Inebriated Wisdom 2016 TN Winter Beer Fest In what is referred to as the ‘Peaceful Side of the Smokies,’there lies a small town by the name of Townsend, TN. Located in Blount County, this area is one of the three gateways to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you are lucky enough to be a Knoxville native, you know just how beautiful this area can be throughout the seasons, especially in the fall. If you are listening to this podcast from out of state, put this area on your “must see” list. You will not be disappointed and the area will inspire you, I promise… On the weekend of February 27, 2016, I attended an awesome local event that actually inspired me to do more good things with the gifts that I have been so fortunately granted. The event was the 5th annual TN Winter Beer Fest. And oh-man was it a fun time. I admit, I was there recording to get some good content to use on the show, and you’ll hear some in a bit that made the final cuts, but I was also there to experience the event as a first timer. I am and always will be a student of the beer ways, and my goal was to taste and educate myself on as many styles as my tastebuds could handle before being immune to hops and malty flavors. I think I succeeded, at the very least I got to hang out with some truly awesome people from the Brew scene around the area. Some of them I have already interviewed for the show, others I will get to as the day job allows… In attendance were several breweries from around the area, some even had to travel a little ways to be a part of this event. Breweries included: (in no particular order) Saw Works Brewing Company Blue tick Brewery Fanatic Brewing Company Depot Street Brewing Yee-Haw Brewing Company Balter Beerworks Crafty Bastard Brewery Blackhorse Brewery Johnson City Brewing Company Holston River Brewing Company Last Days of Autumn Brewing Calfkiller Brewing Company South College Brewing Program A great many samples of some great beers was enjoyed by all in attendance. I cannot pick favorites, because they all had some awesome offerings, but of particular note is a short audio segment I got to record a segment with the winner of last year’s prize that was auctioned off. They were able to collaborate with a brewer and have their own beer introduced. The winner got to work with Crafty Bastard’s own, Aaron McClain. What the winner, Goose Harris, and Aaron came up with has to be one of the most unique tastes I’ve encountered thus far. Listen to the segment coming up to hear more about the creation and thought process behind this great ‘Earl Grey Tea” Beer offering. - audio clip - I also ran into, almost literally one South College’s students there and we had a chat about what drew her to studying Brewing Science. Yes, I did ask her what her favorite yeast was…. She also gave a quick run down of the quick and dirty “how to brew Beer.” -audio clip - As a wrap up after I tracked down some of the guys responsible for this event. The Knox Beer Snobs own Rob Shomaker and Don Kline, I also got chance to speak to the Casual Pint’s own Nathan Robinette. -audio clip- I saved the best information for last, this event is a put on to raise money for a certain Center, near and dear to our hearts. The New Hope Blount County Children’s Advocacy Center. As a result of this event, we were able to raise… drum roll please… $20,000.00 to help make difference in the lives of children in the Blount County area. So all in all, it was a very good time for a very worthy cause. I look forward to next year’s event as well and hope to see a few of you, the listeners there as well. I’m not hard to miss, just look for the 7 foot tall giant tasting all the beers, with headphones, a microphone, and note pad attached to my free hand. Let’s face it, I work a little too much at most events, but it is all a labor of love to try and learn as much as I can and pass that Inebriated Knowledge on to you… Cheers!!! All music for the show provided by http://audionautix.com/