The Lodi Beer Fest and State BBQ Championship will return to the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds on Saturday for another year of beer and barbecue.
This year’s event will kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, for “S” VIP and VIP ticketholders at the Ole Mettler Grape Pavilion at the Lodi Grape Festival Grounds at 413 E. Lockeford St. in Lodi. The event will begin at 2 p.m. for general admission holders.
“The Lodi Beer Fest is a great celebration of craft beer from up to 50 local and national breweries. Join us and find a new favorite beer, toss a game of cornhole with friends and dance along to the live band,” the Lodi Grape Festival website states. “Held in conjunction with the State BBQ Championship more than 30 BBQ teams will compete for prizes in a variety of categories.”
The annual event is presented by F&M Bank.
What’s the best option for you?
If you are attending this year’s event, there are three different ticket options to choose from. There’s the “S” VIP tasting, the VIP tasting, and general admission.
The Spirit Lounge or the “S” VIP tasting is back on Saturday for the second year. It features award-winning bourbons, whiskeys, tequilas, barbecue bites and chocolate.
This section opens from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is $90 in advance and $125 the day of the event. Only a limited of tickets will be sold for this section and the VIP tasting.
Perks of this ticket are one hour early entry ahead of general admission, beer tasting from up to 50 breweries, Spirit Lounge access with bourbon, whiskey and tequila tasting, a commemorative tasting glass and live music and games.
The VIP tasting is from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is $50 in advance and $60 day of the event. This option offers almost everything the “S” VIP tasting offers except access to the Spirit Lounge.
General admission is from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and tickets are $40 in advance and $50 day of the event. This option is great for those who don’t want to break the bank but still enjoy beer tastings from up to 50 breweries, get a commemorative tasting glass and enjoy live music and games.
This is a 21-and-over event with ID required for entry. No children are permitted to attend, the Lodi Grape Festival website states. No pets are allowed at the event either.
Designated Driver Tickets will also be sold this year. To attend, designated drivers must attend with an “S” VIP, VIP, or a general admission ticket holder. The gate will close entry at 4 p.m.
Designated driver tickets are as follows:
State BBQ Championship
This weekend’s State BBQ Championship will once again be sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society (KCBS), the festival’s website states.
Participating contestants will cook four different meats: chicken, pork ribs, Boston port roast (pork shoulder/ Boston butt) and beef brisket. Meats can only be cooked using wood, pellets and charcoal (lump or briquettes). The meats will be blindly judged on appearance, tenderness, and taste.
According to the Lodi Grape Festival website, “if more than 15 teams enter the contest the winner will be sent to the “World Series of BBQ” known as Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue (draw) and an American Royal Invitational Qualifier, as well as a Team of the Year (ToY) event.”
2026 Beer at the Lodi Beer Fest and State BBQ Championship
This year, there are more than 45 beers listed under the 2026 Beer participating at the Lodi Beer Fest and State BBQ Championship.
Tickets for the Lodi Beer Fest and State BBQ Championship can be purchased online, but also at these five businesses through Friday, April 24.
To learn more about the Lodi Beer Fest and State BBQ Championship, visit grapefestival.com.
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers business and community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Lodi Beer Fest & State BBQ Championship returns Saturday
Reporting by Angelaydet Rocha, The Stockton Record / The Record
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