Corks & Hops attracts large crowd

Last Saturday’s Corks & Hops wine and beer walk in Crestline, which got underway at 3 p.m. and wrapped up at 8 p.m., attracted an estimated 400 participants, 300 of whom had purchased their tickets in advance at a discounted price.

This month about 100 more participants showed up than last month on Saturday, June 3. Crestline’s By-Products band entertained last-minute ticket buyers purchasing their wristbands in the Arrowhead Credit Union parking lot and those picking up their wristbands while a dozen or so vendors sold clothing, jewelry, trinkets and souvenirs.

With nine pouring stations scattered along Lake Drive in the business district in the heart of Crestline, five more in Top Town Crestline and one on Knapps Cutoff, there were 43 different craft beers, stouts and ales for participants to choose from, as well as 21 varieties of red and white wine. The Corks & Hops shuttle bus transported participants back and forth between Top Town and the Lake Gregory business district of Crestline, with local historian Rhea-Frances Tetley aboard describing points of historical interest along the shuttle route.

Stopping first at the Ace Garden Center on Lake Drive, The Alpine Mountaineer encountered about 30 people waiting in line to sample Sycamore Ranch’s award-winning varieties of Primitivo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Roussanne and Coronado Brewing’s craft beer.

Though most folks traveled from areas throughout the Southland to attend this summertime event, The Alpine Mountaineer encountered Wendy and Gareth, who had traveled from Cambridge, England, to visit Wendy’s sister who resides in Crestline. Wendy spoke highly of Sycamore Ranch’s Roussanne, a dry white wine made at the Sycamore Ranch Winery in nearby Dart Canyon. Another couple, who had traveled from San Diego, said they had learned about the event on the Crestline Chamber of Commerce website.

The next stop was at the Crestline Café, which had a covered outdoor tasting area, where a cool mist sprayed about 25 persons waiting in line to sample Asylum Brewery’s No Escape Double Hazy IPA and Nyctophobia Black Lager, as well as Boisset Brewery’s I Love Crestline white and red wines. Jocelyn Oyler from Victorville, who has a vacation cabin in Valley of the Moon, was sampling Asylum Brewery’s Regular IPA, while her husband, Doug, was enjoying some I Love Crestline Chardonnay. “We were here last time but didn’t get to participate in the wine and beer walk, so this time we did,” Jocelyn said.

Other pour stations were set up at the new outdoor patio bar at the Stockade Whiskey and Grub restaurant and Bizzyland, both on Lake Drive, where bands played while participants and others dined.

In Top Town Crestline, local musician and record store owner Steven Taylor entertained participants by singing classic rock songs while strumming his guitar, as hundreds of participants visited pour stations at the many antique stores and an art gallery.

The next Corks & Hops event is slated to occur in just three weeks on Saturday, Aug. 6. Tickets can be purchased in advance at $35 ($45 on day of the event); a basic ticket provides 10 beer and wine pours. An All You Can Get ticket, which provides two extra full pours, is $50 ($60 on day of the event), while a $65 VIP ticket allows for exclusive entrance to the VIP Lounge, where appetizers are available as well as extra pours and live music. Those interested in purchasing tickets can do so by logging onto www.corksnhops.com.