Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival

Yep, you read that right – 3 of my top 5 words that start with “B” all at one festival. Beautimous is a word that comes to mind when considering the merriment that these three B’s bring. And as a lover of words that start with B and a frequent attender of festivals involving words that start with B, KnoxBeerSnobs decided to check this one out.

Now, it should be noted that our attendance was pre-KnoxBeerSnobs blogging days – which is all of about a month ago. The domain was bought, we had the web space and had been talking about it for probably a year but we didn’t get this information out to the masses as we would have liked prior to BBB-day. Our apologies. Luckily this festival does occur annually in Nashville as well as other locations around the country so be sure to check it out. Seems to occur in Nashvegas during the first weekend in November.

So, how was it? It was pretty awesome. We didn’t know what to expect at first as #1 – it was indoors – which is kind of a KnoxBeerSnob Festival faux-pas but we understand – November in Tennessee is a gamble. #2 we weren’t sure how beer and bourbon would go together….right after each other….and in large quantities. We’re also somewhat used to festivals having a cause/raising money for X or Y. This event is put on by The Trigger Agency which is a pro when it comes to these types of things. So you lose the warm fuzzies on giving to a cause but as these guys are pros, they stepped it up a notch w/ various cooking demonstrations, a mechanical bull (yep, you read that right) and my favorite – giant screens playing football games (Florida vs. Vandy was that day @ Vandy, so there was some interest in the room). I would also like to point out that these guys did donate a portion of the proceeds to HandsOn Nashville due to the flooding this past spring – so big points there.

The beer and bourbon selection was pretty good with a vast array of brands represented. I was a little disappointed to not see my personal favorite bourbon there, Woodford Reserve, but the beauty of these things is that you get to try new stuff – such as Evan Williams Honey Reserve which is a bourbon the Mrs and I both could agree on. On the beer side, a lot of our favorite microbrews were there for the tasting, which was great. I was pleasantly surprised to find Schlafly beer there – which is a microbrewery out of St. Louis. As far as BBQ goes – there was plenty of it there but in actuality I think only about 3 main vendors there – I may be wrong. However, standing in a very long line – hungry – after drinking a fair amount of bourbon wasn’t the highlight of the day.

Another thing to note is that I don’t think the tickets were limited. The VIP tickets were – which anyone can get as long as you get them early enough. These tickets not only get you a t-shirt but also get you in the door two hours before everyone else – THIS is the way to do this festival – trust me on this. After those first two hours it got crowded in a hurry.

Overall, this is a KnoxBeerSnob approved event. Be watching their website for the 2011 Nashville festival info – looks like the date is set for November 5th but everything else is showing  the 2010 info at the moment. Also, because it’s in the Municipal Auditorium downtown, finding a place to stay in walking distance is no big deal. Definitely don’t try to make a day trip of this – make it a weekend and enjoy Nashvegas.