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Sacramento Beer Week Launches Fourth Year of Celebrating Local Beer

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SACRAMENTO (February 13, 2013) – The 4th Annual Sacramento Beer Week (SBW) will be held from February 22 – March 3, 2013. Throughout the Sacramento Valley, breweries, pubs, restaurants and other beer-loving businesses will celebrate Sacramento craft beer culture and Northern California’s legacy as the birthplace of the modern craft beer movement.

Last year, more than 100 businesses hosted beer tastings, tap takeovers from visiting breweries, beer dinners, food pairings and more. SBW is anchored by the Capital Beerfest on March 2 at Cal Expo, where thousands of beer fans will sample from almost 100 breweries to benefit the Runnin’ for Rhett Foundation. New features this year will include a cocktail competition from the Sacramento Bartenders Guild and several exclusive collaborative beers from local breweries. A new beer magazine, Hops to Table, has been introduced to chronicle Sacramento’s craft beer scene.

SBW organizers have also introduced a local campaign to promote responsible drinking. “Drink Safely Sacramento will use social marketing strategies to reduce the harm from drinking alcohol,” says Dan Scott, founder and executive director of Sacramento Beer Week. “We aim to make Sacramento safer, improve people’s lives and maybe even save a few.”

Sacramento has ten beer producers within city limits, another fifteen less than an hour away and eight new regional breweries scheduled to open in 2013. “Sacramento Beer Week and the caliber of locally-produced craft beers are yet another example that help to illustrate the reality of Sacramento’s designation as the Farm-to-Fork Capital of America,” said Steve Hammond, president and CEO of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau. “The region’s heritage of quality craft beer production is second to none and, as showcased during SBW, provides an additional element to the culinary reputation that continues to grow both inside and outside of the Sacramento region.”

Glynn Phillips, owner of Rubicon Brewing and president of the Northern California Brewers Guild, was an early supporter of the event. “Sacramento Beer Week has helped to elevate the presence and importance of craft beer in our region. Rubicon has been here for 25 years and I am still surprised at how many people learn of our beer through Sacramento Beer Week.” Scott credits the collaborative nature of the craft beer industry. “The success of Sacramento Beer Week comes from the hard work of our craft beer community. We should all be proud that Sacramento is now a major destination for craft beer lovers from around the world. Sacramento is a boomtown for craft beer and fans are happily drinking it down.”

Complete information is available at SacramentoBeerWeek.com and CapitalBeerfest.com.

Andy Sparhawk, the Brewers Association's acting editor-in-chief for CraftBeer.com. Andy is a Certified Cicerone® and BJCP Beer Judge. He lives in Westminster, Colorado where he is an avid craft beer enthusiast. On occasion, Andy is inspired to write on his experiences with craft beer, and if they are not too ridiculous, you might see the results here on CraftBeer.com.