The 2024 San Diego Beer News Awards are almost here!

Since its inception in 2021, the San Diego Beer News Awards Ceremony has grown each year, bringing in more and more attendees to celebrate members of the local brewing industry. It’s a pleasure to work with brewery owners, brewers, industry personnel, sponsor organizations, media personalities and beer fans to put on this annual party, which has become the most highly anticipated get-together of the year for San Diego’s craft-beer community. This year’s SDBNA ceremony will take place the evening of Tuesday, March 26 at the palatial Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station, and figures to be our biggest, most wide-ranging and entertaining event yet.

The official ceremony will begin at 7 p.m. and, for the first time ever, will have an official host. The master of ceremonies for the 2024 SDBNAs will be ALT 94.9 FM DJ and longtime local beer supporter Jeremy Pritchard, who is best known for his work spotlighting local brewing companies via his weekly programs, Rock & Roll Happy Hour and Last Call.

As in years past, the ceremony will follow a Hollywood-style awards-show format, with members of the beer industry, media, local universities, brewery partners and suppliers taking the stage to read off top vote-getters in more than 30 categories and hand medals, plaques and trophies over to first-place winners. This year marks the debut of three brand-new awards. 

The first is the San Diego Brewers Guild Outstanding Service Award, which will recognize standout contributions from one of that non-profit organization’s many industry volunteers. The second is the Nate Soroko Community Impact Award, which is named for a tireless champion of San Diego beer who sadly passed away in 2021, but is fondly remembered to this day for his efforts to promote breweries and bring people together over local ales and lagers. This award was created to honor civilians who are neither employed by or affiliated with brewing companies, yet fiercely advocate for local beer while making a positive difference for San Diego breweries just as Soroko did.

Last but not least is the Champion Brewery Award. In year’s past, fans have determined the best breweries in five distinct regions of San Diego County: central, north, south, east and west. That tradition will remain, but for the first time, one brewing company will be crowned as this year’s champion based on total votes and overall performance in this year’s SDBNAs.

Another first for the SDBNAs will be the pre-show happenings we are presenting with the help of our valued sponsors. From 4 to 5 p.m., SDBNA banner sponsor Yakima Chief Hops will present a panel of young hop-growers flown in from Washington State to talk about what goes into keeping a family farm going from one generation to the next. That panel will include growers from Black Star Ranches, Carpenter Ranches, Double R Ranches, Sauve & Son Farms and Sodbuster Farms. It will be moderated by San Diego Beer News Education Columnist Chris Leguizamon and open to all industry members who wish to attend.

The event site will open to the public at 5 p.m. In addition to being able to socialize with craft-beer contemporaries and colleagues, attendees will be able to visit booths at the inaugural SDBNA Vendor Expo. We will have a dectet of brewery partners, suppliers and more set up to show all they have to offer and have meaningful one-on-one interactions about their products and services. The expo will remain open throughout the ceremony, providing maximum time for breweries to connect with our featured vendors.

While perusing the Expo or watching the SDBNAs, guests will be able to do so, not only with a variety of Stone beers – including a San Diego-style IPA which was brewed in collaboration with 17 local breweries – but also numerous beers from other breweries that have medaled multiple times in previous years of the SDBNAs. In addition to the main bar, beer will be available at a separate bar toward the back of the event space. Food will also be available for purchase at a concession stand next to the back bar.

Also new this year, the event will have a theme: “Celebrating the Next Generation”. Applied in the broadest of manners, we will celebrate young brewers steering their breweries and San Diego beer into its next chapter, educators teaching the next generation of industry professionals, founders of work-in-progress brewery projects and more. The following are the affiliations of this year’s presenters…

ALT 94.9 FM, Barley & Sword Brewing, Blue Fire Brewing, The Bountiful Bag, CBS 8 / CW 6 San Diego, Embolden Beer Co. / New Motion Beverages, GOAL. Brewing, Green Cheek Beer Co., Harland Brewing, Helix Brewing / Sourworx, Home Brew Mart / Ballast Point Brewing, I Like Beer the Podcast, Jacked Up Brewery, Latchkey Brewing, The Lost Abbey, Michi Brew Co., My Yard Live Beer Co., Northern Pine Brewing, Prey Brewing, Pure Project Brewing, Puesto Cerveceria, The Roadies Brewing, San Diego BrewCycling Collaborative, San Diego Brewers Guild, San Diego Brewing Co., San Diego Mesa College Fermentation Program, SDSU Business of Beer Certificate Program, Societe Brewing, Stone Brewing, Sunny Grove Brewing, Ten-75 Brewing and WestBrew

A lot of work has gone into creating an entertaining and enjoyable event for the deserving brewery staffers and beer fans of San Diego County. But the event wouldn’t be possible – and wouldn’t be free of charge for attendees – were it not for the vital support of our SDBNA sponsors…

Yakima Chief Hops (banner sponsor), Ale Tales Kitchen & Taproom, Alternative Strategies, Arryved, Beer30 by The 5th Ingredient, Bottlecraft, The Bountiful Bag, The Brewers Taproom, BSG, Classic Beverage Distribution of San Diego, CLTVT, Country Malt Group¸ Freestyle Hops, Hauck Architecture, Hoppy Beer Gear, HRVST, Katalyst Public Relations, LHK Noodle Bar, Omega Yeast, Phantasm, Premier Stainless Systems, RadCraft, Real Nice Merch, San Diego Brewers Guild, San Diego Mesa College Fermentation Program, SDSU Global Campus, SoCal Brewing Supply, TapCraft, TapWyse, WestAir Gases & Equipment and White Labs

We thank our sponsors, our generous hosts at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station and all who participated in the SDBNAs by nominating and voting for their favorite breweries, brewers and beers. This year’s event is going to be one to remember, and we hope you will join us on March 26!

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station is located at 2816 Historic Decatur Road, Unit 116 in Point Loma