'Have some beers, play some games, and dance': Lodi Beer Fest & State BBQ Championship back on Saturday

Angelaydet Rocha, The Stockton Record
·4 min read

Beer and barbeque.

The Lodi Beer Fest & State BBQ Championship is back for its fifth year on Saturday, April 27 from 1-5 p.m. at the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds at 413 E. Lockeford Stree in Lodi.

"The one thing that changes every year is the different beers that we have," Mark Armstrong, CEO of the Lodi Grape Festival, told The Record on Friday. "We do have some new kinds this year."

There will be a wide selection of beers with over 200 of them. There will be about 40 representatives showcasing various of their beers, Armstrong said.

"One of the big popular thing now is the alcohol-based seltzers that people like. Like High Noon and Beat Box," Armstrong said. "We have quite a variety of those that will be there."

According to Armstrong some of the breweries that will be in attendance include:

  • Five Window Beer Co.

  • Lodi Beer Company

  • Lost Coast Brewery

  • Last Call Brewing Co.

  • Dust Bowl Brewing Company

  • Lagunitas Brewing Company

  • Wort to Fermentation Beer Co.

  • River Rock Brewery

"For $40 to do unlimited beer from up to 40 breweries, I mean that's a great value," Armstrong said. "It's an easy day, it's free parking. You just come in, enjoy yourself, decide which ticket you're going to buy and have a great time."

Beer Fest tickets will include a beer glass, he said.

The beer-tasting portion of the event is 21 years and over. However, the barbeque side is "family-friendly" and it's free.

"If you love barbecue, it's a place to go..." Armstrong said. "It's a fun event, whichever you choose to do, or both of them."

There will also be live music, he said. This is an event presented by F&M Bank.

"You can come in, have some beers, play some games and dance," Armstrong said.

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'Shorts and backyard barbecue type thing'

Frank Applingg barbecues chicken at Big Frank's Style BBQ's booth at the African American Arts and Culture Center's 14th annual Soul Food Festival at the Weber Point Events Center in downtown Stockton on Aug. 5, 2023.
Frank Applingg barbecues chicken at Big Frank's Style BBQ's booth at the African American Arts and Culture Center's 14th annual Soul Food Festival at the Weber Point Events Center in downtown Stockton on Aug. 5, 2023.

Those who want to pair their go-to beer with some barbeque can find meats on the State BBQ Championship side of the event.

"If they want to come and just enjoy the barbecue part of it and eat barbecue and all that, it's free and it's free parking," Armstrong said. "It's a very casual event, shorts and backyard barbecue type thing."

Aside from beer and barbeque, there will also be other food options and games.

"We have a macaroni and cheese trailer, we have a fresh pretzel trailer, corndogs, (A) Moveable Feast which does a variety of sandwiches," Armstrong said. "We have a wide variety of food."

For those interested in the State BBQ Championship there are currently "33 teams entered into the contest," Ben Lobenstein from Fire It Up Events wrote in an email.

"Contestants arrive to the site with un-seasoned protiens, and once inspected can begin to prepare them for cooking. They (must) be cooked over wood, charcoal or pellet fuels (no gas or electric heat)," Lobenstein wrote. "They turn in 6 portions of each to the judges at a set time (many might say BBQ is done when it's done, so getting the timing right is much of the secret sauce if you will)."

While the State BBQ Championship contestants aren't "required" to cook four different types of meats (chicken, pork ribs, Boston port roast, and beef brisket) "they can't win the overall contest without doing so," Lobenstein stated.

The winner will receive $750, a plaque, "bragging rights," invitations to the American Royal BBQ and the KCBS Winners Cup contest, Lobenstein wrote. They also pay the top five in each of the four categories.

"The judges are judging blind (judges don't know which team they are judging), and score the entry in 3 distinct (weighted) criteria: Appearance, Taste and Tenderness," Lobenstein wrote. "Judges generally only judge a team once per event (things rotate each round of entries), the winners are decided by math."

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General admission tickets for the Lodie Beer Fest & State BBQ Championship are $40 in advance and $50 at the door on the day off. A $15 designated driver ticket "must be purchased with someone that has a valid Lodi Beer Fest ticket," the festival's website states.

VIP tickets were almost all sold out as of Friday, Armstrong said.

Tickets can be purchased in-store without a service charge, Armstrong said.

The following locations are: Stogies Lounge (230 W. Pine Street in Lodi), Lodi Grape Festival Office (413 E. Lockeford Street in Lodi), Five Window Beer Company (9 W. Locust Street in Lodi), River Rock Brewery (608 N. Lincoln Way in Galt) and Dry Creek Liquor (1060 E. Augusta Street in Woodbridge) or online at grapefestival.com (there is a service charge).

Pets will not be allowed in the event, Armstrong said.

"It's (a) very casual event, it's shorts and backyard barbecue type thing," Armstrong said.

Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Lodi Beer Fest & State BBQ Championship