What's The Big Deal With Beer Jolais?
If you want the full story on the origin of Beer Jolais, you can visit the Beer Jolais page on our website here. That article is about where we came from, whereas this blog post is more about where we're going. Or where we're trying to go anyway.
This year proves to be a very different Beer Jolais. We are going to stick to what it was founded on...Bluegrass Music and Beer...but we are adding a few things to make it an even more exciting day. It's always been my favorite day of the year, and we're hoping to make it that way for you too.
We have at least four bands performing this year. Maybe more. This will help make Beer Jolais more like a festival, where we can invite our friend bands to play some tunes, and invite their friends and families to join us in the celebration. What is a Bluegrass Festival without a Bluegrass Jam? That's why we decided to add a Bluegrass Jam in between bands, so make sure you bring your instruments. All are welcome. Even accordions. We're also going to have some friends organize an informal Bluegrass Trivia tournament. Did you know that Chubby Wise was the original fiddle player for Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys? You might want to study up if you want to hoist the trophy. Shoot, now I have to make a trophy.
We're in talks with a few different food carts, mostly because we don't want to cook. We're going to play the music, and leave the cooking to the experts. So bring a few bucks for the food carts.
Finally, the beer. This festival was founded on a love of Bluegrass Music and cold beer. As it began, "Bring a six-pack, Try something new, Party in the Barn." We might not be in a barn anymore, but we're sill encouraging everyone to bring a sixer, throw it in the community ice bucket, and have a good time. Don't drink the hard stuff? That's fine! My preferred six-pack has been Mexican Coke for a few years now, so I will make sure to have a bunch on hand. I think my mom still drinks wine coolers, because she's classy like that. Whatever you like, bring it along. Carl will most likely have a few fancy cidres, so he can sit around talking about how much he hates gluten. Krist and Jake will probably brew a few home batches to bring along. Just be careful with the bottles...they explode.
We're looking forward to sharing this new format with you, and we hope it really grows into something as special for you as it is for us. Please make sure you have Saturday, August 26th circled on your calendar. Sure, your cousin or niece is getting married that day, but you haven't talked to her in years, and the music probably won't be that good anyway. Send your regrets with a Target gift card. She'll appreciate it. And we will too.
-k
