The best thing about beer is that it gets you drunk. The second best thing? Ask that question to each of the 60 different breweries assembled at Drink:Eat:Play's first Orange County beer festival, and you're likely to get just as many different answers. It quenches, it cools, it goes well with pizza, it floats ping-pong balls, it's got bubbles that tickle the roof of your mouth, etc. And you're likely to hear some good beer vocab at the festival, too, everything from “hops bouquet” to “toastiness.” But while a a squad of local brewmeisters will plant their kegs alongside brands ranging from Budweiser to Fat Tire at Irvine Lake, OC Beer Fest shouldn't smack too much of microbrewed pretension: The organizers have enlisted Spinal-Tap-style band Metal Shop to perform, which should be pretty enjoyable—especially if you're, well, drunk.
Sun., Aug. 30, 2 p.m., 2009
