said patrons can expect a few surprises.
“Honey Pot Meadery, their meads are incredible and I think they’re as good as anything I’ve ever tasted,” he said of the Anaheim-based business. “They have so many different types of mead and I think people will be surprised by how rad mead can actually be and it’s all honey-based.”
There will also a non-alcohol brewing company at the event. Collins said Bravus Brewing Company has exceptional beer, and while festival patrons may be hesitant when they see the zero alcohol label, they should still give it a shot.
“You have to remember that Brew Ha Ha isn’t a drinking event, it’s a tasting event,” he said. “You should use it as an opportunity to go and try something new, get introduced to new breweries, or maybe find your new favorite spot to grab a beer. Maybe when you see their handle at one of your favorite local craft beer-focused bars, you go ‘Oh, yeah, I love that place.’ That’s our main goal.”
Collins also recommends getting tastings from Tarantula Hill Brewing Co. from Thousand Oaks, since he’s a big fan of their The Good Ride IPA; trying the latest from Santa Ana-based Suavecito, which is known for making pomade, and its brewery, Cerveza Cito; and any flavor seltzer from Elephant Craft Hard Seltzer.
Other participating breweries include: Arrow Lodge Brewing, Artifex Brewing Company, Asylum Brewing, Beachwood Brewing, Bootleggers Brewery, Brewheim Beer Makers, Broken Timbers Brewing Co., Coronado Brewing Co., Delahunt Brewing Co., Eureka Brewing Company, Hangar 24 Craft Brewing, Noble Ale Works, Rad Beer Company, Trademark Brewing, Wild Barrel and more.
For non-beer drinkers there will be plenty of alternatives from Ashland Hard Seltzer, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Babe Kombucha, Boochcraft Organic Hard Kombucha, Jiant Hard Kombucha, Study Break Hard Seltzer and more. There will also be several local food trucks and vendors on-site with traditional pub fare, as well as several vegan and vegetarian options.
Brew Ha Ha Productions’ upcoming events include the annual Boo Ha Ha Haunted Oktoberfest at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa Oct. 28-29 and the 2nd annual Punk in the Park at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado Nov. 5-6. Tickets to both of those events are on sale now. Collins also confirmed that the annual Brew Ho Ho will return for the first time since 2019 on Saturday, Dec. 10 in a brand new location. More details on that are coming soon.
OC Brew Ha Ha Craft Beer Festival
When: Noon Saturday, Sept. 10
Where: Oak Canyon Park, 5305 E. Santiago Canyon Road, Silverado
Tickets: $39-$59 general admission; $59-$79 VIP admission; $29 non-drinking ticket (must be accompanied by a regular ticketholder); $10 cash for parking. All passes are available at ocbrewhaha.com.