HessFest XVI — Mike Hess Brewing Anniversary Festival (Imperial Beach)

“Sixteen years in, independently operated, and still doing it at…”

Same brewery, same beachfront park, same crowd of people who have been coming since the tent was smaller — and that continuity is the whole reason this one still fills up.

Sixteen years in, Mike Hess pours the full lineup plus anniversary releases that exist for one afternoon and then never again. A band plays through the heat. A cornhole bracket gets unreasonably serious. Dogs wander. Food vendors work the edges. Proceeds go to OAK and Zero8Hundred, two San Diego organizations working on veterans and mental health, which is why regulars treat the ticket as a donation with a beer attached.

It sets up on Pier Plaza Park in Imperial Beach, the southernmost city in California, salt air included. General admission is free; the beer experience and Superfan tiers are what get you the pours.

Text it to the friend who insists they have been everywhere in San Diego. They have not been down here, and they will not shut up about it afterward.