Do you need volunteers? If I volunteer, what do I get?

Yes, of course, we do! To learn more about volunteering opportunities, click on Volunteers in the menu of this website. Volunteering is a good and fun thing to do in its own right but in addition you can earn admission to the beer festival on race day and may also be able to earn an entry to a future Beer City. Feel free to Email us if you have questions. 

Where does the race start and finish? What times?

All races start and finish at the Beer City Festival at City Center Bishop Ranch in the area we call Off Center, which is in the lot to the North of City Center proper. Start times are:

8:30 am: Half Marathon starts
8:45 am: 10k Start
9:00 am: 5k Start
9:10 am: Beer Stroll
9:30 am: Post-race beer tasting opens 
11:00 am: Beat The Beast Beer Mile 
                   

Where do I park? Is it free?

There is free parking at City Center and in the adjacent Overflow lots.

What are the bib pickup times and locations?

You can pickup your bib (and shirt) at these times/places:

Saturday, October 25, 2025, 4 - 7pm. Location Fieldwork Brewing, City Center Bishop Ranch  (right next to Off Center)
Sunday, October 26, 2025  7:30am on Start/Finish 

What kind of swag is there?

Each finisher receives a soft and wonderful Beer City shirt, a Beer City tasting glass, a custom bib, and the coveted Key Beer City medal. 

What is Shindig?

Join us after 12pm at Fieldwork Brewing for Shindig, our home base for the afternoon. Buy a Shindig ticket for your first beer and collect a special Beer City pin. Or just come. It's open bar. We will feature music from 2pm - 5pm. 

Will there be beer? What else will be at the finish?

Yes indeed there is beer. As much as you like. We will have a house pour with Lagunitas, Drakes, and Fieldwork. We expect a handful of our friends to be there as well. There will also be post-race treats and drinks. The post race party closes at noon and we head out for fun together at the nearby breweries.

What's your refund policy?

Our policy at Beer City is called Forver Forgiving. It allows you to defer your registration to any of our other events at any time. You can also transfer your race to a friend. No questions asked. Your race credit is good for up to a year. Here is a little tutorial on how to manage your registration. 

The only catch is we don't offer cash refunds under any circumstance. Please consider purchasing race insurance. This is exactly what it's here for. It's available when you register.

What's this about a purse?

It's true! Beer City Bishop Ranch is our year-end extravaganza and in the Beer City Half Marathon, there's a purse for the top 3 by gender. $5,000 split as follows for each race:

Champion $1,250
Second Place $750
Third Place $500

What is the Race of Champions?

Beer City Festival takes place all year long, all across California. When you race, you gain points in our Beer City Half Series based on how you finish. This is our Race of Champions where we celebrate the overall winners of the Golden Growler and our Age Group Champions. See the Standings here

Where can Beer City take me?

Lot's of place it turns out. To see all the places we go, check out our website.