Warning: this should only be read by people who are legal drinking age, and whatever mental age allows you to not judge people who enjoy good beer.

Some day, I'll learn to use the camera on my phone.

When I first heard a radio ad for the Tennessee Cigar & Brew Fest, I thought I must have misheard, because it said it was in Jackson. Surely they meant you could buy tickets in Jackson, or you could get there from Jackson or this will never happen in Jackson, but I looked it up, and they were RIGHT. There was going to be a beer fest in Jackson. Jackson, Tennessee!!

So I checked the date, asked my wife if she’d be willing to shuttle me there and back, and started checking into it. It looked legit, so I invited a friend because beer sampling is always better with friends, and was pleased to see they had a facebook page.
We weren’t sure what to expect when we headed in to the Fairgrounds but we figured for $20 ($25 at the door) we wouldn’t be too disappointed. It didn’t look like a lot when we walked in, but then we began to explore and started to realize it would take a full day to sample everything. We made the circuit, trying a few samples from various tables, and realized pretty quickly that we needed to pace ourselves. The fest had opened at 11 a.m. and it was not yet noon.

Both my friend and I have lived in the area for 20+ years and were surprised by how few people we knew there. We did run into a few folks, but there were lots of people from out of town, and the mix was interesting. There was a contingent of metal fans, bikers, and many middle class white guys. At one table, a guy asked the vendors what he should try if his favorite beer was Coors Light. He was promptly tarred and feathered.

Some of the beers that I sampled were familiar; Newcastle, Lazy Magnolia, Sam Adams, and Yazoo for example. A lot of the beers there were being served by distributors and volunteers, so the range of knowledge varied from “I have no idea” to “the original gravity on these beers ranges from… and the ingredients include…”.

It would not bother me if the Cigar and Brew Fest was just a Brew Fest. Cigars do not lend themselves to good sampling, but I enjoy cigars, so after a great polish sausage from the company that is normally in front of the Lowe’s on Vann Dr. we hit the cigar tent. Our gift bags came with a few free cigars, and there were also some giveaways from Ye Olde Pipe Shoppe, but they ran out before I picked one up.  Punch was one of the sponsors, so they were giving away a nice cigar and clippers, which also ran out. I tried a Garo that was in my bag, thinking that if it was free, it probably wasn’t all that great, and was impressed. The cigar tent was too small, and you could smell it all over the beer sampling area, so they should consider a different plan for that next year. I am hoping that there will be a next year.

By far, my favorite area was the home brewers’ area. These were friendly beer lovers who brewed some outstanding beer. I was given a beer making kit several years ago, but never found the time to brew my own. These people were not using a kit that they got from a drugstore, and it showed. Some incredible varieties and flavors, some conditioned in whiskey barrels, some first batches, and lots of remarkable beers were available here. There were lots of great beers, here, but these folks added a lot to the festival.

I don’t know much about the people who organized this event, or how much they had to make to make it worthwhile to make it to Jackson, but this was a great event, and I hope they’ll be able to do it again next year, maybe the last Saturday in October again?