Beer enthusiasts and nature lovers are on the invite list for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s (SBMNH) Mission Creek Beer Festival fundraiser, Saturday, Oct. 18 in the museum’s oak woodland.
Building on the success of its inaugural year, the Mission Creek Beer Festival returns with a new concept — The Flavor Field Guide.
The experience will be a journey of taste exploration among four distinct flavor zones: bitter, sweet, sour and salty, and umami.
Attendees will sip and snack their way through artisan beer and local food pairings, following their taste buds and feeding their curiosity about the science behind this wild expedition of flavor.
Net proceeds from the event support the SBMNH science and nature education programs.
“Mission Creek Beer Festival is like the cool younger sibling of our 38-year-old Santa Barbara Wine Festival tradition,” said Jonah Haas, SBMNH director of marketing and communications.
“It brings a fresh perspective, a sensory twist, and lets us play creatively with beer, food, and flavor in a way that both tips the hat to a tradition of science programming around food and beverage the museum has been offering for decades and reflects where Santa Barbara’s culinary and craft beer scenes are headed,” Haas said.
That creative flair is fueled in part by local beer impresario Zach Rosen, a Certified Cicerone, beer writer, educator, and beer festival designer, who is collaborating with the museum to shape the vision for the event.
Known for crafting immersive beer experiences that combine taste, art, performance and education, Rosen brings his experimental style, background in chemistry, and love of nature to the museum fundraiser, SBMNH said.
From curating boutique festivals like the Beer Garden at the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden, to the unique ShakeSBeer, to designing beer programs that explore everything from maritime brewing history to theatrical pairings, Rosen aims to elevate beer culture in Santa Barbara.
“His work blends storytelling, sensory exploration, and exceptional beer curation, a perfect match for the museum’s mission to connect people with nature and science,” SBMNH said.
“I’m so excited to share an afternoon with everyone over extraordinary beer and food,” said Rosen. “Let’s explore the nature of our senses through the lens of beer in the incomparable environment of the museum.”
The museum thanks the following early sponsors for their support: Frank Schipper Construction Company, Hutton Parker Foundation, Flowers & Associates, Inc., HUB International, and Mission Wealth.
Sponsors help underwrite the cost of the event so ticket sales can go directly to the SBMNH educational programming.
Tickets for the Mission Creek Beer Festival can be found here.