Pucks & Pints returns April 20
Day-long fundraiser including beer fest and hockey games featuring local brewers and Gulls returning for year six
A group of San Diego breweries will host the sixth-annual Pucks & Pints Charity Hockey Game and Festival on Saturday, April 20 at Pechanga Arena and neighboring Modern Times Beer’s Fortress of Raditude. The event will include a hockey game with staff members of San Diego craft breweries at 12:30 p.m., a beer-and-barbecue festival from 2 to 5 p.m., and a San Diego Gulls game against the Coachella Valley Firebirds at 6 p.m.
Tickets, which include entry to all three segments of the day, are $65 and can be purchased online. All proceeds benefit five local non-profit organizations: Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, Emilio Nares Foundation, Resque Ranch, San Diego Brewers Guild and San Diego Chill, which is dedicated to bringing skating and ice hockey to children of all ages with developmental disabilities.
The festival at Fortress of Raditude, which is located across the street from the north parking lot of Pechanga Arena, includes all-you-can-eat selections from the renowned Phil’s BBQ and unlimited samples from several local craft breweries. (Due to permitting regulations, the festival is 21+ only; children are welcome to attend both the brewers and Gulls hockey games, but they will not be admitted to the festival.)
A limited-release collaboration beer has been created for the event: Honey Blonde, a citrus-forward session IPA that is 4.5% alcohol-by-volume and brewed with orange-blossom honey, Citra Incognito hops, Amarillo T90 hops, Amarillo Cryo hops and Tangier 190 hops. Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station brewed the beer, while BSG Craft Brewing donated the malt, White Labs donated the yeast, and Yakima Chief Hops and Modern Times donated the hops.
“The San Diego craft-beer community knows no bounds when it comes to supporting one another and the charities near and dear to our hearts,” said event co-founder Todd Webster of Thorn Brewing. “The puck drops here for a rewarding day that both dedicated and casual beer-drinkers can enjoy.”
Last year’s Pucks & Pints sold out and raised nearly $30,000, a record over the five-year history of the event.
Rosters are being finalized for the brewers’ game. Confirmed players include representatives from Fall Brewing, Karl Strauss Brewing, Modern Times, San Diego Brewing Co., Societe Brewing, Stone Brewing and Thorn. Final teams will be announced on April 13.
“We are honored to be one of the beneficiaries of this local tradition that has gained so much traction the last few years,” said San Diego Brewers Guild Executive Director Erik Fowler. “We are here to support our members in every which way possible to then help them support their favorite deserving charities. This is one of the best events on the craft-beer calendar each year.”
San Diego Brewers Guild is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization that promotes local small businesses and entrepreneurs of craft beer. San Diego County is known as “The Capital of Craft”, a moniker that was trademarked in 2015.