I don’t write about events much anymore, but this one’s a little different. Hops N’ Harvest is happening Saturday afternoon at…no, not a beer bar or brewery parking lot or cool restaurant…at the People’s Victory Garden in Oakland. This fundraiser for community gardens is not a beer event per se, but there will be beer in addition to classes, performances, and kids’ activities.
Hops N’ Harvest will be the first opportunity to taste Bison’s limited-release Oakland Hop Harvest Ale, a version of their Hop Cuvee dry-hopped with hops grown in Oakland by Bison’s Mark Cabrera.
Mark with some of his overachieving hop bines. Photo: Oliver Max Tiernan-Cabrera.
It all started when the city of Oakland approached Bison asking if they were interested in planting organic hops in the Lake Merritt Community Garden. (My response: since when do most Oakland officials DO anything? But Mark assures me it is true.) Both Mark and Bison boss Daniel Del Grande dug this idea, partially because they both live in Oakland. They researched which hops would grow well in Oakland weather and settled on one of the classics, Cascade.
Mark got some rhizomes from Hop Union and wound up with so many he planted them not only at the original Lake Merritt site but at People’s Victory Garden (where Hops N’ Harvest will be held), Beer Revolution/Olde Depot, his house, and the homes of two local homebrewers.
“We were told not to expect many hops in our first year,” recalls Mark. “If that is true, I cannot wait until next year. We were able to harvest quite a bit, from multiple locations.” I asked his secret (my hop-growing ventures have always sucked) and Mark recommended watering them relentlessly, which he did himself for this project.
Bison will be doing other events to tap these kegs, but if you’re tired of seeing the same faces at beer parties all the time, Hops N’ Harvest could be a great way to mingle with some East Bay neighbors whose paths you don’t usually cross. Other features of this multifaceted event include:
- My homebrew club Bay Area Mashers will be doing a brewing demonstration. (Nepotism alert: my husband the club vice-president is in on this and I may get roped in as well.)
- Free food samples from the event and food for purchase from Fists of Flour pizza, Rosamunde Sausage Grill, and Onigilly Japanese restaurant
- On the food education side, there will be talks on kimchi making, bartering, and gardening. Got an overproducing fruit tree? There’ll be a crop swap.
- Local performers including several kid-centric groups like Bay Area Girls Rock Camp.
If you buy tickets online in advance, it’s $10 for 21+, $5 for 12-20 year olds, and free for kids under 12, with proceeds going to the Victory Garden Foundation (tax-deductible). At the door, the ticket donation will be $15.
The People’s Victory Garden is located at 5316 Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, about a mile from both Macarthur and Rockridge BART stations. Cheers!
