MILLS RIVER, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Timber! Appalachian Mountain Brewery is chopping away winter and cutting loose for spring with their annual Flannel Fest.
Flannel Fest 2025 will be held from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday, March 1 at Appalachian Mountain Brewery – Mills River, 46 North Mills River Road.
“Flannel Fest is an AMB tradition that started up in Boone and we’ve adopted it since we opened this taproom in 2023,” said AMB taproom manager Adam Barone.
The event is a flannel-clad, free to the public celebration of the coming of spring at the brewery.
“It’s sort of a big end-of-winter party, like the last hurrah of winter,” said Barone. “We invite everyone to wear their best flannel.”
Flannel Fest features several lumberjack-y games and competitions, including a two-person crosscut saw competition and Hammerschlagen, a German drinking game.
“It’s basically an old Oktoberfest German tradition where the object is to flip the hammer and land it on a single nail in one strike,” Barone explained. “We’ll do a $100 gift card to the best time on the crosscut saw competition. Hammerschlagen’s just for fun, pretty much.”
Hammerschlagen and crosscut saw competitors won’t need to register ahead of time to participate. All they need to do is show up and saw out. Of course, there is some technique involved, Barone said.
“It’s a two-person saw that we’ll set up on a big sawbuck. It’s all about technique and getting into the right rhythm and getting through as fast as you can,” Barone advised.
For flannel-wearing folks who aren’t sated by the saws and hammers, there will also be an axe-throwing station courtesy of local business Axe Mobile AVL.
Coupled with drink specials, hearty food and performances by Appalachian soul musician Will Hartz and bluegrass band Crystal Fountains, Flannel Fest is out to feature as much mountain culture as possible. It’s part of the AMB brand.
“Being kind of born up in the High Country in Boone, we’ve borrowed a lot of those elements and tried to recreate them down here,” Barone said.
The AMB location in Boone will have a concurrent Flannel Fest with an extra emphasis on music.
Especially as Hurricane Helene recovery continues, AMB is happy to be a space to enjoy for locals and visitors alike.
“It’s been easy to forget that there was a major disaster because within the taproom things have been very normal,” Barone said. “People have been very thankful that we’re here and we’re happy to see them as well.”
