Being outdoors is one of the best parts of living in the Bay Area. In May my friend took me to the Boonville Beer Festival in Mendocino County Fairgrounds. What/Where is Boonville might you ask? Why would you camp at a beer festival? Well let me explain.
We decided to camp because Boonville is about an hour and a half from SF. As it was starting to warm up the thought of a no-fog saturday was very enticing. So my friend packed up the Zip car and we were on our way to camping. We got there the night before the festival and set up camp. It was only $15 pp to camp per day and you were charged in cash at the entrance to the Mendocino County Fairgrounds. You know when you arrive because there is a painting of an apple riding a horse/dog. Apparently there is a Mendocino county fair with rodeos and apples. That I will investigate at a later date.
Back to Boonville- camping was not as crowded as I anticipated for 11pm arrival. There was plenty of space in the open field. Some people had arrived much earlier- you could tell by the set up they had including a big screen monitor projecting music videos- and had taken the "better spots". The part that was missing from a traditional camping experience was the bonfire. There were no fire pits, so unless you brought your own - NO FIRE! Our group got settled in and hung out until it was past the time we could tolerate the cold.
The next day was nice and sunny. We woke up, made breakfast, and prepared for the festival (made pretzel necklaces). Around noon they let in the VIP tickets and around 1pm everyone else was allowed to enter. There were several tents with local craft beers, an indoor area with craft beers, and some food stands scattered about. The ticket included a small tasting cup where you could go back for your favorites or try some artisanal beers. The most unique included one that tasted like hot chocolate (just not hot) and another that tasted like jalapeño. The food was pretty good and the music set the scene well. I would describe it as good for groups of friends to hang out. Apart from the small yet vocal bachelorette party, everyone was pretty friendly.
After a full day in the sun our group made our way back for snacks, naps, and some kickball. I would like to say it was pretty low key, but there were some beer enthusiasts that took the party a little late. So if you are the type that considers camping a calming experience with nature I suggest you only stay 1 night. In my opinion it was not too bad that it was loud and it was easy to avoid participation if you were looking to relax. I would recommend going at least for the day if you are into non-crowded craft beer events!
Until next time. Stay tuned.
