HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Despite the threat of rainy weather, tourists and locals flocked to the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds Saturday, Oct. 26, to partake in the 4th annual Appalachian Brew, Stew, and Que festival. Numerous breweries participated in the popular craft beer event, offering unlimited tastings of their prized concoctions.

Vendors displayed wares ranging from artwork, jewelry, and fresh pecans for visitors to purchase. Area restaurants offered scrumptious barbeque plates, Brunswick Stew, and hot dogs. Musicians – including Rob Tiger of Hayesville, Granny’s Mason Jar of Bryson City, NC, Surrender Hill of Sedona, AZ, Susan Gibson from Texas, and Wyatt Espalin of Hiawassee – entertained the crowd throughout the 6-hour event.

A fairgrounds’ volunteer pouring a sample of Wicked Weed Brewery’s product.

The craft beer festival drew many visitors to the area, a plus for the local economy. Jack and Jaclyn Cook of New Hampshire stationed their recreational vehicle at an area campground to enjoy a slice of autumn in Towns County. The Cooks shared that they hope to retire in Towns County in the future. “We’re here for nine nights,” Jaclyn Cook told FYN. “We really love it here. It’s beautiful and the people are so nice. We’re enjoying the area and the festival very much.”

In short, craft beer is a brew that is made by a small, independent business in their own brewery or someone’s premises to make small batches of beer. It is authentic beer made from hops, barley, and water. It is also common to add other ingredients to create unique flavors. Brewers are transparent about what ingredients are in the beer, and the beer typically (but not necessarily) has bolder flavors.

Green Man Brewery, based in Asheville, NC, participated in the craft beer festival.

“While the boom began in earnest in the 1990s, the craft beer revolution started decades earlier,” Vine Pair, a media outlet specializing in beer, wine, and spirits, explained. “The combination of Prohibition and World War II had left America’s beer culture in a sad state, defined by relentless consolidation and the death of local, flavorful brews. It’s impossible to pin an exact date on the birth of American craft brewing, but most would agree that Fritz Maytag’s purchase of a stake in Anchor Brewing in 1965 was a seminal event. The iconic Cascade hop was made available to brewers in 1972. Sierra Nevada Brewing was founded seven years later.”

Entry to the Appalachian Brew, Stew, and Que was $35 online or $40 at the gate. Guests were supplied small, glass souvenir vessels to sample the breweries’ variety of creations.