Santa Cruz rockers Wooster will perform at the Hop N’Barley Festival June 29 in Scotts Valley.
For example, Sunday June 23rd you can join fellow hopaphiliacs for New to Brew, a hands-on homebrewing session with Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing taproom manager Nicole Todd. But that's just one piece of the SCMBrewing day of home-brew beer tasting and education. Brewer Tommy Mills will be on hand, demonstrating how SCMB uses its 7bbl system to brew up outstanding organic beer. And yes, brewery owner Emily Thomas will also be on-site to chat about recipe development while conducting a tour of the brewery—plus complimentary beer tasting.
Your $50 ticket includes breakfast, lunch, tasting, and SCMB t-shirt! There are only 30 spots available, so sign up before it sells out. For more info, check the SCMB web site, contact [email protected] or call (831) 425-4900
Hop N'Barley Brew-Ha-Ha: Summertime means many things, e.g. the livin' is easy, sunscreen is plentiful, school's out until fall. But it also means beer and barbeque to many red-blooded Americans (and their friends). So for those B&B folks, there is a premiere brew and barbie event coming up just around the corner. On Saturday, June 29 at Scott's Valley's Skypark, summer fun-worshippers can get in on the Hop N'Barley Beer & BBQ Festival, absolutely loaded (you'll excuse the expression) with beer—60 different breweries will each be pouring 2-3 beers, you do the math). There will also be top-quality bbq, of which El Salchichero is only one purveyor. If you love spicy pulled pork, sizzling spicy ribs, fresh oysters, wood-fired pizza, and (as they say) much more, this is your event. Arts and crafts vendors will offer plenty of visual temptation, and for your ears there's going to be lots to dance about on two stages. Extra Large (love that name), Wooster, The Good Luck Thrift Store outfit, the Joint Chiefs (love this one, too), The Trims, and others will be on hand with loads of non-stop live music.
The event is free and parking is free, but you'll need to purchase a beer-tasting pass and signature glass for $39(adv) or $45 (at the door) in order to sip up those suds. The Hop N' Barley Festival raises funds for the Community Housing Land Trust of SC County and the California Craft Brewers Association. Land and beer, what's not to like?
Farm & Garden Produce Cart Opens: Tues & Fri noon – 6pm. Right now, strawberries and blueberries are abundant, as well as outrageously fresh salad greens and kale. Floral bouquets will increase as the blooming season, well, blooms, but the current sunflower creations and aromatic sweet peas are exceptionally colorful. Stop by and see what's fresh from the fields. Talk about local terroir! Corner of Bay and High Sts, foot of the UCSC campus.
Pizza @Tramonti's: Once again Rita and I met for lunch at Tramonti (on Seabright) and once again we were blown away by the notable salads with intensely flavored grape tomatoes, the luscious pasta e fagiole, and the outstanding, thin-crusted pizza. Oh god, what pizza dough can become in the right hands! Seriously. $10 for a full-sized pizza and a gian, really terrific salad (not one of those salads restaurants “give” you and you wish they hadn't. Tramonti has made me cheat on my gluten-free lifestyle more than once, and I have absolutely no guilt about it. Tramonti sits at 528 Seabright Avenue, across the parking lot from the mighty La Posta; they're open M-Sa noon – 2:30, 5:30 – 10pm; 5-10 on Sunday. And they make seriously Italian food. No fuss, low prices. Love it, love it, love it!
