I am not one for pre-pimping festivals. After all I probably get about 10 emails a week anymore for beer and whiskey festivals around the country. Seems that brew-fests are now all the rage. But this, this one, this “louder than life” festival, seems like something completely different all together. So much so, that I find myself trying to figure out how to get the Airstream down to Kentucky for a few days in October.
Camping, a pretty kickass concert lineup (you know, just some folks like Kid Rock, Judas Priest, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, Limp Bizkit, Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington, Volbeat, Papa Roach) and a small but solid list of craft brews and whiskeys – make this more of a music festival than a beer festival, but also make me think that this could be the next wave of concepts for festivals. More on that later. And much more from Kentucky if we end up able to make our way down there and give this thing the full hereforthebeer treatment.
Come with us – get tickets at louderthanlifefestival.com/
Here’s their full press release about the event:
Louisville, Ky. — June 25, 2014 — LOUDER THAN LIFE, the weekend rock music and camping fest set for October 4 and October 5, 2014 at Champions Park in Louisville, Kentucky, announced today its food and drink lineup, which will include bourbon and other spirits, craft beer, gourmet man food and artist-inspired beverages. The inaugural food, drink, and rock fest will celebrate the region’s food, bourbon and craft beer industry, while honoring Louisville’s history as the birthplace of bourbon.LOUDER THAN LIFE was recently dubbed the “ultimate man food experience.”
Festival creator Danny Wimmer of Danny Wimmer Presents said, “I created the LOUDER THAN LIFE festival to highlight and celebrate the ‘culinary capital of bourbon country.’ And, of course, the cultures of rock & roll and bourbon go hand in hand!”
Wimmer adds, “Louisville is famous for a lot of things, but many people don’t know what a great rock town this is. When I first came to Louisville, I fell in love with this city, its diverse food, its bourbon and its culture. It screamed ‘LOUDER THAN LIFE,’ and I was quickly convinced this is the perfect destination for this kind of all-encompassing festival.”
More than 70 vendors, along with celebrity chefs Chris Santos, Vic Vegas, Bill Kunz, and Tom Coghill will showcase their wares while more than 30 bands, including Kid Rock, Judas Priest, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, Limp Bizkit, Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington, Volbeat, Papa Roach, rock three stages over two days and nights.
Weekend and single day General Admission and VIP tickets are on sale now at www.LouderThanLifeFestival.com,www.Ticketmaster.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Wimmer also reports that the, “list of whiskeys, craft beers and food partners for LOUDER THAN LIFE is growing daily.” Mike Maloney, Special Events for the Office of the Mayor of Louisville, believes the festival is poised for greatness:
“Louisville has a great music scene, great food and is the birthplace of bourbon,” says Maloney. “Some interesting facts about the Louisville region that people may not be aware of: 95% of the world’s bourbon is produced in Kentucky and Louisville has a vibrant craft beer scene as well.”
THE BOURBON LINEUP (so far):
“All bourbon is whiskey, not all whiskey is bourbon.”
- Angel’s Envy (Louisville, Ky.)
- Basil Hayden’s (Clermont, Ky.)
- Benchmark (Frankfort, Ky.)
- Buffalo Trace (Frankfort, Ky.)
- Bulleit (Lawrenceburg, Ky.)
- Eagle Rare (Franklin County, Ky.)
- Evan Williams (Bardstown, Ky.)
- Jim Beam (Clermont, Ky.)
- Knob Creek (Clermont, Ky.)
- Maker’s Mark (Loretto, Ky.)
- Red Stag (Clermont, Ky.)
- Town Branch Bourbon (Lexington, Ky.)
- Willet (Bardstown, Ky.)
- Woodford Reserve (Versailles, Ky.)
THE CRAFT BEER SLATE:
“Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass.”
- Bluegrass Brewing Company (Louisville, Ky.):
- American Pale Ale
- Altbier Amber Ale
- Dark Star Porter
- IPA
- Falls City Beer (Louisville, Ky.):
- English Ale
- Hipster Repellant IPA
- Fall seasonal
- Sterling Beer (Louisville, Ky.):
- Sterling Beer
- Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. (Lexington, Ky.):
- Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale
- Kentucky Ale
- Kentucky IPA
- West Sixth Brewing Company (Lexington, Ky.):
- West Sixth IPA
- Deliberation Amber
- Lemongrass American Wheat
- New Albanian Brewing Company (New Albany, Ind.):
- Black & Blue Grass
- Hoptimus Imperial IPA
- Elector
- Beak’s Best Bitter
OTHER SPIRITS, INCLUDING ONSITE EXPERIENCES:
Must be 21 years or older to enter!
- Copper and King’s American Brandy (Louisville, Ky.)
- Jack Daniel’s Whiskey ExperienceJack Daniel’s was officially registered by the U.S. Government in 1866. The Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, proprietor, is the oldest registered distillery in the United States, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Based in Lynchburg, Tenn., the Jack Daniel Distillery is the maker of the world-famous Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s Country Cocktails. Jack Daniel’s encourages its friends to drink responsibly.
Make sure to come by the Jack Daniel’s experience to get your tour of the history of the distillery, education on how they make their famous whiskey, merch, games, food items and other interactive exhibits. Keep checking the website for more information and additions.
- Germantown Presented by JägermeisterThe history of the Germans in Louisville began in 1787. In that year, a man named Kaye built the first brick house in Louisville, Kentucky. The Blankenbaker, Bruner, and Funk families came to the Louisville region following the American Revolutionary War, and in 1797 they founded the town Brunerstown, which would later become Jeffersontown, Kentucky. Further early immigration of Germans took place as they slowly followed the Ohio River after arriving in the United States, and many settled in Louisville.
In the 21st century, one third of Louisville’s population claims German ancestry. The Kentuckiana German Heritage Society was started in 1991 to preserve Louisville’s German heritage. The German-American Club Gesangverein, which was founded in 1878, also remains. Since 1977, Louisville has maintained a relationship with Mainz, Germany, with the two cities officially town twinning in 1994. Every October, a two-day Oktoberfest is celebrated.
Jägermeister is proud to present GERMANTOWN, which will feature celebrity Jäger Chef and restaurant owner Chris Santos, who will be judging the best gourmet man food items. Don’t miss some of the other activities in Germantown, which features the best bartenders in Louisville, Jäger Challenges, Jäger mixology, shots, food, signings and more!
ARTIST INSPIRED BEVERAGES:
Mastodon’s Black Tongue Double Black IPA
Iron Maiden’s Trooper Premium British Beer
Motörhead’s Bastards Lager
JUST ANNOUNCED! Motörhead Vodka
JUST ANNOUNCED! Slayer’s Reign in Blood Red Cabernet Sauvignon
CELEBRITY CHEFS JOINING THE FUN:
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Chris Santos — Throughout his career, Santos has appeared as a guest chef on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s Early Show, The Martha Stewart Show, The Rachael Ray Show, and has been a long-running judge on the Food Network’s most popular series, Chopped. Santos has also worked as a food stylist and consultant on movie sets including No Reservations starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Hitch, starring Will Smith. Outside of his chef whites, Santos’ involvement in boxing was well documented in the book An Unforgiving Sport by Muhammad Ali’s biographer, and he also pens his own articles for Eastside Boxing. His other loves — rock n’ roll and tattoos — have been featured in Inked and People Magazine, amongst others. |
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Vic Vegas, a self-trained restaurant chef, worked his way up the culinary ladder from dishwasher to Executive Chef at Las Vegas hotels such as companies as MGM Inc. Monte Carlo, Station Casinos, Binion’s Hotel, THE SBE Sahara-House of Lords Steakhouse, and many local restaurants around Las Vegas in a 20 year span. |
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Bill Kunz owns Highway 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen which features Cajun, Creole, and barbeque cuisines. The Highway 61 Roadhouse and Kitchen is located in Webster Groves, Missouri. He is well traveled and is well aware of the cuisines unique to many cities in the U.S. He and his friend Tom Coghill take trips together to find new types of foods and new cuisines. They travel together to different cities and pick the locals brains about popular and authentic restaurants in the area. |
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Tom Coghill opened Iron Barley, his south St. Louis institution, in 2003. He used to be the head chef at Frazer’s Brown Bag. Gourmet lauded the restaurant before its second birthday. Iron Barley was featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in 2008. The Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food featured Coghill’s “Monte Cristo hot dogs.” |
GOURMET MAN FOOD TO SEEK OUT:
- Down One Bourbon Bar (Louisville, Ky.)
- Highway 61 Roadhouse (St. Louis, Mo.)
- Holy Mole Taco Truck (Louisville, Ky.)
- Iron Barley (St. Louis, Mo.)
- Lil’ Cheezers (Louisville, Ky.)
- Longshot Lobsta (Louisville, Ky.)
- Momma’s Mustard, Pickles & BBQ (Louisville, Ky.)
- Monkey Wrench (Louisville, Ky.)
- Peyton’s Bourbon Cupcakes (Bloomfield, Ky.)
- Rye (Louisville, Ky.)
- Sidebar at Whiskey Row (Louisville, Ky.)
- Sivori Catering [Burgoo] (Louisville, Ky.)
- Spinelli’s (Louisville, Ky.)
Sponsors for LOUDER THAN LIFE include Monster Energy Drink, Jack Daniel’s, Jägermeister, F*ck Cancer, Crazy Dave’s Music, UBER, Muhammad Ali Center, Crowne Plaza, Galt House, Spinelli’s, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation,Original Makers Club, Louisville Metro Parks Foundation and more.
LOUDER THAN LIFE is produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, a producer of some of the biggest rock festivals in America, including Rock On The Range, Monster Energy’s Welcome To Rockville, Monster Energy’s Fort Rock Festival, Monster Energy’s Carolina Rebellion, Monster Energy’s Aftershock Festival, Epicenter—Southern California’s Rock Festival, Rockwave, The Big Ticket, Chill On The Hill, and Monster Energy’s Rock Allegiance Tour.
Champions Park is located at 2050 River Road in Louisville, KY, less than three miles from downtown.