If you are a music lover and love beer, Sunday is your day. If you are a beer lover and you love music, then Sunday is your day, too.
The Hop Jam 2017 in the Brady Arts District will start for the Hop Snob VIPs and Hop Head early-entry tasters at 2 p.m. Sunday. The gates open for everyone at 3 p.m. for beer and music festivities.
This is the fourth year of the festival, and it continues to improve. I can remember during the first festival, so many people showed up that they ran out of some of the beers. That hasn’t happened since. One thing about the Hansons: They want the best for their fans, be it music or beer.
“Last year was a huge amount of growth so we are building on that and really focusing on the experience for both brewers, music fans and guests of all kinds,” said Taylor Hanson of Hanson and Hanson Brothers Beer Co. “We will have over 60 brewers, breweries from all over and a huge group of Oklahoma breweries, of course, because that’s grown so much.”
“This year, you can get the Hop Head ticket, which is special. You get the hat and early entry. But there is also the VIP, where people that really want to have that in-depth experience. Check out the Hop Talks, where brewers talk about beer,” he said.
If you have never been to a beer festival before, you should remember to pace yourself. Some of the beers the brewers bring are special and some will have a higher alcohol content than your Oklahoma grocery store-bought beer. So pace yourself, eat plenty of food and drink plenty of water. Remember, there is a reason it is called a sample glass. Hop Jam also offers a Designated Driver ticket if you don’t plan on drinking. For all tickets: thehopjam.com/tickets.html
“This year’s event overall is all about making the experience even better,” Hanson said.
“The Hop jam ultimately is a celebration of this awesome community. That community means that we can have a big show that’s all-ages that everybody can enjoy. Amazing music, amazing beers. That stuff can co-exist,” he said.