TnDC Field Trip #3 Magic City Brewfest

This may be the most fun I have had on a TnDC field trip. Merry and I got tickets for the 1st Annual Magic City Brewfest hosted by FTH (Free the Hops) on June 2nd. As soon as we got there the line was already 50 people deep BUT Merry bought us advance tickets so we coolly walked to the front after getting there 10 minutes late and started the fun. They handed us a 2oz commemorative sample glass at a tent that had the T’s for the event and several others along with tulip glasses and bumper stickers. There were a couple of guys selling bottle openers made from railroad spikes and great photos of Sloss Furnaces where the event was held. The first beer I tried was Terrapin’s IBA and it was a hoppy brown baby!! Then Rye Pale Ale had to follow. I tried 31 beers in total MULTIPLE times. There were 188 beers represented but some of the breweries didn’t show up for the first session from 2-6pm (FB Shipyard!!). Some others that I tried were Old Speckled Hen, several Samuel Smith’s brews, a few Belgians at the end and of course SweetWater 420’s Catch & Release series Road Trip Pilsner. It would have to be a toss up between this one and the exclusive beer that is soon to hit the Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Qs in the Alabama area Reverend Mudbone This was an American style Golden Ale named after a loyal Golden Retriever made by ATL Brewing Co. Now I can’t wait to have this one on draft again (thanks to the girl handing out check lists that hooked us up at the J’NN’sBBQ tent for a full glass!) We also had 3 out of 4 of the Spanish Peaks beers that Merry really liked. There were great bands, the restrooms were always quick (for me) and Merry scored us a ton of schwag!! Koozies, stickers, coasters and of course the Steve tease for a nice pint glass from SW420. By the end we were living proof that you can have a great time and get a little tanked in only 4 hours. The car ride home was interesting and the pretzel that disappeared down a certain someone’s cleavage resurfaced somehow in a nether region? Check out the FTH blog for more about the event. Can’t wait for the next field trip…