Toast fall's arrival with tasty brews

It's mid-October and to many that means Halloween, candy corn and costume parties, but to the 4,000 attendees at this year's edition of the Brewers Jam, it is more like Christmas.

The 14th annual Knoxville Brewer's Jam, an event benefitting Community Shares, takes place Saturday in World's Fair Park, and features an entire day's worth of responsible beer sampling from brewers all over the country, as well as live music and food throughout the festivities.

Kris Lutz, Knoxville Brewer's Jam coordinator, said the original event only had 18 brewers, and this year's event has 42, an increase of five over last year's number.

A more recent change in the last couple of years is the ticket cap for the festival, stopping ticket sales at 4,000 in attendance each year. "Tickets typically sell out a week in advance and we no longer sell tickets at the gate," Lutz said. This added a "method to the madness" and helped with getting people into the festival more quickly and without confusion.

One thing Lutz stresses about the event is safety, and Community Shares has done plenty to make sure festival-goers have a safe, responsible time. If you don't have a way to get home, organizers have set up several helpful alternatives to driving your own vehicle. There are hotel packages available within walking distance of the festival. Additionally the festival has partnered with Green Car Shuttle Service. The shuttle runs from Aubrey's Restaurant, 6005 Brookvale Lane, every 30 minutes from 11:30 a.m. until the festival ends, and is free to all festival attendees.

Also available will be the Zingo service. If you've had a bit too much sampling, a driver from the Zingo service will drive you home. Zingo has no limit on where they will take you, and offers another safe alternative for returning from Brewer's Jam. "We just want to promote safety to the event," Lutz said.

The entertainment lineup for this year includes Shortwave Society, the Kevin Abernathy Band, Talking Heads tribute band Same As It Ever Was and the Drunk Uncles.

Lutz had a bit of advice for first-time jammers. Most importantly: "Pace yourself. There is a lot of beer available. Take it slow and enjoy it," Lutz said. With six hours of tasting it can be easy to get ahead of yourself. Lutz also recommends bringing sunscreen even if the weather forecast might not call for it.

Lutz says the festival "has a good vibe. After a couple of hours everyone is laid back. It's just nice to see everything fall into place."

© 2010, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!

© 2010 Knoxville.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.