Live Review: Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival

Welcome to South Australia, the self-proclaimed destination for good produce, good music and good times. The inaugural Adelaide Beer & BBQ Festival kicked off at 4pm – aka Friday knock-off drinks o’clock – in the historic Dairy Pavilion at the Wayville Showgrounds. The beers were cold, the grilled meats were hot off the coals and the festival organisers promised that there would be an abundance of both. Naturally, this was enough of an incentive to have all bros flocking to the showgrounds to sample the best of SA’s best brews.

On entering the festival site, attendees were provided with a stein that would later hold many award-winning beers and ciders across the night. The key was to pace drinks and mix and mingle with friends and gourmet barbecued foods. After working out the ‘token for beers’ system and checking the complimentary event guide, armed with a stein-ready drink, the event began.

BEERS

The Dairy Pavilion housed more than 35 different local, interstate and international brands of beers and ciders. Attendees were able to taste-test a range of brews by popular brewers including WA’s Little Creatures while local craft brewers, Pikes Beer Company, offered clean-cut ale as well as a beasty stout. There was an awards ceremony judged by local connoisseurs. Prancing Pony were the newly-minted trophy winners for Champion Small Brewery award. But mostly, attendees were happy wandering around trying new beers and crisp ciders while speaking with the brewers about their products.

BBQ

The traditional way to end a night of merry drinking is to go “sober up” with some hearty food. Headed by prominent chefs, the four local food vendors happily served up cuts of meat and copious sides to keep beer bellies warm and full. Iconic SA pub The King’s Head’s BBQ menu featured a gourmet hotdog with a side of roast potatoes and sour cream. This event was truly a vegetarian’s nightmare but for the few delicious sides to pick at. Jack Ruby’s smoky ears of corn flecked with parmesan were great alone or paired with some ‘slaw and the assortment of barbecued ribs and burgers and pulled beef poutine. Boutique eatery The Happy Motel served unique sandwich combinations, including a fragrant grilled chicken on charred flatbread with a selection of complimentary condiments. A varied menu of just about all the farm animals you could think of were put on the hot coals, delicious after lining up for about 20-30 minute to get some beer-friendly grub.

MUSIC

The dairy hall had set up a pretty nifty main stage to host the truly local line-up of bands and DJs. First up on the bill of entertainment was chief playlist maker and local radio host, Luke Penman, whose 100 per cent SA DJ set consisted of abrupt crossfades between hip hop and abrasive garage rock. Cosmo Thundercat then played an hour-long set before Max Savage & The False Idols rocked the stage with Savage’s soulful, robust voice to bring in the night. The best thing about the music was the unified sound system that played throughout the beer hall and then through the speakers outside. The music helped create a “pub rock” atmosphere in both outdoor and indoor settings. It was a nice way to spend time between drinking and feasting.

Many beer enthusiasts happily pretended to know what a good beer entails while gladly walking around the site enjoying the atmosphere, beer and cheer.