By Jante Ziarra
Encompassed within the dirt roads of Silverado lies Lake View Park, home to the Cinco de Mayo inspired Sabroso Craft Beer and Taco Festival that took place on Saturday, May 2 from noon to 4 pm.
Irvine Lake and Silverado Canyon set the perfect backdrop to the beer and taco filled park, while the sounds of an accordion and trumpets came in with the cool breeze under the clear blue California skies.
Brew Ha Ha hosted its 2nd annual festival with unlimited pours from 90 beers and 32 tacos from food trucks and restaurants. OC restaurants like Haven Gastropub, TAPS Fish House and The Kroft and food trucks like Dos Chinos, the Lime Truck and even the Viking Truck who typically specialize in hot dogs, brought their taco game to this event. They all sold tacos for $3.
Now what would a taco fest be without some friendly competition? Each restaurant and food truck submitted a taco to be judged and was also up for a people’s choice.
First place- Dos Chinos’s Dulce de Leche Shrimp taco
Second place- Lime Truck’s Adobo Pork Belly taco
Third Place- Haven Gastropub Calamari Hazelnut taco
People’s Choice:
First place- Stadium Brewing’s Duck Mole taco
Second place- The Kroft’s Lamb Vindaloo taco
Third place- Haven Gastropub Calamari Hazelnut taco
Just about all of the SoCal breweries you know and love were at Sabroso. Breweries like Noble Ale Works, TAPs and Ballast Point and even out-of-state breweries like Oregon’s Ninkasi, Colorado’s Oskar Blues and Icelandic brewery Einstok all poured beers at the fest. Bottle Logic brought 5 beers and had the longest line that went all the way to the lucha libre ring. Everyone wanted to try their Leche Borracho, an Imperial Stout aged in Tequila wine barrels.
Anaheim breweries Bottle Logic and Noble Ale Works took their rivalry to the ring and settled their battle of the November beers with some good ol’ lucha libre. Noble Ale Work’s Naughty Sauce milk stout and Bottle Logic’s Darkstar November Russian Imperial Stout were both at stake to never be brewed again at “Showdown at Sabroso: The Main Event.”
The crowd was split, chanting “Noble” and “Logic” in fear that their favorite beer may not be brewed again. After all the buildup, the fight got deemed a tie and a collaboration between the two breweries were announced. By the looks of Noble’s Instagram, they are now declaring a brew off.
Orange County natives the Wheeland Brother wrapped up the event and got the crowd dancing to their reggae beats. Brew Ha Ha’s Sabroso Craft Beer and Taco Festival was everything you could want in a Cinco de Mayo celebration- sunshine, good beer and delicious tacos!
