Beer, barbecue abound during Hops and Hogs festival in downtown Aiken

Jun. 5—Open parking spaces were hard to find, but beer and barbecue abounded Friday evening with Aiken Downtown Development Association having its annual Hops and Hogs event. The festival drew thousands of visitors and offered plenty of opportunities to sample suds from several states and options such as brisket sandwiches and pulled pork.

"Everything was so great. We had such a huge turnout," said Haley Knight, ADDA's director, who estimated the turnout as bigger than the traditional 8,000 and probably closer to 10,000.

She added, "Typically, that event represents over 20 different regional ... craft breweries throughout South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia, and ... I think we had close to 40 different beers and then a few wines and seltzers also."

Much of the event was also set to live music courtesy of Radio Source, a Columbia-based rock group composed of singer Stephen King, bassist John Hancock, guitarist Johnny Drake and drummer Josh Ramsden.

"It was awesome. We had such a great show, and the crowd was into it and having a good time," King said. "We really enjoyed the energy of Aiken. We always have a good time when we play in Aiken. It is a very live-music-oriented town, and we couldn't have put on the show we put on had it not been for the energy from Aiken."

J.R. Caughman, co-owner of Gilbert-Lo-Fi Brewing, was on board as one of the sponsors and supplied such creations as a Mexican lager, blueberry wheat and glitter pony (a "Belgian triple," he explained).

"We thought it was a great venue. The location was good, the music was great and the volunteers did a great job, too," Caughman said, adding that his operation ran out of beer. "That's always good and it's bad," he said, with a laugh.

Several other culinary options were also a part of the gathering. Flanigan's Ice Cream was part of the package, and employee Jacob Lee noted that the business went through six or seven gallon tubs of ice cream.

"I think they did a great job," said Beech Island resident John Rutland. "The band was really good. ... The festival was well-controlled, and I think the vendors were really good as well. It was a great turnout down there, and I think it benefitted the businesses in The Alley, too, because they were quite crowded as well."

Hops, according to the American Hop Museum, in Toppenish, Washington, are flowers (also known as seed cones or strobiles) "used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart bitter, zesty, or citric flavours."

The AHM summary notes that "for the hop lovers out there, there is a stunning array of hop varieties — with new ones being developed all the time — that brewers employ singly or in combination."

Among other sponsors of this year's Hops and Hogs were Dumpster Depot, Wicked Weed Brewing, Austin and Pethick (law firm) and Steel Hands Brewing.