A sampling of freshly brewed lager at last year's Brewfest at Bryant Park in Marysville. The festivities will return this Saturday, Sept. 7, serving as Sutter Buttes Social Club’s largest fundraiser for underserved youth. Courtesy photo

YUBA CITY, CA (MPG) - While last year's weather may have put a damper on things, organizers of the 11th annual Yuba-Sutter Brewfest are hoping to knock things out of the park this Saturday.

“We actually moved it two weeks up from last year to try and avoid the rain,” said John Argyilan, a manager at Yuba City’s Happy Viking. “So far, the forecast looks clear.”

Argyilan serves as the event's designated “brew wrangler.”

In total, 22 breweries will be represented at this year's festivities including some of California's top-rated brands such as Sierra Nevada, Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Belching Beaver.

“We're bringing in some of the best breweries throughout the state, and even a couple from Oregon,” added Argyilan.

With a nod to keeping things local, this year's featured brewery will be none other than the Sutter Buttes Brewing of Yuba City.

Scott Sargent, the brewery's owner, said he looks forward to greeting everyone at the gate and having the privilege of giving them their first pour.

“I think our beers stand up to just about anybody’s,” said Sargent. “And I'm excited about being up there with some of the best beers in California and going head-to-head with them to see what people think.

The competition Sargent is alluding to is called the Brewer’s Cup, a segment of Brewfest billed as the only Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) event within the Yuba-Sutter area.

“It's a 100% sanctioned BJCP competition, the only one I want to say within 200 miles of our area,” said Argyilan.

“This will be our second annual competition. The judges will rate them (the beers) and then we take the best in class from each style and put them all head-to-head against each other and vote one as the best overall beer. The winner takes home a huge trophy which will go back with them to their brewery for the year.”

The history of Brewfest goes back 11 years to its days at the Yuba Sutter Fairgrounds in Yuba City where it was held annually in March. It wasn’t until last year that the group, now known as the Sutter Buttes Social Club, tried moving things to Bryant Park in Marysville, a venue which was also used for the 2022 Hoptober Festival - an unrelated for-profit event organized by Alma Festivals Entertainment, Inc. In contrast, the Sutter Buttes Social Club is a 501C3 organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for underserved youth.

In fact, the entire Brewfest event is volunteer based with almost all the proceeds being donated toward charitable efforts such as back to school shopping sprees, youth sports camps, and scholarships.

“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” said Chris Mathews, president of the Sutter Buttes Social Club. “In year's past we were able to raise around $10,000, this year our goal is to knock that out of the park and do more than that, but we're looking for more sponsorships and attendees to help make that dream possible.”

Brewfest will be held at noon for VIP entry and 1 p.m. for general admission. on Saturday, Sept. 7. Tickets for those who intend to consume adult beverages start at around $65 each, but this price includes limitless beer samplings and food from local vendors such as Midtown Grill, Rail House and Sopa Thai.

“The only thing you'll need to take money out for is raffles,” added Argyilan.

Bryant field is located at 1431 C St. in Marysville. For more information about Brewfest, visit yubasutterbrewfest.com.