Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 7th Annual Brews, Jazz and Funk Fest at Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe. You couldn’t have picked a better weekend for roaming around the Village at Squaw Valley to listen to live bands and sample micro brews, the weather was delightfully warm and the beer was perfectly cold. I decided to make the trek to Tahoe with fellow Sacfoodie Brittany and friends after reading her praise of last year’s festival.
The two-day event, which seems to appeal to locals and visitors alike, consists of free live performances by numerous bands on two stages and more than a half dozen participating breweries serving up their brews on tap from beer tents (or beer barrels – as in photo above). For an affordable $10, I picked up a festival mug and two beers, in addition to the $5 suggested donation at entry. All proceeds benefit the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, which certainly helps explain the festival’s pet-friendly atmosphere.
Our first stops included the Black Diamond booth for a mug of their Hefeweizen (for the girls) and the hot dog stand for a Polish dog smothered in grilled peppers and onions (for the boys). We also popped into the Blue Coyote Sports Bar and Grill to enjoy a steaming basket of Cheesy Poofs – deep fried Kraft-style macaroni and cheese triangles – which were to-die-for after a long afternoon of beer tasting. After a wonderful weekend with good food, great beer and even better company, I can’t wait for next year!
Brittany says
What I wouldn’t give for a cheesy poof right now . . .
Jenna says
Mmm… cheesy poofs.
Anthony says
Do you remember what other microbreweries were there? Looks like fun!
Jenna says
It was fun! 🙂 A few others that we remember visiting were Lagunitas, Deschutes and New Belgium, along with Black Diamond. There were a handful of others, as well.