TR Robertson –The Belching Beaver Pub 980 was the place to be Sunday afternoon, July 10th, as the Vista Firefighters Association hosted a fundraising event for Vista Firefighter and Paramedic Brent Nogle and his family, as well as a Hop Highway Brew-Off featuring 14 teams of firefighters and one team from Numbskull Brewing offering their best beers for competition. The Hop Highway Brew-Off offered a variety of activities those attending could participate in to help with assisting raising funds for the Nogle family as Brent deals with his cancer diagnosis and treatment. At last count over $45,000 was raised to assist the family. An estimated 500 people had purchased tickets to the event with many more purchasing tickets as they arrived at the Belching Beaver location on Park Center Drive in Vista’s Business Park.
Photos by TR Robertson
Entry tickets were $50 for the beer tasting from the teams in the competition. Food tickets could also be purchased for $20 or a Package Deal for $90 included the entry, a specially designed t-shirt, food, and a pint glass. Also on sale were t-shirts, sweaters, pint glasses and Raffle tickets for the numerous donated items. A variety of donated items were available in three methods to attempt to win. Those attending could win items in a bidding process using a QR code for prizes like Dodger Dug-out seats for 4, SJ Surf boards, a Sailing Adventure, a Tailgate Package at Petco for 4, a Vista Fire Station Dinner for 4, a VAX E Bike and many more. Other prizes were available by dropping raffle tickets, with names filled out, in bags for gifts like Padre games or Helgrens Sport Fishing outings and even more prizes were available by bidding at a silent auction for assorted gift baskets. As those attending filed in the event, the prizes/gift table was a busy location to look at all the donated items available to win.
The Brew-Off competition involved 15 teams submitting the beer selections they had brewed for judging. The judges for this year were Austen Stringfield from Numbskull Brewing on Instagram, Brad Sayles, and Tim McClintic from Wild West Homebrew Supply Company in Escondido. The judges scored the beers based on Aroma, Appearance, Flavor, Mouthfeel and Overall Impression, using a 50-point scale for each category.
The teams for this year’s competition were:
Barrio Brothers Brewing – Vista Fire – “Special Model” – Mexican Lager
Calistoga Brewing – Carlsbad Fire – “IPA River” – IPA, “Hazy Day at the Beach” – Hazy N IPA, and “6 Day Siesta” – Mexican Lager
Salty Buffalo Brewing – Vista Fire – “Melrose Malty” – Malt Liquor & “Davey the Elder” – IPA
Capo Beach Brewing – City of Orange Fire – “Got Your Six” – Amber Ale
7 Kids Brewing – Vista Fire – “No Soul IPA” – Cascadian Dark Ale
North South Brewery – San Marcos Fire – “The Policy” – Hazy IPA
V Town Brew Doggz – Vista Fire – “Sympathy Vote” – Pale Ale
Numbskull Brewing – “Triple Tripel” Belgian IPA & “Common Sense” – Kentucky Common
Nugget Brewing – Vista Fire – “Vikings Blood” – Mead & “Shnozzberry” – Blueberry Mint Hard Seltzer
Lakeside Brew Club – Lakeside Fire – “Nogle Prevail Ale” – Extra Special Bitter
Double Tap Brewing – Vista Fire – “CMS” – Chocolate Milk Stout
North Beach Brewing – Torrance Fire – “Dije’zee” – New England IPA & “Nogle Navel” – Witbier
Siren Brewing Co. – Vista Fire – “Mack Attack” – New England IPA & “Badge Bunny Blondie” – Blonde Ale
Dizzy Dog Brewing – Vista Fire – “CT Scan” – Cinnamon Toast Crunch Stout
Hand 2 Hand Brewing – Oceanside Fire – “Red Handed Ale” – Red Ale
As DJ JayGo DayGo (Jonathan Gomez), a former EMT Tech for 12 years, played music for the crowd the numbers attending grew and the Brew-Off was under way. Winners for the event were announced later in the evening. Those attending would also get a chance to give an award by voting for their favorite liquid refreshment from those in competition by dropping tickets in bags marked with the team names.
The following awards were given for the Brew-Off:
People’s Choice – “The Policy” Hazy IPA, North South Brewery
Judge’s Award – “Badge Bunny Blondie” Blonde Ale, Siren Brewery
Third Place – “Melrose Malty” Malt Liquor, Salty Buffalo Brewing
Second Place – “Nogle Prevail Ale” Extra Special Bitter, Lakeside Brew Club
First Place – “Sympathy Vote” Pale Ale, V Town Brew Doggz
A great time was had by everyone in attendance in another tremendous fundraiser hosted by the Vista Firefighters Association.
