This year I had the pleasure of attending my first ever beer festival, the High Country Beer Fest, located in Boone NC. Little did I know at the time, not only was I getting to enjoy sampling beers from over 50 breweries but I was also supporting a good cause. The High Country Beer Fest (HCBF), was founded by Appalachian State University Chemistry professors and local home brewers as a fundraising event for the Appalachian State University’s Chemistry and Fermentation Sciences program. The proceeds from the event go towards grants for the fermentation student program as well as local charities. This year HCBF sponsored Partners! Canine, a program that aims to save shelter dogs and puppies from euthanasia. Check out this link to learn more about this wonderful program that has saved thousands of canine friends.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at HCBF. Upon entrance to the event you’re given a 2 ounce sampling glass so you can taste to your heart (or alcohol tolerance) content. The event ran from 3pm to 7pm and featured live music and food trucks. A rookie mistake I made was grabbing a hearty lunch right before the event. If you are vegan or vegetarian and are looking for a fun and tasty restaurant check out Wild Craft Eatery (although not right before the event). I had the delicious Avocado Tempeh melt and my vegan friend is still thinking about their vegan Reuban sandwich. Wild Craft is not a fully vegan/vegetarian restaurant so there are plenty of options for meat eaters as well. Despite thoroughly enjoying my meal, I wish I either had a full brunch or took advantage of the food trucks for lunch at the event. I was so full that I could barely handle my 2 ounce pours for the first hour of the event. I had to sit it out up on the shady hill overseeing the event. Another pro tip is to bring a picnic blanket or lawn chairs if you want a place to sit down during the event.
A phenomena that I was unware of, but seasoned HCBF goers know and love, was the Bubble Man.
The Bubble Man, who to me was a mysterious man in a white lab coat blowing bubbbles during the event. I noticed that as the fest wore on the bubbles continued to grow in size. I had asked around to ascertain who this was and was met with “That’s the Bubble Man”.
The Bubble Man, also known as Kinney Baughman, is a former board member of the festival. Baughman began blowing bubbles at the event, much to the boards delight, and has become a staple of the event. He simply noticed that bubble makes people happy. And he is right, given the size of the crowd surrounding him at beer fest and the cheers from the crowd as the bubbles become larger and larger. If you attend the event, you’ll no doubt either find the bubbles floating around or glimpse The Bubble Man himself.
Besides the delicous brews, music and food; there are free fermentation seminar that are first come first serve. Something I wish I learned about before attending the event, and something I definately want to attend next year!
An important note if you plan on attending the event, or visiting Boone in general, is the lack of ride sharing. On a previous trip to Boone, there was narry a Lyft of Uber in sight, and the same held true during HCBF. If you drive to HCBF and are unsafe to drive after, you are allowed to leave your car overnight at the event. However, I reccomend taking advantange of the shuttle system. There are shuttles running from the ASU campus to the event as well as hotel shuttles. I lucked out with the La Qunta Inn’s shuttle service, and had a lovely stay at the hotel that boasted a full complementary breakfast that soothed the post HCVF hangover.
All in all, I cannot recommend this event enough. If you are a beer lover, it is the perfect place to explore brews while enjoying the sites of the Appalachian mountains.