By Kathy Chouteau
East Brother Beer Company and Rosie the Riveter Trust invite community members to “lift a lager for Rosie” Sat., June 18 from 12-6 p.m. at the “Pride & Purpose Beer Festival,” an event that not only marks the Richmond craft brewery’s first-ever beer festival, but also the first one in Northern California to shine a spotlight on lagers.
The festival will take place at East Brother Beer Company, 1001 Canal Blvd. in Richmond, which features indoor/outdoor space. Proceeds will benefit Rosie the Riveter Trust, the nonprofit partner of Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historic Park in Richmond.
“Lagers are as diverse as the communities we live in, so East Brother Beer Company’s Pride & Purpose Beer Festival has set out to bring Northern California’s legendary craft beer professionals together to lift a lager for Rosie,” said East Brother Beer Company co-founder Rob Lightner. He added that “a lager is a true testament to a brewer’s ability to make great beer.”
Per Lightner, among the festival’s 25 Northern California breweries (at least!) pouring more than 50 beers will be Anderson Valley, Crooked Lane, Drake’s, Faction, Fieldwork, HenHouse, Heretic, Hunters Point, Local, and many others, which will be serving up their “personal favorites, with more than half of the featured styles being lagers.”
Aside from tasty brews, the festival will also have live music and food trucks on hand, as well as special sauce like “BBTS (Beer Behind the Scenes)” and stories originating from the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front in Richmond.
At 12:15 p.m., the BBTS Pride & Purpose panel discussion will be moderated by Michael Kiser of Good Beer Hunting and will include “craft beer luminaries and authors like Jeff Alworth, author of The Beer Bible, freelance beer writer Lou Bustamante, Ron Silberstein, co-founder of Admiral Maltings and more,” said Lightner. He said that central to the discussion will be lagers, what’s involved in brewing them and the “long historic relationship between beer and labor.”
The fest will come full circle via its beneficiary when, that day, stories will be shared “from the past with the Rosies, the Boilermakers and countless others who showed up for their communities during WWII, as well as those of the present by showcasing local makers and trades organizations,” said Lightner.
East Brother Beer Company is located at 1001 Canal Blvd. in Richmond. Early bird tickets start at $50 per person until April 30, $75 per person including early access and $20 per person for non-alcoholic beverage attendees. Get tickets here and check out the full festival schedule here.
Note: Attendees must be 21-plus and present a valid ID to receive a taster glass. Pets are not permitted at the festival, but service animals are welcome.
