By Crystal Harrell
The 9th annual Props & Hops Beer Festival will take place on November 20, returning to the Palm Springs Air Museum and sponsored by 29 Brews. This trademark event will last from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., taking place on the tarmac and in the 20,000 square-foot General Kenneth Miles Korea and Vietnam Hangar.
A variety of breweries will be featured at this year’s event, all bringing at least two different types of beer to taste. Additional beer tasting tickets will be sold for cash on site at the Props & Hops.
The breweries that will be attending the Props & Hops event are 29 Brews, 5174 Craft Beer, Abnormal, Babe’s Brewery, Ballast Point, Barrelworks, Big Bear Lake Brewing, Calidad Beer, Coachella Valley Brewing Company, Coachella Valley Homebrewer’s Club, Drake’s Brewing, Firestone Walker, Golden Road Brewing, Good Day Brew, Hangar 24, Helix Brewing, Hops & Spokes Brewing, Inland Empire Brewers, La Quinta Brewing, Speakeasy Lagers and Ales, Thorn Brewing, plus many more.
Live entertainment by DJ Alex Harrington and Desert Sol will be provided as visitors enjoy Props & Hops. In ‘N Out Burger, Fries Galore, Nick’s Pizza, and Cone Zone Grill’s Brats and Burgers are also confirmed food vendors.
“What makes Props & Hops really special is that the Palm Springs Air Museum is home to many historic aircrafts and guests can enjoy craft beer while in the presence of these planes. That is not a common attraction. We also offer flights where guests can enjoy rare beers in a comfortable DC-3 Airliner. Other craft beer festivals don’t offer that,” stated media and public relations contact of the Palm Springs Air Museum, Ann Greer.
All attendees must have valid proof of age and must be over 21 years of age to attend Props & Hops. Tickets to the Props & Hops Craft Beer Festival include entrance to the beer tasting areas only. Separate admission is required for the rest of the Palm Springs Air Museum. It is encouraged that guests wear masks indoors at the Air Museum.
In the spirit of aviation, there will be Flight Exhibitions and Warbird Rides for Sale at this year’s Props & Hops event. Aircraft flying and selling rides include the P-51 Mustang that competed in the Reno Air Races and has Tuskegee Airmen colors, which is the fastest of the propeller fighters that seats one passenger at a time. The C-47 Skytrain cargo plane will also be available for rides, taking four to five passengers per flight.
Other aircrafts include the T-28 Trojan—a strong, fast, capable trainer that seats one passenger at a time; the PT-17 Stearman—an iconic open cockpit bi-wing trainer that carries one passenger at a time; and a special flight with Rare Beer Tasting on a DC-3 Airliner. This flight enables several passengers at a time to taste rare beers while flying over the Coachella Valley.
“The atmosphere is definitely a highlight of the Props & Hops Craft Beer Festival. I hope people actually take the time to visit the different tables to find out more about the craft beers because there is so much variety. That way, they will know more information about specific beers before they go to the tasting,” suggested Greer.
Each warbird flight booked in advance includes general admission to the Craft Beer Festival. Rides on the C-47 and Rare Beer Tasting Flights may be purchased via the Ticket Button on the Props and Hops website, PSPropsHops.com. Flights on the P-51, T-28, and the PT-17 Stearman may be purchased in advance through the Palm Springs Air Museum website, PSAirMuseum.org/WarbirdRides/.
VIP ticket early entrance takes place at noon hour with rare beer pairings and appetizers supplied by Babe’s Brewery. VIP ticket holders enter through their own special door and receive a specialty stein and 12 tasting tickets instead of eight. Early entrance is from noon until 1 p.m., when doors open to the general public.
A General Admission ticket includes eight 4-ounce tastings and event glassware while supplies last. Advance tickets go on sale for 40 dollars and 50 dollars at the door. For more information on Props & Hops or to purchase tickets, visit PSPropsHops.com.
