By TR Robertson Photos by Brian Robertson
Hundreds of people from North County and beyond enjoyed a cool, but sunny, Saturday taking part in the 10th Annual Novemberfest presented by the Amigos De Vista Lions Club and the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens. The annual event featured eighteen craft breweries, wineries, and meaderies with twelve vendors and three eateries for those attending to enjoy. Those attending took part in tastings at the craft breweries, wineries, and meaderies in attendance; visiting with the various vendors; taking part in a silent auction and raffle; and enjoying the sounds from the Jeff Berkley and the Banned band playing in the Ed Fitzgerald Pavilion. One hundred percent of all the proceeds go to support the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens upkeep and expansion and the Amigos De Vista Lions Club’s various donations.
The eateries in attendance were Cocina Del Carmen, Sticky Chicken and the Amigos De Vista Lions Club cooking up burgers and brats. There were a variety of vendors for guests to visit including Butterfly Brittle, Black Hat Bread, Checkers Beard Company, Enroute Restoration, Face Painting, PartyPop Popcorn, So Rich Chocolates, Sugar Bees, Sunfire Hotsauce, TMR Graphics, Vista Silver Star Foundation and the Vista Viking Festival. Black Hat Breads from San Marcos was new to the Novemberfest selling loaves of sourdough in assorted flavors and Pumpkin Brioche. Also new was Butterfly Brittle from Orange County in a variety of flavors. This year’s sponsors for the Novemberfest were Platinum sponsors JSellsRE.com, VacationHomesbyJodi.com and Cocina Del Carmen. Gold sponsors were bha, Inc., TMR Signs & Graphics, Aloha Printing, Enroute Restoration, Elite Landcare and United Plant Growers, Inc. Silver sponsors were Advanced Financial Solutions, Inc., Dixon Properties, Aloha Food Forest, and Pride of Vista Lions Club.
This year’s breweries, wineries and meaderies were 117 Spirits, Arcana Brewing, Barrel and Stave Brewing, Blue Honey Mead and Wine, Breakwater, Burtech Family Winery, Golden Coast Mead, Grafted Cellers, Hidden Hive Mead, Humboldt Cider Company, InZane Brewing, Mead Made Mod, Meadiocrity Mead, North County Homebrewers Association, Prohibition Brewing, Propaganda Winery, Raging Cider & Mead, and Roadies Brewery. The North County Homebrewers Association was pouring 12 different ciders, ales, meads, and stouts. Humboldt Cider Company and Blue Honey Mead and Winery were new to the event.
The popular Novemberfest offers a chance for those attending to not only get to sample several of the selections each of the breweries, wineries and meaderies offer, but also offers a chance to speak with those from the establishments to find out what else they serve, their location and what else they offer. For the vendors it also offers a chance to speak to anyone that stops by their booth to tell them more about their products. Many of those attending had necklaces of pretzels and some had fancier bands of jerky and cheese to munch on between samples. All in all, another successful Alta Vista Botanical Garden event enjoyed by hundreds of people.
