Craft breweries become part of Mendocino County’s fall festival

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – For the first time ever, local craft breweries have been mixed into the fun of the annual Beer, Wine and Mushroom Festival in Mendocino County. Formerly known as the Wine and Mushroom Festival, the 10-day event showcases the region’s craft beer, local wines and 500 types of edible mushrooms.

The festival runs from Nov. 2 to 11 with wine-maker and brew-master dinners, mushroom tastings, educational workshops and wild mushroom foraging excursions. The Anderson Valley Brewing Company and North Coast Brewing Company will be involved in this year’s festival with dinners, tours and tastings.

The signature event of the festival is the “Mushroom Train” that takes guests aboard the historic Skunk train from Fort Bragg and Willits through redwood forests to Camp Mendocino. At Camp Mendocino, festival attendees can sample wines, culinary items and watch a mushroom cook-off.

Groups can also go on a mushroom hike to look for some of the county’s 3,000 types of mushrooms, including the 500 edible ones like chanterelles, morel and the rare candy cap mushroom that only grows along the northern California coast.

Other festival highlights include art exhibitions, live music and chocolate truffle offerings.

For more information, visit www.visitmendocino.com/beer-wine-mushroom-festival.