What it was like
Nobody stumbled into making this one of the great beer cities on earth. A whole generation of brewers argued and experimented and out-hopped each other into it, and the people who drink here wear that history like a hometown jersey.
This is that scene's yearly reunion. Sixty-plus beers poured on the pier with the bay sitting right there, unlimited tasters, a commemorative cup, and local bands instead of a hired DJ. It is the kind of afternoon where you fall into conversation with the brewer who actually made the thing in your glass, because in this town they show up and pour it themselves.
The early VIP hour is the insider move, before the general crowd floods in. 21+.
Broadway Pier, 1000 N Harbor Dr. September 19.
The faithful here treat Capital of Craft as a point of civic pride. This is the day they get to prove it.