You never know where you’ll meet a Max Lager’s fan.
For my birthday this year I could not pass up going to the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I mean, I grew up there, it was happening on my birthday weekend and acts like Paul Simon, the Foo Fighters, Primus, Umphrees Magee and Grace Potter were playing just to name a very few of the great bands there that weekend. On the first day, Kelli and I got into the festival, worked our way to the “Hangout Stage” at one end of the beach and spread the blanket out. Immediately I sought out beer…big surprise. Uggghhh…we had a selection of bad or worse macro brews…”oh well, I hope nobody sees me drink this” I think to myself. I get back to our spot in the sun and plop down waiting for Warren Hanes to take the stage. A nice couple, Travis and Becky, spread out next to us and we asked them to pull their blanket close so we could keep people from walking between us. I struck up a conversation with them, asking where they had come in from.
“Huntsville” they replied. Then I noticed that Travis was drinking a deep amber colored beer…
“Where’d you get that and what is it?”
“Sweetwater IPA…they have one booth way on the other end”
Jackpot!! Real beer! Of course the conversation turned to beer, as so many of my conversations do. Kelli offered up that I am the brew master at Max Lager’s. Both Travis and his wife Becky got wide eyed and responded in unison “Max Lager’s???!!! We LOVE that place! That’s our hangout whenever we go to Atlanta for concerts at the Tabernacle or Phillips Arena!”
35 to 40,000 people in a festival and I meet up with beer fans that are fans of MY beer! Small world…it must have been destiny because the next day guess who plopped down right next to us? Travis and Becky…and on the drive home at a random rest stop below Montgomery? Travis and Becky. We of course exchanged phone numbers and I look forward to seeing them next time they are in Atlanta.
