It was all beer goggles and pretzel necklaces at the riverfront Saturday.
More than 11,000 beer-drinkers came out to Ross's Landing for the 16th annual Southern Brewers Festival.
Kelly Wilson, event organizer, said 32 brewers offered up their best for a good cause. All of the proceeds go to Chattanooga's Kids on the Block, an educational program that uses puppets to teach children about personal safety.
Guests of legal drinking age bought mugs for $20 at the gate. After their first beer, guests could buy tokens to sample other brews such as Sweet Magnolia brown ale from Big River Grille in Chattanooga and Tumbler Autumn brown ale by California-based Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Doug Coffey, 75, of Chattanooga, came dressed in a vest, cane and helmet he crafted.
"The vest is made entirely out of beer bottle caps," Doug said. "It's all recycled products. I used the labels to make the cane and decorate my hat, and the caps to make the vest."
This was Coffey's fourth time at the festival, and he said he still could not pick a favorite beer.
"I just like a good, hearty beer without a bite," Coffey said.
Others like Nick Dwyer, 31, of Cleveland, brought their favorite beer-drinking accessory, pretzel necklaces, with them to the festival.
The necklaces - string threaded through the holes of the pretzels - complemented the beer and gave them a reason to socialize with the women at the festival, Dwyer said.
"We'll share them, but you have to get them off without using your hands," Dwyer said. "It's like Mardi Gras."
It wasn't all about the hops, though. Randle Hernandez, district manager for Vermont-based Woodchuck Hard Cider, said he was there to introduce Chattanooga to a healthier option, gluten-free cider.
"It's a good-quality product that's been around since 1991," Hernandez said. "Now it's becoming more popular as more people are diagnosed with celiac disease."
Missing this year was the Krystal Square Off. The annual eating competition hosted by the restaurant was canceled, leaving festival organizers with the task of providing other entertainment.
No one really seemed to mind, though, because the four bands - Ponderosa, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and American Aquarium - kept the crowds more than excited.
Joe Carper, 58, of Florence, Ala., is a three-time veteran of the festival. Carper, a former brewer, said he was there for the music and the chance to relax.
This year he was accompanied by his wife, brother-in-law and a friend. They were just one of the many who sat relaxing under tents and canopies to get out of Saturday's mid-90-degree temperatures.
"We like bringing different family and friends and introducing them to the festival," Carper said.