Country Music Embraces Craft Beer and Wine

KFRG Presents Driftwood Starts a Little Slow but Rapidly Blossoms Into a Fantastically Fun Event

What do you get when country music embraces craft beer and wine? A rollicking good time!

The 1st annual KFRG Presents Driftwood Country Music Festival combined country music with craft beer, artisanal wine and BBQ. Held this past Saturday (November 12th), the huge attendance and the wide smiles on all the faces confirmed this festival delivered a major hit. Produced by premier music festival production company Synergy Global Entertainment (SGE), Orange County, California’s most successful and respected craft beer festival producer Brew Ha Ha Productions, and California’s new country KFRG-FM (K-Frog), this festival hit all the right notes and delivered a great time.

Radio Station KFRG Was the Headlining Sponsor for the Driftwood Country Music Festival

Due to a construction and safety delay, the festival event actually started about an hour late. “Early” entry started around noon instead of 11am. However, those waiting in line were patient and in good cheer. Once the festival started, everything worked smoothly and the flow of music, craft beer, wine, and food soon had everyone celebrating. From my point of view, festival operations were professionally staffed and expertly run.

Festival attendees roamed throughout Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, right off the shore of the Pacific Ocean. A beautiful ocean view, warm and mostly sunny skies, and cool ocean breezes combined to form a perfect festival day. In the evening, a breathtaking sunset created an amazing and surreal pink sky view.

This Lady’s T-Shirt Perfectly Tells the Festival Theme

Music

The festival featured a full afternoon and evening of eclectic music ranging from country to Americana and mariachi rock, with performances from Nashville hit maker Jerrod Niemann, along with Rodney Atkins, Thompson Square, Parmalee, The White Buffalo, Mariachi El Bronx, and Danny Worsnop. A large grassy area provided the perfect setting for blankets and chairs as attendees enjoyed top-notch music performances.

Festival Attendees Set Up Blankets and Chairs While Waiting for the Music to Start

Rodney Atkins and Jerrod Niemann Headlined the Music Acts

Country Music Embraces Craft Beer and Wine

Festival attendees enthusiastically sampled from more than 100 craft beers and artisanal wines. The festival admission included unlimited tastings from noon to 4pm. I did not witness any shortages of craft beer or wine.

Participating breweries from throughout California at the Driftwood Festival included AleSmith, Artifex Brewing Company, Barley Forge, Bootleggers, Bottle Logic Brewing, Chapman Crafted, Coronado Brewing Co., Firestone Walker, Hangar 24, Left Coast Brewing, Mother Earth Brewing Co., Ritual Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada, Telegraph Brewing, Lost Coast Brewing and more. Samples of some of the world’s finest craft beer flowed and brewers offered a wide selection of craft beer styles. And I can honestly say that I enjoyed every single beer of the very many that I tried.

On the Grass…

or on the Beach…

Samples of Some of the World’s Finest Craft Beer Flowed From Noon to 4pm

For those preferring wine, wineries such as Chateau Souverain, Chronic Cellars, J Lohr, Liberated, Story Point, William Hill, and Wilson Creek offered wide selections of delicious artisanal white and red wines.

Bottle of Wine, Fruit of the Vine…Served When You Come Over

BBQ and Other Food

The festival provided BBQ and other foods. Vendors included the Backyard BBQ Village, Wise BBQ Truck, Viking Truck, Wings N’ Waffles, Pink Taco, and K-FROG Bacon Nation food truck. Picnic table areas speckled Doheny State Park making seating plentiful and eating from plates easy.

Plentiful Picnic Tables Made Eating Easy and Comfortable

My wife and I ate lunch from the Pink Taco truck, enjoying their Street Gang Tacos Special. The Sweet Potato Taco with pickled peppers was off the charts delicious. The Baja Shrimp Taco was excellent but very spicy.

Those seeking traditional BBQ fare were not disappointed. Vendors offered a wide array of BBQ steak, ribs, pulled pork, chicken, and turkey options.

Additionally, chicken waffles soothed the taste buds of many.

People

The nicest throng of festival attendees I have ever met populated the Driftwood Country Music Festival. Everyone I met was engaging and genuinely friendly. On this day, Doheny State Park took the title of “the happiest place on earth”.

However, imagine my surprise and disappointment when my wife told me it was time for a “booty call” and this is what she meant.

Final Thoughts

Festival co-producer Cameron Collins of Brew Ha Ha Productions said, “The opportunity to bring craft beer, BBQ and country music to Doheny State Beach is something we at Brew Ha Ha Productions are incredibly excited about! We have always made it a point to have each event we produce be different from the last; we want them to stand on their own and have their own personalities. Driftwood has done exactly that. We have some of the finest craft beer in the world along side tasty local BBQ and an incredibly talented lineup of country music stars. As Jerrod Niemann says, ‘I can drink to that all night!’”

Sunset at Driftwood – photograph courtesy of Driftwood Music Festival

Every time I go to a festival, I always ask myself if I would go again. In the case of the Driftwood Country Music Festival the answer is “Hell yes! When country music embraces craft beer and wine at Driftwood Country Music Festival then count me in.”