Cask and Drum

First off, I want to state that this review is only for the 2015 festival. I have heard great things about previous years, and think that the location and set up just flat out killed it. To set up the review, my partner can not drink beer. Fortunately, I noticed that the festival calls itself a «music, beer, and wine festival» on the website, which I was very pleased to hear… otherwise, we would not have attended. The only stage was the one inside Avondale Brewery’s property, which sits in a corned up next to the building. I noticed on the gate entering their property that you could not bring any wine or beer from the vendors that were set up on the adjacent street into the main stage area. In other words, if you wanted to have wine or something other than Avondale Beer, you had to sit at a table on the street, far away from the stage. We brought our blankets and were ready to lay in the grass and enjoy a day of music… which we were unable to do. If I wanted to sit outside the concert area, I would have just stayed across the street on the patio at Saturn and heard the music for free! I appreciate Avondale helping to sponsor the event (and I do love several Avondale Beers), but do not at all appreciate their flat out takeover of the festival. I am sure the street vendors were put out too… who would buy drinks that can’t even be consumed in the main festival area? The couple of bands that we did get to catch were good, even though we couldn’t really see them that well (as we were sitting out on the main street so my partner could enjoy his drink too.) I sincerely hope that the event moves back to it’s old location, or somewhere else in general… because if it is here again, we will never return.

This year it was at Avondale Brewery. Outside of Avondale, the street was blocked with vendors selling beer and wine. First they would not let you bring other beer in Avondale to the stage area. The outside vendors had a white and red wine (both chilled??). I can not drink beer so I was standing in the street… not fun. It was like Avondale Brewery monopolized the event. You could not go in (Avondale) if you bought wine or beer from the vendors… so, you could not see the bands. If they continue to do it here… at least sell wine inside of Avondale… This event was not worth the money and was not like the other years. They said you could not bring the beer/​wine in from other vendors because its the law… but you could take Avondale beer outside their gate and come back in with Avondale beer… monopoly

This gets five stars due to Will coming through with the VIP bands! We thought Unilocal was offering gen admission, so Erin and I planned to go to Cask & Drum from 11 – 2, watch football at a friend’s 2:30−8 or so and maybe come back. We hit the gate around noon and, much to our surprise, were admitted with VIP bands. This meant we had unlimited food and drink the WHOLE day, plus access to the upstairs for an additional TV. Let’s just say the only $ we spent that day was on coffee beforehand and tips for the bartenders. We heard a few bands here and there, but cut out shortly after Erin’s LSU game ended since she was fading fast from the day’s imbibement. Probably the best perk of being a Unilocal Elite thus far… get to writing!

This event is super fantastic!!! Though lots of promotion around town, lots of my friends knew nothing about it. Nonetheless, the second year was well attended. We had passes for the kickin chicken wing fest. Can you say… FUN! Between the two of us, we had 10 tickets to try wings and vote on the best. We managed to use 9 of the 10 tickets before we got full. Just to name a few favorites: Billy’s, Basil, Otey’s, Carrigan’s (minus the nuts). To fill you in, local restaurants brought kitchens/​warmers/​fryers and provided wings for patrons with tickets. How awesome! Beer/​wine were also available for purchase. If you didn’t have cash… an ATM was right around the corner. If you pulled out the big bucks, you could’ve enjoyed the wine/​beer tasting under another tent for 2 hours.
We enjoyed the SEC football under the nicely decorated tent. Nearby there was a fun filled kids zone for the kiddos. To add to the fun, Buffalo Wild Wings sponsored a hot wing eating contest… need I say more?
Now for the music!!! Oh My Goodness, the music. What a blast. Two alternating stages was such a perfect idea. Thankfully, we had front row standing seats for some amazingly talented folks: Kansas Bible Company, Paul McDonald, Drew Holcomb and the neighbors.
If you found yourself getting hungry, several food trucks lined up for your tasting pleasure. All in all, beer/​wine for purchase as well
One of the best parts of Cask and Drum is that it’s literally an all day event. We came early, left for a few hours, then returned for more.
We’re looking forward to it next year
Happy-​happy festival days in Birmingham!

I think all in all that Cask and Drum balanced a variety of stellar things in a single day event. In addition, the fest had tickets as low as $ 30 for general admission (a steal in my opinion) and upwards to $ 200 (for Cask Passes and VIP). Each ticket covered great music all day long, admission to the Kick’n Chick’n Wing Fest, and access to fun activities in the Backyard Birmingham. The Kick’n Chick’n Wing Fest featured a wing competition, up to 5 tastings for each festival goer from numerous local restaurants, and a free Cajun boil (featuring shrimp, scallops, crawfish tails, potatoes, baby corn, and mushrooms). VIP passes and Cask passes included an exclusive midday International Wines and Cask Beer Tasting Experience. In addition, the fest had a Backyard Birmingham that included fun things for families and kids to do along with a college football tailgate viewing area.
The artists featured on the Cask and Drum stage included: Kansas Bible Company, (Birmingham’s own) Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, Wild Cub, Lucero, Drive-​By Truckers, and Girl Talk. The Reg’s Coffee House Stage included performances by the following: Paul McDonald, Jamestown Revival, The Apache Relay, Houndmouth, and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors.
All I can say is that my weekend ended on a high note thanks to the amazing team that organized Cask & Drum 2014!!! I ended a day that was filled with plenty of fun, great people, amazing music, refreshing brews (though I would like to see more local breweries featured next year), and delicious food by dancing the night away onstage with Girl Talk! I can’t wait to see what happens with next year’s third Cask and Drum!

To me, there are three main factors that always make or break an outdoor music festival: weather, volume, and beer. And although I did enjoy myself, personally Cask & Drum didn’t quite master any of the three.
Weather:
I know, I know, you can’t control the weather, but boy, oh boy, at least pick a space with some shade! October can be finicky in terms of temperature, but one should still anticipate that, in Alabama, it’s probably gonna be hot. After about only fifteen minutes, we found ourselves cramming up close to the building with dozens of others trying to get out of the sun for a bit. The Gameday Tent was already packed to capacity and, although shaded, almost warmer than standing out in the elements. Other than the lack of shade, the area was nice (right by Pepper Place) with plentiful street parking.
Volume:
(I repeat) I know, I know, you want the music loud enough for everyone can hear it, but I shouldn’t have to stand six hundred feet back just to comprehend the music! If we got much closer, all we got was speaker base.
I’ll redeem that by saying the lineup at this festival was pretty rockin’! I hadn’t been previously familiar with some of the daytime bands, but I loved Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires and can’t say I didn’t’ enjoy the others as well.
Beer:
I’m picky about my beers. A festival like this is the PERFECT opportunity to showcase some of the local (or regional, at least) craft beers, but the festival seemed dominated by miller lite. Bleh. Personal taste, that’s all.
I think next year, I’ll invest in getting a VIP ticket to get access to the tent with seating, pizza and beer (plus nice bathrooms) — it’s the little luxuries that make an event like this special.
I also wish there had been a few more craft vendors there. There was a small booth right out by the entrance, which misled me to expect more. It would add a little something more to the event.

I can’t say enough about how amazing this event was. The bands that the organizers lined up was such a perfect amalgamation of genres that appeal to all ages that there was no way to fail.
Add to the music a most excellent beer and wine tasting along with all the best of the local food truck scene and you have the perfect festival experience.

Great inaugural Cask and Drum! Good food trucks and decent beer options. Sun is a factor. Bring sunglasses or a hat and a blanket so you can camp out on the grass :)