Take in the Intoxicating Ambience of the Cherished Brewgrass Festival
Not yet published by Sreemoti Majumdar
Country: United States 
The Experience
Hundreds of festivals are held all over the world every year. Some of them are big, and some others are small and intimate events. If you are into beer drinking, and if you are located somewhere in the US, you will probably not get a bigger and better event than the annual Brewgrass Festival. This is a beer festival that is held once every year in the US state of North Carolina. This is beer country, and as you can expect, the festival is held with a lot of pomp and glory. Of course, there’s a lot of beer to be drunk here, but the fact is that, this festival is not just about beer, or drinking. It is a festival of life. If you are here, you will certainly want to have a great time. And yes, you will want to drink plenty of beer too.
The Great Smokies Craft Brewers Association organizes the annual Brewgrass Festival. This event is held every year in the Western side of the state, amid beautiful mountainous settings. Breweries from all over the state and the region are proud to become a part of this event. You will find a few breweries from the other states as well. As many as 40 breweries take part in this fest. These are some of the best breweries you will find in the state. You will be able to select from 120 different types of beers that is served by these breweries. In fact, the breweries make it a point to serve their best in this festival. Since so many types of beers are served here, beer aficionados from across the country come here to drink. It has today grown to become an event that they can never miss.
However, the crowd-pulling secret of Brewgrass is elsewhere. During certain times of the year (usually prior to the fall) small brewers in the state produce small quantities of Craft beer to showcase their produce before their patrons who enjoy that bubbly broth to their heart’s content. If you dig deeper, you will discover that these relatively small and unknown breweries actually pour their hearts out in brewing the beer that invariably carries their signature. This includes taste, aroma and punch – all going to give that feeling of well being to the happy consumer.
This is what makes the Brewgrass Festival in North Carolina a special event. It is more of a beer tasting paradise where local Craft brewers such as Southern Appalachian Craft, Green Man Ales and Highland join hands with others such as New Belgium, Lagunitas, Brooklyn and many more to make the festival a grand success. Of course, crowd participation is critical. But the organizers are not worried about this, because news of the Brewgrass Festival has spread far and wide. Beer lovers come here to taste their drinks, and for listening to music. A lot of people who are just casual drinkers attend this festival too.
But wait a minute. Brewgrass is not all about beer. It has the best of sea food and plenty of high-quality bluegrass music bands. There is a great lineup of regional as well as national bluegrass musicians. You can watch them do their live performances. The ambience becomes magical. Just imagine how it would feel if you can hear the best of bluegrass music in romantic North Carolina and its hilly areas, a pleasant evening under a starry night, with a glass of the best beer in the world. Could life be better? Some of the bands that have performed in the past include Cadillac Sky, Norman Blake, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Osborne Brothers, Jim Lauderdale, Tony Furtado, Valerie Smith, and others.
Brewgrass festival is different from other contemporary beer carnivals. Those who have attended this event agree this festival is bigger and better than most others. A lot of breweries from the region and the other states too are invited to showcase their produce. But it is more an event for the local breweries.
If you are planning to attend this festival, you should definitely attend it for the entire span. After all, it is held just a single day in a year. This year, the Brewgrass was held on September 17th. It is held between 12 in the afternoon and 7 in the evening. So, no excuses for missing it!
It is held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park downtown in Asheville, NC. Just move from one stall to another to taste different types of beers. Remember, you can choose from 120 different types of beers here. It might be impossible to taste them all. So follow the crowds. See what the others prefer. The stalls having the most people must be serving the best beers. But do make it a point to check out some exclusive beers as well. Settle down with the one you like best, and listen to some of the best bluegrass music. The bands begin to perform from 12:30 in the afternoon. Each band gets about one hour. The last band of the day however gets one hour and thirty minutes.
The Great Smokies Craft Brewers Association organizes the annual Brewgrass Festival. This event is held every year in the Western side of the state, amid beautiful mountainous settings. Breweries from all over the state and the region are proud to become a part of this event. You will find a few breweries from the other states as well. As many as 40 breweries take part in this fest. These are some of the best breweries you will find in the state. You will be able to select from 120 different types of beers that is served by these breweries. In fact, the breweries make it a point to serve their best in this festival. Since so many types of beers are served here, beer aficionados from across the country come here to drink. It has today grown to become an event that they can never miss.
However, the crowd-pulling secret of Brewgrass is elsewhere. During certain times of the year (usually prior to the fall) small brewers in the state produce small quantities of Craft beer to showcase their produce before their patrons who enjoy that bubbly broth to their heart’s content. If you dig deeper, you will discover that these relatively small and unknown breweries actually pour their hearts out in brewing the beer that invariably carries their signature. This includes taste, aroma and punch – all going to give that feeling of well being to the happy consumer.
This is what makes the Brewgrass Festival in North Carolina a special event. It is more of a beer tasting paradise where local Craft brewers such as Southern Appalachian Craft, Green Man Ales and Highland join hands with others such as New Belgium, Lagunitas, Brooklyn and many more to make the festival a grand success. Of course, crowd participation is critical. But the organizers are not worried about this, because news of the Brewgrass Festival has spread far and wide. Beer lovers come here to taste their drinks, and for listening to music. A lot of people who are just casual drinkers attend this festival too.
But wait a minute. Brewgrass is not all about beer. It has the best of sea food and plenty of high-quality bluegrass music bands. There is a great lineup of regional as well as national bluegrass musicians. You can watch them do their live performances. The ambience becomes magical. Just imagine how it would feel if you can hear the best of bluegrass music in romantic North Carolina and its hilly areas, a pleasant evening under a starry night, with a glass of the best beer in the world. Could life be better? Some of the bands that have performed in the past include Cadillac Sky, Norman Blake, Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Osborne Brothers, Jim Lauderdale, Tony Furtado, Valerie Smith, and others.
Brewgrass festival is different from other contemporary beer carnivals. Those who have attended this event agree this festival is bigger and better than most others. A lot of breweries from the region and the other states too are invited to showcase their produce. But it is more an event for the local breweries.
If you are planning to attend this festival, you should definitely attend it for the entire span. After all, it is held just a single day in a year. This year, the Brewgrass was held on September 17th. It is held between 12 in the afternoon and 7 in the evening. So, no excuses for missing it!
It is held at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park downtown in Asheville, NC. Just move from one stall to another to taste different types of beers. Remember, you can choose from 120 different types of beers here. It might be impossible to taste them all. So follow the crowds. See what the others prefer. The stalls having the most people must be serving the best beers. But do make it a point to check out some exclusive beers as well. Settle down with the one you like best, and listen to some of the best bluegrass music. The bands begin to perform from 12:30 in the afternoon. Each band gets about one hour. The last band of the day however gets one hour and thirty minutes.
When to Go
Odds n' Ends
There is only one time of the year when you can visit Asheville for the Brewgrass Festival. This festival is usually held on the third weekend in the month of September every year. But remember, you need to check the exact dates before arriving here, because the festival dates change slightly from one year to another. Of course, you can visit Asheville in other times of the year as well if you want, because the natural setting is attractive here, but you will miss the festival.
Tickets to the Brewgrass Festival will cost you $40. This includes your admission, a sample glass souvenir of the festival, and a beer sampling. One ticket will admit one person. Remember, nobody can purchase more than four tickets. There is a great demand for these tickets. In fact, the event gets sold out much in advance. So make sure to get your ticket early. Tickets usually go on sale in late May.
You can easily reach Asheville. You can take a flight to the city. The airport is serviced by several airline companies. You can take a flight from Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, NYC, Tampa, Orlando, and other cities. You can drive into town as well. You can take these highways - I-26, I-240, I-40, 19/23, 25A, 74 and 70.
There is no need to worry about accommodation, as there are plenty of options to choose from in Asheville. But remember, the price charged is usually inflated during the Brewgrass Festival. It is much cheaper in other times of the year.
Tickets to the Brewgrass Festival will cost you $40. This includes your admission, a sample glass souvenir of the festival, and a beer sampling. One ticket will admit one person. Remember, nobody can purchase more than four tickets. There is a great demand for these tickets. In fact, the event gets sold out much in advance. So make sure to get your ticket early. Tickets usually go on sale in late May.
You can easily reach Asheville. You can take a flight to the city. The airport is serviced by several airline companies. You can take a flight from Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, NYC, Tampa, Orlando, and other cities. You can drive into town as well. You can take these highways - I-26, I-240, I-40, 19/23, 25A, 74 and 70.
There is no need to worry about accommodation, as there are plenty of options to choose from in Asheville. But remember, the price charged is usually inflated during the Brewgrass Festival. It is much cheaper in other times of the year.
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