SDBN Awards ceremony coming March 29

Votes have been tallied and the winners of the second-annual San Diego Beer News Awards will be announced at an in-person ceremony taking place at North Park Beer Co. at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29. The event—which is open to the public and free of charge—will bring members of the brewing industry, media and beer-loving public together to honor San Diego County’s top breweries and beers in 26 categories in an awards-show format with presenters tearing open envelopes and winners ascending stairs to receive their medals, plaques and trophies.

Thousands of ballots were cast for this year’s SDBN Awards, which included fan-nominated breweries and beers in the following categories…

• Brewery Categories: Best Brewery by Region (Central, North, South, East, West), Best New Brewery, Best Expansion Project, Best Interior/Exterior Design, Best Packaging Design
• Staff Awards: Best Customer Service, San Diego Vanguard Brewer Award
• Beer Style Categories: West Coast IPA, Hazy IPA, Imperial IPA, Niche IPA, Hoppy Beer, Pilsner, German Beer, Belgian Ale, UK & Irish Ale, Sour Ale, Barrel-Aged Sour / Wild Ale, Strong Ale, Barrel-Aged Beer, Coffee Beer, Collaboration Beer

Due to the pandemic, the inaugural SDBN Awards included a pair of virtual awards shows featuring pre-recorded segments from 45 presenters. This year, brewery owners, brewers, TV and radio personalities and well-known members of the local beer community will be on-hand to announce winners from each category.

This year’s competition introduces the inaugural San Diego Vanguard Brewer Award. Voted on exclusively by beer-industry professionals, it will honor a veteran brewer who has worked in the San Diego community for a minimum of 10 years and made lasting, positive impacts within it. Returning from year one is the Larry Smith Memorial Award for Excellence in Customer Service. Named for a popular supporter of local breweries who passed away in 2020, the winner in this category will receive a perpetual trophy to display at its bar before handing it off to next year’s winner.

The event’s presenters hail from 91X FM, AleSmith Brewing, Ballast Point Brewing, Bear Roots Brewing, Belching Beaver Brewery, Black Plague Brewing, Burgeon Beer Co., CBS 8 / CW San Diego, Chula Vista Brewery, Coronado Brewing, Country Malt Group, Craft Coast Beer & Tacos, CSU San Marcos, Duck Foot Brewing, Eppig Brewing, Fall Brewing, Five Suits Brewing, FOX 5 San Diego, Gravity Heights, Home Brewing Co. / The Homebrewer, Karl Strauss Brewing, Kilowatt Brewing, Kings & Convicts Brewing, Mcilhenney Brewing, Mujeres Brew House, North Park Beer Co., One Season Brewing, Pink Boots Society – San Diego, Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey, Pure Project Brewing, Rouleur Brewing, San Diego Brewers Guild, Societe Brewing, South O Brewing, Stone Brewing, Thorn Brewing and Wild Barrel Brewing.

The SDBN Awards are presented by banner sponsor Yakima Chief Hops, with additional support from Arryved, Bottlecraft Bottle Shops, BSG CraftBrewing, CLTVT, GoTab, Hopsbauer, Hoppy Beer Gear and White Labs. The event is open to the public and admission will be free. An array of craft beers will be available for purchase.

North Park Beer Co. is located at 3038 University Avenue in San Diego’s North Park community.