Thousands converged on Discovery Park Saturday afternoon for the 16th annual California Brewers Festival to taste the ales, lagers, porters and craft brews from over 60 brewers.

The festival was organized by Sacramento's Rotary Club of Point West to benefit the Assistance League of Sacramento. All festival proceeds will be donated to the league’s Operation School Bell — a program providing underprivileged youth with adequate clothing for school.

Velvet Tongue and Utz! and the Shuttlecocks provided live music as festival-goers sampled beer with 4-ounce glasses and sought refuge in the shade from the summer sun.

The participating brewers were mostly local, though there were some from as far as Vermont, Maine and Hawaii. There were foreign brews being poured by their domestic importers as well.

Brew It Up! owner Mike Costello has been bringing his brews to the festival for the past 13 years. He was there with his staff pouring their new honey porter. He said the porter appeals to drinkers who prefer a rich and smooth taste, as well as those who seek the unique dimensions of a microbrew.

"It spent about six months in the (whiskey) barrel, so it picks up on some of the aroma and the flavor nodes of the whiskey, the barrel and the honey that we're using," he said.

Costello was excited about attendees’ reactions to the porter and was pleased with this year's festival.

"This beerfest and the West Coast Brew Fest, which is in May, are the two best brewfests in the Sacramento region hands down,” he said.

Long-time Rubicon Brewing Company employee Mike Walthers was pouring their flagship IPA, Extra Special Bitter and Rosebud brews. He said that Rubicon likes attending the festival to support a good cause.

"There are some people who have never heard of us and don't know where we're located, and we'll see some people out here that have been coming to the restaurant for 20 years," he said.

Ross Keyashin, 29, attended the festival last year. It was one of the first social outings he made when he moved to Midtown, and it left a very good impression on him, he said.

"It's phenomenal," he said. "Everyone who works here is really kind, the beer is great, and it's just got a great mood."

Gabriel Niles, 33, enjoyed an amber ale from Hoppy Brewing Company.

"I went straight here to try and represent the locals," he said.

Niles’ younger sister is one of the lead vocalists in Utz! and the Shuttlecocks. He was there with his wife and 1-year-old son to support the band, drink good beer and contribute to the recipient charity.

"There's a good energy here, a good vibe," he said.

Rotary Club member Dan Hall was running the front gate. He estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 showed up for the festival. Though he played a smaller role in this year's event, he has been the chairman in the past.

He said they consistently raise between $40,000 to $50,000 every year. Having locals pay for access to great beer and having the brewers donate their product and time is what makes the festival such a success, he said.

"This is one of the fundraisers where we'll really calling on the community as a whole," he said.