Brewfest Returns to Louisville
The Derby City BrewFest will return to the KFC Yum! Center’s Norton Healthcare Plaza on Derby Eve, Friday, May 6. Guests will have the opportunity to sample more than 100 beers from Kentucky-area brewers, including Kentucky Common – a beer style that was invented in Louisville in the mid-1800s. Several local bands are scheduled to perform including Carly Moffa, Quiet Hollers, Whiskey Bent Valley Boys, Jericho Woods, Uncommon Houseflies and Hot Brown Smackdown.
The Derby City BrewFest will return to the KFC Yum! Center’s Norton Healthcare Plaza on Derby Eve, Friday, May 6. Guests will have the opportunity to sample more than 100 beers from Kentucky-area brewers, including Kentucky Common – a beer style that was invented in Louisville in the mid-1800s. Several local bands are scheduled to perform including Carly Moffa, Quiet Hollers, Whiskey Bent Valley Boys, Jericho Woods, Uncommon Houseflies and Hot Brown Smackdown.
What’s New?
This year’s Derby City BrewFest will also feature a Four Roses Bourbon Barrel Beer Competition in which brewers submit their own unique versions of a beer aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels. A certified beer judge will determine the winner, but fans are able to cast their vote for the “People’s Choice” beer from among the submissions.
VIP Packages Available
Derby City BrewFest tickets start at $15 and are on sale now at http://derbycitybrewfest.com/tickets/. VIP packages are available that include early entry, food/drink tickets and access to VIP areas.
What is Kentucky Common Beer?
Because Kentucky Common is arguably even more Louisville than the mint julep, the bourbon drink associated with the Kentucky Derby since 1938, local brewers and Louisville brewing history enthusiasts decided to showcase this unique beer style again in 2016 to the visiting Derby crowd, while also providing natives a chance to partake on the style which is infrequently brewed today.
The historical beer style, which is a light-bodied, dark-colored cream ale, was the beer of choice for most Louisvillians in the late 1800s through Prohibition. At one point, historians estimate, about 80 percent of the beer consumed in Louisville was Kentucky Common, which then was usually simply referred to as “Common Beer” or “Common Cream Ale.”
Derby City BrewFest is hosted by Bluegrass Brewing Company (BBC). Dozens of other local breweries will participate in the festival, including:
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Four Roses Bourbon (sponsor) |
Country Boy Brewing |
Monnik Beer |
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3rd Turn Brewing |
Cumberland Brews |
New Albanian Brewing Company |
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Against the Grain Brewery & Smokehouse |
Dry Ground |
Paducah Beer Werks |
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Akasha Brewing |
Ei8ht Ball Brewing |
Sterling Beer |
|
Alltech |
Ethereal Brewing |
Tin Man Brewing |
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Apocalypse Brew Works |
Falls City |
West Sixth Brewing |
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Beer Engine |
Flat12 |
White Squirrel |
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Blue Stallion |
Goodwood |
The Little Kentucky River Winery |
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Braxton Brewing |
Gordon Biersch (sponsor) |
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Chase Brewing |
Great Flood Brewing |
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The beers will be served at the respective breweries during Derby Week festivities, culminating in the event in front of the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. The festival will include booths by each brewery with several beer styles (100+ local craft beers) available in addition to Kentucky Common, as well as food and other refreshments for purchase. There will also be a merchandise area, including local beer history author Kevin Gibson’s book, “Louisville Beer: Derby City History on Draft,” which features nearly an entire chapter on Kentucky Common.
The festival begins at 5 p.m. and lasts until 11 p.m. For more information, visit kfcyumcenter.com.