Pig and Whiskey

This was definitely Pig and Whiskey’s biggest year and I saw a lot of improvements although they seem to be victim to their own buzz.
What I liked was all the additional seating for the food-​goers. And they had a lot more shade provided by umbrella coverage which was not only much needed but greatly appreciated by the masses I’m sure. That said, it was crazy hot again this year so I standing in drink and food lines was a little tiring and bothersome given some of the disorganization by the vendor volunteers. I stood in line for 45 minutes after paying $ 20 for ten tickets. Ultra-​premium whiskeys were around 5 tickets ($ 10) for a normal shot pour which is way way over-​priced. If you were interested in sampling whiskey it would’ve been worth your while to just go to Dino’s or Public House since they have a nicer selection at far more reasonable prices. I heard recommendations for the Oakland too but it’s still way overpriced for their volume by pour FYI. On top of that, food prices were outlandish this year. A pulled pork sandwich and slaw was $ 7, bacon-​wrapped sausages $ 7, and small platters were around $ 15+. Of course this is a festival so you’ve gotta expect that prices will be inflated but aside from getting something in your belly this isn’t the venue to taste and sample.
That aside I liked the few plates I had and the turn out this year was great. Great bands, a good crowd of well behaved peeps and again, I saw lots of improvements from the organizers’ side so kudos to them. Hopefully next year they’ll drop the prices and organize the liquor tent a little better but much improved overall.

I know Ferndale can throw a better event than this and it seems to get more mondane each year for these reasons:
1. The ticket prices for the food and drinks are way too expensive for what you get.
2. Waiting in long lines to buy said food and drink tickets.
3. Live entertainment (bands). Very few of the bands on this years schedule, were ones people actually have heard of and have a following… and I’m in the local music scene.
If you want BBQ and whiskey, go to Zeke’s. No lines, you can eat inside with A/​C, they have a huge selection of whiskeys to try and you will spend much less money and get better quality food and they have great bands who perform there.
If you want to try whiskeys, go to The Oakland. Real drinks prepared by drink professionals.

A decent festival to wander a round and drink some whiskey/​beer and then buy some t-​shirts while you’re tipsy (and can’t truly decide which size would be the best for you…).

As I get older I get more and more pissy Growing up with Goober and the Peas, I always want to see them when they do play. Was it worth it? Not a chance.
Its crazy to see people waiting in these massive lines to pay substantially higher amounts for lower grade food. This isn’t anything new or anything I haven’t done several times in my life, I guess I’m just finally understanding what a waste this is.
The are a few highlights. One was watching people buy Red Stag from the whiskey tent. Yes, I’m being a total @@@@@@@ and a snob but a congested, long lined, expensive event just isn’t for me.
The real highlight is when I walked down some of the neighborhood streets before the show started and people were on their porch drinking and grilling or BBQing and were close enough to hear the music but far enough away to avoid the crowds.

This is an event that I look forward to every year. I missed last year’s event. However, previous years have been fun.
This year was kind of meh. It was bigger. More food. More booze. Not many food vendors offered sample size options which was a bummer because it was very expensive. I paid $ 9 for a pulled pork sandwich from Detroit BBQ. The meat was pretty good, but it was huge. It was so moist, it made the bun totally soggy. I couldn’t pick it up. Union Woodshop did have Macon Bacon sliders and Mac & Cheese in smaller portions, so kudos to them. There were very few vendors that didn’t offer food. That was kind of a bummer.
The drink tickets were just like any festival. They sell them in 10s, and drinks are either 3 or 4 tickets. It was cool to see that Short’s had their own beer rent, but nothing special on tap.
Pig & Whiskey usually has a good band line up. Goober & The Peas were awesome.
Hopefully this event doesn’t get too big for it’s own good. We enjoyed ourselves more when it was smaller and less commercial.

This was a really disappointing event for me, as I love pork, almost as much as I love whiskey. I think what killed it for me is the complete lack of samples. It takes away from the festival idea when you’re forced to pick from 1 restaurant to eat and at most, a couple of whiskeys. The average item on the restaurant menus was around $ 10, and the portions were huge. So instead of trying to compare Slow’s, Lockhart’s, RUB, and other restaurants, I just went with Slow’s. Admittedly, it was phenomenally good, but I can get Slow’s any time. I know it’s good.
And as others have said, the layout was terrible, with restaurants and liquor vendors staggered haphazardly around. Everything was made worse by the long lines to buy drink tickets, which could only be bought in sets of 5 or 10. And drinks typically cost 3 or 4 tickets. So, inevitably, you paid for drinks you didn’t drink. It was a needless cashgrab for an event that was already overpriced.

Food and booze was great but event was very poorly organized… Cash for food and having to buy tickets for liquor makes no sense and is truly frustrating for attendees. In addition the layout is horrible and needs to be entirely redone. We spent most our money in one area not realizing that there was another entire area l.

I decided to try the pig and whiskey mini festival. I was debating going there or just driving to Slow’s. Ferndale is 5 minutes from me, so I decided to give it a try. I wasn’t interested in beer or whiskey, I just wanted some good carry-​out smoked ribs. I arrived about 5:30 pm saturday afternoon. I never was a fan of Lockhart’s, plus there were no customers or examples of their food, so I ran from the stand. Many places only had sliders and sandwiches, so I passed on them. I found a line at Slow’s and RUB BBQ. Because RUB had such bad Unilocal reviews, and the one near my job closed down, I was leery about trying their ribs. Slow’s had no ribs for sale, only burnt ends, aka rib tips. I decided on the rib tips ($ 9) from Slow’s and a half slab ($ 12) from RUB BBQ. I got 4 dry, boney, fat and gristle filled pieces from Slow’s. Less meat than a chicken wing. A complete rip-​off. The five ribs from RUB were better, but not meaty at all. I think that they buy huge amounts of low quality, non meaty ribs for this event. They would be closed in a month if they sold this regularly at their restaurant. I would not ever go back, as it is too expensive ($ 21) for five ribs and four pieces of trash quality rib tips. I can get an entire rack of delicious meaty baby back ribs for $ 21. If you go for ribs from Slow’s, you will get much less food and inferior quality meat. You are basically paying an admission fee of $ 15 and getting about $ 6 worth of food for $ 21. Detroit is a terrible place to get BBQ. Our best BBQ (Slow’s) would be roughly the equivalent of the worst BBQ restaurants in Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kansas City. I have had BBQ in all of these places, and it is much much better than the options in Detroit. Even roadside stands there offer superior quality food. Years ago, there were many Mom and Pop BBQ joints in Detroit that served really good BBQ. Now the taste/​quality is similar to Famous Dave’s or Chicken Shack ribs (Yuck!)
UPDATE: I went to Slow’s To Go the same evening after I wrote this, and ordered a full slab baby-​back dinner. Slow’s BBQ in the restaurants is still good! The rib tips that they sell at Pig ang Whiskey are garbage quality. No meat, just bones, fat and gristle. Horrible business strategy, (but probably a profitable windfall) to introduce non customers to the business by serving inferior BBQ.

This was my first time attending this event. What a great summer activity… BBQ and drinking outdoors! I really thought the cocktail corner was unique… a different drink every hour and the candy bacon was one of a kind! It was a bit crowded on Saturday but not too overwhelming! Super casual and Very diverse crowd! The only thing that could improve is the music… but who attended just for that anyways?! Will definitely go again if i’m in the area next year!

Sososososoooo much fun! The BBQ was really good but a little pricy for the amount that you get. I really enjoyed the loaded Mac with brisket form red smoke! Slows is also veryyy good so you can’t go wrong with getting from them! It was packed with an interesting crowd and music was going all night.
This was a ton of fun, the food was great and so was the overall atmosphere :) I can’t wait for next year :)
I ALMOST forgot about the candied stout bacon from Wab! Ughhhhhh sooooo good!

Had a nice time! Lots of beer choices but I thought there would be more cocktails. The food was awesome! The down side is there was only one bbq place that sold samples. Lockharts bbq from Royal Oak was selling ribs for $ 2. I wanted to try a few bbq places I haven’t ate at like RUB and Det Bbq but you had to spend $ 8 or more to get meat. Mac n cheese was $ 4 everywhere. Drink tickets are 5/​$ 10 or 10/​$ 20. Most dinks/​beers are 3 tickets. The lines were short and moved fast. Over all it was fun and I will go next year.

Venue was a good idea. Sandwich and liquor was a bit pricey at $ 9 for a small drink and $ 9 for a sandwich. Think it was my fault that we got there late. People were also rude. They bumped you and almost knocked you over without an excuse me. Guy knocked a sandwich out of my friends hand and did not say excuse me. I held my tongue. It must have been the drunk hour. The vendor did give us another sandwich which was cool. Most of the vendors were out of certain items. There was a choice between an average of 2 items from some vendors. Make sure you get there early enough. The pulled pork sandwich was good. Good smoky taste and good bbq sauce. To add, you have to get drink tickets. Most drinks are 4 tickets and you get 10 for 20. Odd number but ok. Must be a ploy to get you to come back for more. Glad I went to check it out but would not plan on going back.

A festival of sorts featuring booze and pork products. How can you go wrong?
Sadly we enjoyed more booze than pork. But we had a ball!

The pork Lángos from The Grindhouse Food Truck is outstanding! The tempeh sausage is a great vegetarian option.

As a girl who did a whiskey tour of Scotland’s leading distillery, you might say I know a bit about scotch and the drink du jour.
As a Canadian, I have an inherited understanding for many things pig, particularly the big three: bacon, pork chops, and ribs. Yes, Homer’s magical animal really does exist.
Put whiskey and pork together, you should have magic. The WAB and other pork-​friendly institutions of spirits and drink have put their collective heads together to make this equation work. Smoky barbeque brings a sliver of Austin to the D, the beloved taco carts show up to offer their marinated pork delights, and the Emory and WAB get into the spirit serving up delicious pig dishes. Music from good local bands, with largely an indie or alternative flavour, serenades diners crowded around little tables or squashed under the tents. What could possibly be missing?
A reasonable time of year. I don’t know who came up with the idea to host this in the middle of summer but I beg them to reconsider a better time. Smoked ham, maple-​crackled pork, and pulled pork sandwiches are much better suited to the cooler days of autumn or even the first thaw of early spring rather than the height of summer. The blistering temperatures prevent a comfortable experience for a crowd-​going event anyways. Now add to that at least three smokers or open-​flame barbecues going, and you have a stifling, choking atmosphere. Whiskey does not improve this any. Dehydration became a real concern and I ended up leaving early with the beau and friends because we were all feeling sick and lightheaded.
I really hope they put this earlier or very late in the summer/​early autumn when the temperatures are less likely to wreak havoc on those of us who don’t actually go out to the bar every night.
That said, it’s a fun festival. Lines are manageable and you can show up any time of the day or evening for a fun time. I love seeing Ferndalers out with their dogs on leashes and Grandmas or kids, which gives it a friendly feel. Of course the kids aren’t drinking but they still have fun, and someone shows the foresight at these festivals to have craft tables, chalk, and a good time for the little ones.
The alcohol is served by ticket and they boast a pretty wide variety. If you’re not up for the whiskey, the local craft beers and Michigan pours on tap are good. I’m not a beer drinker so I can’t tell you about any of them, but I reserve all my love for the honey and lemon-​distilled whiskey that gets served up like licentious lemonade. I could walk off with the whole glass keg for myself and consider myself set for the summer. That stuff is potent, flavourful, and magical. I never remember who brings it, but I love it.
Good times, though seating is hard to find and the weather made it really not as much fun as I wanted.

Was there on Saturday late afternoon-​early evening. First of all it was hotter than h#$%! and pretty crowded. All the tables that they had set up were completely full so you couldn’t really sit down and try to eat anything.
First the libations — I was really disapointed in the beer selections. Been to the DIY festival and last years P&W. There seemed to be a lot less variety this year. Most of the selections were IPA’s (can you tell I’m not a fan of them?). Anyway tried one of the non-​IPA WAB beers. Decent. Headed over to the whiskey tent. Had the Knobs Creek (smooth) and an awesome Bloody Mary. McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix — really spicy YUM! Ended up getting another to spend out my tix. Tent was really crowded but you could manage to belly up to the bars and get your fix.
Food — Again I felt that there were less selections than last year. What I like about going to these events is trying things from places you haven’t been to. Unfortunately, I must be getting out too much ’cause there was really only one joint — Vincenta’s Garage that I hadn’t been to. Rub — been there, Slows — ditto, Red Smoke. etc. On the up side had the Macon Bacon Slider — this was the most awesome slider I’ve every had! I think it had three different bacon’s on it and bacon jam (which I really think made it!).
All in all if you’re looking to kill an hour or two, you can go to this event and try some food and drink and be on your way.
If they have this again next year — — I hope they bring it back to the level it was the first year.

I was there on Sunday evening/​night. It was crowded but there were not long lines for anything, at most a couple minute wait. Some of the food vendors were out of certain things but that is to be expected at that point in the festival.
We had fun drinking some whiskey cocktails and playing corn-​hole. People watching of course is always a hoot, such a great mix. The bands were great as usual.
It would have been nice if they had hired some people to go around to wipe down tables and pick up trash. Things were getting pretty sticky around there. Also would have been nice if they offered some sort of cooling station or misters considering the heat.
I will be back next year!

Decent idea but clearly a ploy to get people into the WAB and Emory since it was ridiculous trying to get a drink. The food also smelled better then it tasted and the stifling heat wasn’t helped by the bbq’s. The craft beer at the event was marginal at best. With all the crafts made in Michigan there should be a much better selection. Sorry WAB but your beer isn’t that good and it was simply to hot for whiskey. One more thing… $ 3 sliders and $ 2 shots of whiskey? You tell me what’s wrong with this picture.
The music was the best part of the party and I was able to cool off in a few other local joints. The Grasshopper (across Woodward from P&W) had a nice groove vibe and Dino’s (same block as the Emory) has STRONG drinks (Air Cond. was almost to cold).
BTW
Someone PLEASE tell the many people at this event that patchouli is not deodorant and it DOESN’T make you smell better.

Some Things about Pig and Whiskey:
The whole idea is brilliant. What two better things to throw a street festival for?
The good: THE MACON BACON SLIDER at the Vinsetta Garage stand. Hamburger, bacon, canadian bacon, cheese, and a sweet and spicy sauce on a brioche bun. I ate two of them and I could have eaten more. One of the best sliders I’ve ever had in my life — and it was only $ 3. $ 2 shots of Jack Daniels, and tons of other whiskey at the whiskey tent. Unfortunately, it was so hot I couldn’t bear the thought of taking a shot of whiskey at the time, so I opted for some cold craft beer served by the Detroit Derby Girls.
Some suggestions: More trash cans/​recycling bins. I had a hard time finding any around the venue and held on to my trash most of the time. more shade would be nice. All of the shaded tables were full and we were stuck eating standing up in the beating sun. Possibly earlier entertainment in the future? There are some great bands lined up to play Pig and Whiskey but we didn’t really feel like waiting around until after 5.
Also, I was super disappointed in the slider from Slow’s. It was a pork loin slider with jalapeño relish and a chicharrone on top. The pork loin was very cold, and the chicharrone on top was as hard as a rock. I ended up throwing it out after two bites.
Pig and Whiskey is a great event. I wish I came with a bigger appetite, there were plenty of booths servings different foods… burnt ends, corn on the cob, bacon pudding, bacon popsicles. Definitely a fun time!

Candied pork, Bacon Ice Cream, Chorizo Sliders, St. Louis Ribs, Pig Candy Brownies, Pork Belly, need i say more… left me in foodie heaven this past Saturday! :)
I believe this is the first year of the Pig & Whiskey festival, and it def needs to be a recurring summer tradition. Walking to P&W there was that amazing smokey/​bbq aroma wafting in the wind from the great variety of vendors like: Lockhart’s, Roast, Lazybones, RealBarBQ, etc etc.
I didn’t get in line for the whiskey, since it was about 100+ people deep… so we opted to get our libations next door at the WAB.
My only beef (no pun intended) with this festival was the tight and VERY crammed location. Hopefully they can extend the festival a couple more blocks next year, b/​c it was literally shoulder to shoulder crowded.
Other than that, we had an awesome time! Great food (my personal favs were Roast’s ‘Pork Belly & Peaches’ and Lockhart’s ‘Burnt Ends’), loved the bands playing, and an overall good time!