Beer Fests Galore

The approach of fall means many things. Cooler weather, so I can put on my vintage 1993 flannel shirts. Raking leaves. And beer festivals. There are a bevy of events coming up, so lets run down some highlights.

On Saturday September 5th, the second annual High Country Beer Fest will be taking place in Boone, NC. I haven't been to the event, but you can't go wrong with good beer and the great scenery of our northern North Carolina Mountains. Tickets are 20 dollars in advance, and the beer pours from 4-8 pm. Proceeds from the festival will go to the Hospitality House in Boone, and, get this, the Ivory Tower Brewery at ASU, which will be the first educational non-profit brewpub in the country. The brewery will include courses on brewing and beer, in addition to running the facility with green energy. It may be time for me to go back to school.

Of course, Brewgrass will be two weeks later on the 19th. Tickets have been sold out since sometime in 2003, but if you want to go, check craigslist, and by all means, show up. I have seen people selling their tickets for reasonable prices every year.

If you don't mind a drive, the World Beer Festival in Durham is on October 3rd. I have been to this event for the past two years, and while it gets a little crowded and the time flies by, it is still a great event, featuring quite a few beers that are not available locally. Tickets will go on sale in early September.

Thanks to a comment in my previous post, I was informed of another event happening the same day as the World Beer Fest. Hotoberfest runs from 12 to 7, featuring beer, music, family activities, and prizes. At some point I will post about my Atlanta trip, but in summary, Atlanta is a great beer town, and you could visit some of the area's breweries and brewpubs to make it a weekend. Tickets are on sale and are 30/50 dollars.

The next weekend, Asheville will be hosting its inaugural Oktoberfest on October 10th, sponsored by the Asheville Downtown Association. About time I say, but better late than never. The festival will truly be a local event, featuring many of our local breweries along with german food from three local restaurants. Many of the local brewers will be featuring seasonal beers for the event, and I hope to see them be in the true Oktoberfest style. This should be a fun time. Tickets go on sale August 31st for 25 dollars.

Go ahead and fill up your datebooks, and we'll see you at some of these events.