Beer Bourbon and Barbecue Festival

Attended the festival a few months ago in Cary, NC and I really enjoyed myself. Make sure you take friends with you that like to drink and eat when you go to events like these.
The tour sets up shop in a few different cities along the East coast ranging from Florida to New York offering samples of beer, bourbon and some great BBQ! The atmosphere was pretty cool; lots of people holding conversations and trying samples, the aroma of smoked meats floating through the air, and the occasional tipsy person dancing to the live music being played. The southern hospitality was the icing on the cake, and made this a great environment to be in on a Saturday afternoon.
This event was an all around great experience, I would recommend it to anyone who loves BBQ, beer, and bourbon or anyone who just simply loves BBQ. The festival is held annually, so I recommended checking out what cities they will be stopping in and trying to catch them next year. To my followers who live in the DMV area the last stop of the Tour is in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia on September 19^th. If you don’t have any plans that weekend and looking for a good time go check it out!

I attended the event on Saturday 8÷1÷15 with my husband. We both enjoy beer, bourbon and BBQ so we were excited to go. Kudos to the organizers of this festival. Koko booth amphitheater in Cary proved to be a great venue and it was organized. We found free parking and caught the shuttle to the front. There was quite a line but it moved smoothly. We got our tasting glasses and we’re on our way. Plenty to sample and lots of sites to see. BBQ food trucks, fun games and other spirits to try like gin, whiskey, vodka. So if you are not a beer lover. BBQ or bourbon lover. there is still fun to be had and things to learn and enjoy. I look forward to next year!

I don’t know what to think about the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ festival. I really like the idea and I really love outdoor festivals involving food and beer, however, for the price of the ticket, I really feel disappointed.
After attending the Beer and Bacon festival here, we opted to purchase the VIP tickets in an effort not to have to wait in the crazy long lines. The VIP ticket was good in that we got to enter 2 hours early, BUT, the lines were still long and I was really disappointed in the quantity of food. The «bbq» was basically sampling different bbq flavors — this festival could be better if a bbq sandwich and chips were included in the high ticket price. It was annoying that for the price of the ticket, we had to purchase food from the few options that were there with slightly inflated prices.
All in all, the ticket price just doesn’t justify the experience. I also feel that for both festivals (it rained) this venue is NOT all-​weather friendly. Standing in wet pine needles in the rain, slightly annoyed about high ticket prices + lack of food made for a sad and soggy me.
Soooo all of that to say, it is unlikely that we will return to this in the coming years and I cannot recommend this festival as being fun or worth paying for it. Go park it at a brewery, order some drinks and enjoy food from a food truck or something. There’s better value in that.

I attended the Beer Bourbon and Barbecue Festival this past weekend (8 – 3). I arrived a little after the official starting time of 2:00, and there was a huge line for tickets at the box office. I had ordered ahead of time thankfully, so I got to skip the long line and head straight for will-​call. My worst fears were realized when they could not find my name on the pre-​ordered list at will-​call. The person who looked up my name, wasn’t very helpful and suggested I talk to the box office people. I mentioned I had the receipt for proof of purchase on my phone and didn’t want to wait in that long line. Fortunately another Koka Booth worker was able to point me to a trigger agency person (organizing company) who looked at my e-​receipt and gave me my ticket for a glass. The $ 30+ ticket gives you unlimited tastings. I am not a bourbon drinker, but I did enjoy sampling a variety of beers. You do have to be patient though as the lines can be quite long.
I perhaps waited too long to get food, as my first choice for food (Al’s) were out of most items by 5:00. My second choice (I can’t even remember who it was, but the BBQ sandwich was pretty good), was around $ 10 for a sandwich, chips and water, so a little pricey, but that is to be expected at an event like this. The music was ok, but not any kind of popular act, just a traveling party band from Greensboro.
Over-​all a fun day, but you do have to deal with the crowds which resembled a huge frat party and the heat of August in North Carolina. I think I prefer the Wine Festival in April put on by the same organizers. Better weather and a more sophisticated group.

Went to this festival on 8÷3÷12, Friday night. The lines to obtain drinks and food were extremely long. With your admission ticket, they only gave you one meal which left me hungry. In order to buy extra food, meals cost between $ 8-​$ 12. There were a lot more beer vendors than bourbon vendors. People told me that there were a lot less bourbon vendors this year and the selection was a lot better. Some vendors ran out of alcohol early. They enjoyed the festival last year better.