FOLSOM, Calif. — Erik Estrada, best known for his role as Officer Frank “Ponch” Poncherello in “CHiPs,” will visit a Folsom brewery in June.
Red Bus Brewing Company on Reading Street will host Estrada on June 8, for two meet-and-greet sessions and one autograph session from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Food trucks will be at the site from noon to 7 p.m.
Tickets start at $45, and attendees must be 21 and older. All tickets include a four-pack of Erik-E-Strata West Coast IPA and a print autographed by Estrada. Patrons can purchase $75 tickets for meet-and-greet sessions and take a selfie with Estrada. All tickets can be purchased HERE.
The brewery is closed to the public June 8, according to owner Erik Schmid. Only ticket-holders will be allowed entry.
“In 2022, we brewed a 100% Strata hopped beer,” Red Bus wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on May 3. “We called it ERIK-E-STRATA West Coast IPA by combining owner, Erik Schmid's, first name with the hop name as an homage to CHiPs star (Erik Estrada).”
Schmid said Estrada’s visit is to promote the release of the beverage, which Red Bus only offers two to three times a year.
He said he met Estrada sometime after the drink and homage were created and eventually told him about it.
“I thought I might get a cease-and-desist letter, but he thought it was cool,” Schmid told ABC10.
Additional packs of the Erik-E-Strata IPA can be purchased at the meet-and-greet for $20.
Over 10 years ago, Estrada became a sworn reserve police officer for the Muncie Police Department in Indiana, according to his website. He then served the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia.
He is currently a federal investigative officer with the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and recently helped establish an ICAC unit for the St. Anthony Police Department in Idaho. Estrada has reportedly been recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshall Service for his dedication and service to protecting children from sexual predators on the internet.
Estrada received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 19, 2007.
CHiPs originally aired from 1977-1983. Estrada returned for the series’ made-for-TV movie “CHiPs ‘99” in 1998 and made a cameo as a paramedic in “CHIPS,” a 2017 theatrical remake starring Michael Peña as Ponch and Dax Shepard as Ponch’s partner Officer Jon Baker.
