Brewgrass Festival

What better way to get acquainted with your new life here in Beer City than to experience their 20th Annual Brewgrass Festival? That is correct- none better!!!Boyfriend and I both entered in a Yelp Instagram contest to score two free tickets (since moving has definitely wiped out a lot of our dough) and we were lucky enough to actually win! Yaaaaay thanks Yelp! Got to the stadium just a smidge after one and there was already a wrap around line! But I gotta hand it to the crew they had- that line was moving and we only waited maybe 10 minutes before we were checked in with our beer sampling glass in hand! ;)A friend of ours from Greenville (who we had the pleasure of meeting in Hawaii before we left) ended up coming out to the event with her friend so we set off as the Fantastic Drinking Four! There was such a variety of breweries there and each one had a few different beers to choose from so everyone is happy! Special shout out to Beer for Boobs and their award winning lanyard contraption that held our little beer cups for us! Adjustable so boyfriend can walk around at home with a pint readily available while his hands are free, haha!Overall it was a great day of drinking, eating (I got to try Alligator for the first time!!), meeting new friends (looking at you, Sarah Jane and the Richard Crew), enjoying great music and just overall having a spectacular time. I will be back next year, and this time armed with a pretzel necklace! ;)

Pretty let down with this year's festival. Beer selections were nothing special... I want limited releases and beers you can't get from the grocery store when paying $60+ for a beer festival. Several breweries were missing. Where was Burial, Wicked Weed, Fonta Flora, anyone from Charlotte (besides Unknown, who are gross)?? On top of that, they sold WAY too many tickets. And, last but not least, the AstroTurf on the fest field was gross, coating everything -- our feet, legs, blanket, chairs -- within minutes of being there. This was likely our last Brewgrass. I'm going to stick with Burial's awesome pay as you go ($4 for a glass, $2 for tasting tickets) festivals from here on out. Way better value and the beer is so much better than the run of the mill offerings Brewgrass had.A few other annoyances I forgot to note... Dump buckets were not emptied throughout the day and overflowing an hour into the day. The line to get in at 1:45pm was way too long considering gates had been open for almost an hour. Plastic "glasses" this year? Really, you guys? You couldn't spring for real glass?!? Tacky.

This is an award-winning festival, and its reputation came with a warning that tickets go fast. I was prepared to purchase them when the clock ticked time, but not prepared for Etix to immediately crash under the demand of eager boozers such as myself. A ten-minute panic attack ensued as I refreshed my browser every five seconds, and stalked Brewgrass's social sites for an update on ticket status. Luckily, Etix came back online, stopped flashing the "Sold Out" verbiage, and I was able to get in, purchase my package, and get out.So many months ago, the anticipation really had time to reach a fever pitch. And as luck would have it, the weather was bright, sunshine-y, and beautiful this weekend! Couple things that would have been nice to know in advance...1) There were 3 lines leading to the gate; we were in the longest (incorrectly assumed that one was Will Call, and didn't even see the other line til we got closer); ALL of the lines were for general entry -- some much faster than others.2) There's no festival map provided, or program listing who's there and what's on tap. However, the brewery booths are arranged in alphabetical order.3) It's in a ballpark, so there's no shade. Come with lawn chairs and pop-up tents so you can really relax and enjoy the live music.There were only four restaurant booths available, but the choices were solid and pretty well-priced. There was also a pretzel vendor and a kettle corn vendor. Water sold for $1 -- cheap, but sometimes leads to a greater number of drunk folk when not made complimentary. But even though the fest was 7 hours, I didn't see anyone getting unruly. We stayed for about 5 hours. There were also plenty of port-a-potties; I didn't have to wait. There was a great variety of breweries -- from really micro up to big names like New Belgium, and from East to West coast; and a great selection of beer. Nearly every vendor brought 3 or more. Several tapped special limited varieties each hour. (Again, would have been nice to have a program, so you could plan an attack.) From coconut porters and sour peach to traditional IPAs and local honey saisons, there was something for every beer drinker. The best thing about this Beer Fest as opposed to others I've been to is that they didn't over-sell the tickets. It was a perfect crowd -- enough to feel like a party; not so many that the lines were long... other than Wicked Weed, that is! What they were putting in their beer... well, your guess is as good as mine :)

We were given tickets by a friend who couldn't make it and drove up from Atlanta to join some other friends. We have volunteered at many Atlanta beer fests over the years (free admission and the same access to the beer) and were looking forward to going. A trip to Asheville is exciting for any reason!When we drove by we saw how long the line was and decided to ride around for a bit to let it die down. Half an hour later and it was even worse. But we got in line anyway. Thankfully it moved quickly, but it was REALLY, REALLY long.I am a non-beer drinker but my husband loves these events. Our tickets were regular admission so I was curious, for next year, about the DD tickets available only on the day of the event. When we finally got to the gate, we were rushed through like cattle and I never saw a place to purchase the DD tickets. Oh well - why welcome the DD's when you can charge them full price?We parked ourselves in front of the stage and the beer drinkers were off! As others have said, there is no shade so be prepared with hats and sunscreen. Chairs, blankets, etc are encouraged, although you can sit in the bleachers. Where, rumor has it, there's a breeze. There were a couple of food trucks, the water was free (not sure if they still had water by the end of the day), and there were ample port o potties with nice hand washing stations. The bands were good, the people watching top notch. No smoking on the actual football field was allowed - kudos!!! So why not 4 or even 5 stars? The lines!!!!! We were in the middle of the football field and there were numerous times that the beer lines were so long I found myself surrounded. While sitting my chair!!!! There were plenty of other people around me in chairs, as well, and they also got lost in the crowd. Previous years reviews mentioned that it was the perfect sized event but this felt like they tried to sell way too many tickets. Standing in a twenty minute line for 4 ozs of beer is crazy! Oh, and the crappy astro-turf that ended up on everyone and everything. Don't get me wrong - I'll go again. Better prepared next time.

Very cool festival lots of options, great food! Lots of bathrooms. Defiantly bring a chair.

This place was amazing there were a crazy amount of beers to choose from and try and the music is blasting and awesome and everyone is just dancing trying beers eating from food trucks and listening to some great music so worth it!! I went to the yelp counter and they took a picture of us and gave us a print out for free to document our time it was awesome this is a must go!!!

First time at the festival and thought it was super fun. Excellent selection of local and non local beers. Nice food options. Free water and ample bathrooms. This is a beer festival not to be missed!

I don't think you could get a better value with $40. With around 40+ craft breweries from California to Maine filling keepsake tasting glasses among bluegrass music playing on a stage for seven hours, you've got to be in beer heaven. Food vendors from prized local restaurants dish out their customers' favorites for good prices, too. The local MALT homebrewers' association sells pretzel necklaces and cold water on the cheap. Forget the seriousness of the GABF, bring your lawn chairs, blankets, hats and sunscreen for a darn good time in Asheville, NC. Next year is the 15th annual festival, and tickets will sell out in less than 24 hours. Good luck! But don't fret folks, typically ticket holders are selling extras at face value near the entrance gate the day of the event. Cheers!

First time to Brewgrass- was fun to volunteer for first half and sample for the second! Lots of lines but they moved pretty fast. Wasn't a fan of the plastic turf sticking to everything though