SAN JOSE, Calif. — Beer and movies tend to be a stay-at-home sort of occasion. For South Bay beer drinkers and moviegoers, the second annual CineBrew Mart — happening at downtown San Jose’s Camera 12 Cinemas this Saturday, April 25 — blends the best of both words into a hybrid film and beer festival.
From 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., the second and third floor of Camera 12 will be dedicated to featuring eight breweries and local food vendors. For $25 (advance, $30 at the door), attendees will be given all-day admission to movies, unlimited beer pours, access to artisan food vendors and a souvenir six ounce beer glass.
Local breweries, Almanac Beer Co., Faultline Brewing, Gordon Biersch, Hermitage, Santa Clara Valley Brewing, Tied House, and Uncommon Brewers will be pouring beers from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the event, and food vendors will be offering bites during that time.
“We’ve all been to beer festivals before, we’ve all gone to the movies, and we’ve all tried locally produced foods at farmers markets and such, but having the three together as a package deal is such a fun way to spend a Saturday,” said Carolyn Hopkins-Vasquez, director of marketing at Hermitage, and one of the organizers of the event.
The event is a collaboration between San Jose Made, Camera Cinemas and Hermitage, aimed at featuring the South Bay food and beer scene. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Bay Brewers Guild, a non-profit that promotes beer brewed in the Bay Area.

Photo courtesy of Dale Swanson / Special to Liquid Bread Magazine
In addition to mainstream movies, festivalgoers will also be treated to indie short movies. The idea was developed by Marie Millares, founder and CEO of SJ Made — a company that organizes retail and event pop-up space to showcase San Jose businesses.
“By programming a block of short films, we’re allowing CineBrew attendees to “browse” and “taste” the local films just as they browse and taste artisan foods and microbrews,” said Alejandro Adams of Camera 12 Cinemas.
“Sure, there are certain theaters where you can get beer and wine, but CineBrew is an outdoor festival dropped onto a film festival,” said Adams. “You can get a beer sample, head into the theater for a couple of short films, then go back to the lobby and get a different beer.”
Foodies will find their sweet appetites met with local flavors such as Sweetdragon Baking Company, Franci Cakes and IDreamOfCookies.com. For those looking for the ultimate pairing, Millares says she’s looking forward to “Back Porch Bakery pretzel buns, a cold Peralta Porter by Santa Clara Valley Brewing, and a pandan waffle from IDreamOfCookies.com.”
Tickets are available online and at the door.
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