Next week is American Craft Beer Week, a celebration of brews made in the U.S. of A. Local breweries and restaurants are taking part in the national party. Here's where to go to grab a pint.

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OC Beer Festival

We can't think of many better ways to kick off summer than with a tasting glass, free-flowing craft beer and hundreds of new friends to cheers with. The OC Beer Festival is back for its fifth year on Saturday, May 18 at Irvine Lake in Silverado. Featuring dozens of international and domestic beers, the event promises to top last year's sold-out event.

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Why should Orange and Huntington Beach have all the fun? Brea's brewing something special this weekend, as TAPS Fish House & Brewery launches its Craft Brew Festival tomorrow from noon to 3 p.m.

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What is it about April that causes people to open breweries? Michelle posted about Bootlegger's 5th anniversary party yesterday, and this weekend is also the 3rd anniversary of Cismontane Brewery in Rancho Santa Margarita. They're celebrating all weekend, starting at 3 p.m. today.

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Bootlegger's has had one heck of a year. The Fullerton brewery won a contentious fight for a conditional-use permit, moved into bigger digs and in the meantime, kept brewing kick-ass beer. It's time for a party.

To celebrate five years of existence, Bootlegger's is hosting a music and beer festival this Sunday, April 28, at the historic Muckenthaler Center in Fullerton. More than 30 house beers will be on tap, including barrel aged rarities and sour beers. There will also be beers from local guest breweries, including The Bruery, Tustin Brewing Co, Noble Ale Works, Packinghouse, Bravery Brewing and Newport Beach Brewing Co. Between sips, guests can nosh on food-truck grub, stroll through the gallery exhibit showroom and ride a mechanical bull.

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Jason Quinn's empire keeps growing...

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know we love Playground in downtown Santa Ana--great food, convivial atmosphere, and every draft beer is $5 all the time. But there's always been something missing, some spark in libations director Jarred Dooley's eyes at every meeting of the Orange County Bartender's Cabinet.

Suddenly, though, licensing postings appeared in the windows, and before you could say "splunge", bottles of rye, mezcal and gin appeared, flanked by a million little jars of infusions, bitters, and syrups.

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The Biergarten concept is taken to the next level when some of our favorite brewers and select restauranteurs descend upon TeWinkle Park in Costa Mesa for an afternoon of music, artwork and drinking known as Nepenthia. For an all-inclusive ticket price (starting at $55) participants will enjoy unlimited tastes, plus parking from 3-7 p.m.

Proceeds from decor for sale will support Inspire Artistic Minds, a nonprofit dedicated to furthering he education of culinary and visual artists, children and adults alike. Who's scheduled to appear? We're glad you asked.

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Melinda Denton

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Flickr user klwatts

Look in the kitchens and closets and home bars of California beernoscenti, and you'll see rows of brown or green glass bottles emblazoned with the names of California's many craft breweries. I myself have a growler from nearly every brewery in Orange County, and they sit on a shelf in my kitchen, where the only thing keeping them from falling in an earthquake is the assertion (erroneously attributed to Benjamin Franklin) that beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.More »

Aaron and Patricia Barkenhagen and their employees have been busy people the last two weeks. They closed the old Bootlegger's Brewery tasting room two weeks ago and have moved all of the equipment to the new tasting room, building and sanding and painting and--yes--brewing (though the actual brewery is now offsite at a different location in Fullerton).
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