Barbie Summer Pink Frazier T-shirts, FAQ for Saturday’s Beer Fest, Fun Zone with Flying Axes, and More
Happy Monday, Frazier Weekly enthusiasts!
Fifty-two weeks a year our team at the Frazier works hard for our visitors, students, and seniors in the relentless pursuit of thought-provoking activations, the magic of storytelling, and the thrilling exploration of Kentucky history. This week, we are hosting a fundraiser to support much of that work.
Welcome to Summer Beer Fest week, y’all!
Festivalgoers sample beers at last year’s Summer Beer Fest at Frazier, August 6, 2022. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
On Saturday we’re hosting three bands, dozens of Kentucky breweries, hundreds of beers, and over 1,000 visitors to Louisville’s Main Street. It’s no small feat, but our incredible team of educators, curators, communicators, collections folks, guides, and guest services folks are up to the task. I do hope you will consider coming out to show your support.
Oh, and I probably should have mentioned earlier, side-splitting hilarity with your friends is inevitable. Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.
On the menu this week—along with over 200 beers, sours, ciders, seltzers, and non-alcoholic beverages—are new festival t-shirts that serve as another reminder it’s a Barbie Summer. Hayley Rankin is playing in the Fun Zone, our Curator’s Corner features Billy Beer, and Vickie Yates Brown Glisson has an outstanding beer cheese recipe.
For everything you need to know about Saturday, make sure you check out Simon Meiners’s FAQ.
I sure do hope to see you here!
Andy Treinen
President & CEO
Frazier History Museum
This Week in the Museum
Museum Shop: Pink Beer Fest T-shirts for Barbie Summer
Simon Meiners models the 2023 Summer Beer Fest at Frazier t-shirt, which is now sold in the Frazier’s Museum Shop, July 21, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Each year, we pick a different primary color for our beer fest t-shirts: first was maroon; next was mustard.
This year, we’re leaning into the Barbie Summer aesthetic: our beer fest t-shirts are pink azalea with sapphire letters! Buy one in the Museum Shop for $20.
We’re so excited to host our third annual Summer Beer Fest at Frazier this Saturday, July 29! As the museum’s largest annual fundraiser, Summer Beer Fest at Frazier financially supports our exhibitions and educational programs—including this newsletter, Frazier Weekly. So we hope you’ll come out to show your support!
What follows is an FAQ with answers to nearly every question you might have about this year’s beer fest.
ABOUT TIME & LOCATION
When is it?
Saturday, July 29, 2023
VIP Admission, 4–8 p.m.
General Admission, 5–8 p.m.
Where is it?
Frazier History Museum
829 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
This year’s beer fest will take place in front of the museum, on Main Street between Eighth and Ninth; and on the side of the museum, on Ninth between Main and Washington. The Frazier Museum and our Gateway Garden, which extends from Main to Washington on the east side of the museum, will host the Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. VIP experience. Traffic will be rerouted so the festival can occupy the whole block.
Where can I park?
There will be no public parking in the Frazier's lot (located at Ninth & Washington) that day. However, there are parking garages and surface lots in the immediate surrounding area. Please check out this Downtown Louisville parking map to review your options.
Guests are also encouraged to carpool or Uber/Lyft. Please ride responsibly.
Where is the point of entry?
There are two points of entry, one located at Eighth and Main Streets and a second located at Ninth and Washington. VIP ticketholders may enter starting at 4 p.m. General Admission ticketholders may enter starting at 5 p.m.
ABOUT TICKETS & ADMISSION
How much are tickets?
The ticket prices are $85 (Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. VIP Ticket) or $55 (General Admission).
As an alternative, there is a third option: a DD (Designated Driver) Ticket, which costs $10.
Can I buy a ticket the day of?
Yes! However, we strongly encourage everyone purchase their tickets in advance for faster entry or in case of a sellout.
Can I bring my child?
This is an adults-only event. No one under age 21—including babies, toddlers, or children—is permitted.
Where is my ticket?
The ticket is in your email inbox. When you purchased the ticket, you received an email from our ticketing platform, On Tap Tix. Each ticket has a QR code that appears near the bottom of the email. (If you purchased multiple tickets, there will be multiple QR codes in the same email.) Please have that email open on your phone when you approach the beer fest entrance so we can scan it.
If you can't find your ticket, please provide a volunteer your name and ID so they can manually check you in.
Do I need my ID?
Please also have your valid ID readily available for age verification.
What am I allowed to bring?
There are a few rules:
No outside food or drink.
No large bags or backpacks. (Small bags only.)
No large umbrellas. (Small umbrellas and ponchos only.)
No pets.
Louisville Water encourages guests to bring an empty, preferably transparent, water bottle. If you do, you can fill it up at the Louisville Water refill station. The station will also provide paper cups. Frazier staff will check your bottle at entry points to ensure it enters the beer fest empty.
What if it rains?
Summer Beer Fest at Frazier is a rain or shine event!
ABOUT THE BEER FEST
What’s on tap?
This year, we will have more than 200 specialty beers—many of which will be available exclusively to festivalgoers who purchased Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. VIP Admission. On tap will be a wide variety of craft and specialty beers: over 80 local, regional, and out-of-state breweries will be represented. In addition to the selection of standard craft and specialty beers, festivalgoers will have access to a selection of gluten-free/gluten-reduced beers, low-calorie IPAs, hard ciders, and spiked seltzers. Louisville Water will have a water filling station. Non-alcoholic beverages can be purchased in the Museum Shop. Stay tuned for the list of breweries to be represented in 2023.
Will there be food?
Yes! Food vendors will include Heine Brothers Coffee, Lou Diggity’s No Doubt, Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Company, and Bristol Catering.
What about snacks and giveaways?
Stop by our membership table outside the museum shop to get in on all the fun! We will have “snacklaces” for sale (members get one free!) with almonds, Cheez-Its, pretzels, and trail mix. Members will receive a discount on the dunking booth (where you could win Louder than Life and Bourbon & Beyond tickets), and will also have a chance to win two tickets to our upcoming Town Branch Bourbon Masters Series program.
Not a member? Become one now or at the Beer Fest to join in on the fun!
What’s in the Fun Zone?
Located at Ninth and Main Streets, the Fun Zone will feature games and activities such as cornhole, jarts, Pop-a-Shot, and putt-putt! Festivalgoers can also purchase tickets to throw axes with Flying Axes or take a turn at the Dunk Tank. McCoy & Hiestand will offer a beer pong activation, as well.
What does a Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co. VIP Garden Ticket get me?
It gets you:
Early access
Access to Frazier’s Gateway Garden and dozens of additional beers
Indoor access to museum exhibitions and Museum Shop
Indoor bathrooms
What time does it end?
It ends at 8 p.m.
Is there an afterparty?
Guests can then keep the good times going at the official afterparty at Shippingport Brewing Company and Sallyforth Taproom, located at 1221 West Main Street. If you attended the beer fest, and are still wearing your wristband, you get free hot dogs and $1 off all beers! There will also be a Special Taproom-only beer release. Admission is free.
ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE
Who should I contact for additional information?
For more info about this year’s beer fest, contact the Frazier’s senior manager of sponsorships and programs Haley Hicky at hhicky@fraziermuseum.org. For media inquiries, contact the Frazier’s communications and research specialist Simon Meiners at smeiners@fraziermuseum.org or (502) 753-5668.
Who are the sponsors?
We thank our sponsors Republic Bank, Louisville Downtown Partnership (LDP), MCM CPAs & Advisors, Riverside Cigars, Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co., Fat Head’s Brewery, Great Lakes Brewing, McCoy & Hiestand, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, Corbett Cosmetic Surgery, Rison Executive Transportation, Shippingport Brewing, Flying Axes, T-Mobile, Heine Brothers Coffee, Lou Diggity’s No Doubt, Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie Company, Danny Wimmer Presents (Bourbon & Beyond, Louder Than Life), Louisville Water, Bristol Catering, and SummitMedia.
Where do the proceeds go?
Proceeds from beer fest ticket sales support the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs, including free or reduced admission for Title 1 students; Frazier Weekly, the “Let’s Talk: Bridging the Divide” series; summer, fall, and winter camps; guided tours, guest engagements, and Stories in Mind, which brings the Frazier into long-term care communities.
Simon Meiners
Communications & Research Specialist
Curator’s Corner: Oertels, Falls City, Billy Beer Objects from Science Center
Amanda Briede shows WLKY reporter Shaquille Lord some of the beer-related artifacts in the Frazier’s collection, July 21, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
As you know, the collections team here at the Frazier has been working with the Kentucky Science Center as they reallocate their collection to several different museums and other institutions. As we look through their collection to find objects to add to ours, we’ve continued to uncover new treasures. It was no surprise that we found a couple of very exciting objects related to the history of beer in Louisville.
Oertels fiftieth anniversary ad published on page fifteen of the special section “The Story of Kentucky: Chapter II” in the January 1, 1942, issue of the Courier Journal. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Falls City Easi-Ope Bottle Opener made in the 1950s. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Billy Beer patch made 1977. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
We found a special edition of the Courier Journal called “The Story of Kentucky.” Released in 1942 to celebrate Kentucky’s 150th birthday, these editions featured “the stories of great men whose personalities made an imprint on the commonwealth’s history.” What I first noticed, however, was an advertisement for Oertels on the back of the section. The ads celebrates the company’s fiftieth anniversary, making Oertels the oldest continually operating brewery in Kentucky at that time. It features a beautifully illustrated map of Kentucky, designed by Louisville artist Robert Wathen.
We also found a bottle opener another Louisville brewer, Falls City, sold in the 1950s.
Another exciting find is a patch from the now-infamous Billy Beer. Billy Beer was made by Falls City in 1977 and was endorsed by Jimmy Carter’s wilder and drunker younger brother, Billy. Every can proudly reads:
Brewed expressly for and with the personal approval of one of AMERICA’s all-time Great Beer Drinkers—Billy Carter.
I had this beer brewed up just for me. I think it’s the best I ever tasted. And I’ve tasted a lot. I think you’ll like it, too.—Billy Carter
The national marking campaign for the beer was handled by another local company, Doe Anderson. From what I have read, the marketing campaign was a lot more successful than the taste of the beer. By the late 1970s, Falls City was having trouble competing with the larger national breweries, and some say that the poor taste of Billy Beer was enough to force the company to close a little more than a year after the product had debuted. Two million cans of the beer were produced but nine million empty cans were melted down by Reynolds Metals.
Interestingly, the other Carter brother, Jimmy, played a role in beginning the booming craft beer industry that exists today. By signing H.R. 1337, Carter made home brewing legal. Many of these home brewers, including the brewers for Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams, then went on to start some of the first craft breweries in the nation. The boom in craft breweries by the 1990s paved the way for the return of two of Louisville’s historic beers: Falls City, revived in 2010, and Fehr’s Beer, now brewed at Akasha.
Don’t forget that you can see these objects (and more) in person at Saturday’s Summer Beer Fest at Frazier with your VIP ticket. Registrar and manager of collections engagement Tish Boyer and I will be inside in the air conditioning showing off some of these exciting objects and handing out the VIP swag bags!
Amanda Briede
Senior Curator of Exhibitions
Fun Zone to Feature Flying Axes, Dunk Tank, Pop-a-Shot, Jarts, and More
Wait, you’re telling me there’s going to be more than delicious craft beer, great food, and awesome music at Saturday’s Summer Beer Fest at Frazier?
That’s right!
Beer Fest attendees can also enjoy our designated FUN ZONE filled with games and activities like cornhole and a dunking booth!
Clad in her pink 2023 Summer Beer Fest at Frazier t-shirt, Hayley Harlow Rankin tosses a bag at the cornhole board by the Frazier’s front entrance, July 20, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Whether you want to test your axe-throwing abilities with Flying Axes or pose with a larger-than-life baseball bat and glove with Louisville Slugger Barrels & Billets, there is plenty of fun to go around! We have a full schedule of victims for the dunk tank, including SummitMedia radio personalities Jordan Rivers (The Mix 106.9) and Matt Cooper (q103.1) and the Frazier’s very own Stephen Yates and Greg Schoenbaechler, who will be waiting to see who steps up to the plate. To add even more fun, Danny Wimmer Presents will be giving the highest dunk tank scorer of each hour tickets to Bourbon & Beyond!
You’ll find the Fun Zone entrance within the fest on Main Street, closer to the Ninth Street end, where you can enjoy cornhole, jarts, and pop-a-shot at no extra cost!*
We can’t wait to see you there!
*Flying Axes and the Dunk Tank are ticketed activities available for on-site purchase.
Hayley Harlow Rankin
Senior Manager of Fundraising
Open Culture Shares First Known Photo of People Having a Beer, c. 1843–47
Edinburgh Ale by Hill & Adamson, c. 1843–47. From left, James Ballantine, Dr. George William Bell, and David Octavius Hill share a drink and a joke in Edinburgh, Scotland.
From left, Mick Sullivan and Brian West continue the Edinburgh Ale tradition by posing for a photo with their “TGIF” beers on the roof of the museum, July 21, 2023. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
One of my favorite websites is Open Culture, which curates and celebrates all of the incredible public domain content there is in the world. Just last week they had a quick feature on a very timely photo from c. 1843–47. It is remarkable because, unlike many of the era, it appears to be relatively candid, or at least informal. More notably, it is the earliest known picture of people having a beer. In honor of Saturday’s Summer Beer Fest at Frazier, have a look and poke around on the site to see what else you might find!
Mick Sullivan
Curator of Guest Experience
Shared Sundays: Brian West to Lead Tour of his Favorite Things July 30
The Frazier has got a very deep bench of knowledgeable staff members! So we’re trying something called Shared Sundays. Each Sunday, a different staff member will lead special tours tailored to their interests. In each Monday’s issue of Frazier Weekly, look for a quick preview of the coming Sunday’s tours.—Simon Meiners, Communications & Research Specialist
From left, Frazier education team members Brian West and Mick Sullivan pose with the bear in The Lewis & Clark Experience, 2015. Credit: Frazier History Museum.
Hello, Frazier Weekly readers! I’m just passing along the word that the fun won’t stop when Summer Beer Fest at Frazier ends on Saturday. Because the next day, yours truly will lead special Shared Sunday tours!
Gainfully employed by the Frazier for over fifteen years, I possess a unique familiarity with the history of the museum itself: from its beginnings in the early 2000s as the Frazier Historical Arms Museum to its present incarnation as the place where the world meets Kentucky. To that end, I am going to offer two unique tours of the Frazier, each lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, this Sunday, July 30.
First, at 1:30 p.m., I’ll offer an expanded version of our Staff Picks tour, starting on the first floor and working my way up to the third. The tour will survey the history of the Frazier and my favorite things, culminating with a discussion about the Bottle Hall in our Spirit of Kentucky® exhibition.
The second and final tour, held at 3 p.m. will take place on the second floor in our Kentucky Rivalries exhibition. Open since November, Kentucky Rivalries highlights the many unique sports rivalries that incite the passions of sports fans across the Commonwealth.
This tour will touch on interesting stories like the Male-Manual rivalry, the oldest high school football rivalry in Kentucky; the invention of the high five by the 1980 NCAA Champion U of L men’s basketball team, and the friendly rivalry between basketball coaches Joe B. Hall and Denny Crum.
Although the museum and museum shop will be closed all day Saturday for beer fest, both will resume their regular hours of operation Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
I hope to see you all here!
Brian West
Teaching Artist
Summer Beer Fest at Frazier provides an opportunity to explore the taste differences in beer—a major ingredient of beer cheese. Beer cheese is a yummy blend of beer, cheese, and spices that is unique to Kentucky. Beer cheese was first served in the 1930s at a restaurant named the Driftwood Inn that was owned and operated by Johnnie Allman and located on the banks of the Kentucky River in Clark County, Kentucky.
From left, Alvine “Bubby” Manuel, Marie “Sissy” Manuel, Jeno the cook, Ruth Allman, and Johnnie Allman pose outside Johnnie Allman’s Fisherman’s Inn on the bank of the Kentucky River near Boonesborough, Kentucky, July 27, 1959. Credit: Allman’s Beer Cheese.
Beer cheese is a result of Johnnie looking for a way to increase the sales of cocktails and other drinks at his new restaurant. He wanted to come up with something that would increase the thirst of his customers. Johnnie found the answer when he served beer cheese, a recipe developed by his first cousin, Joe Allman. It was the perfect blend of sharp cheddar cheese that had the right amount of heat provided by the addition of beer and spices.
Allman’s customers were served beer cheese as a complimentary first course appetizer in a small dish that could be spread on saltine crackers or used as a dip with radishes and celery. As soon as the customers were seated and their drink order taken, they were served the complimentary beer cheese dish. By the time the server returned with their drink order, the kick from the heat in the beer cheese caused them to order more drinks. This spicy cheese appetizer served its purpose, and Allman’s Snappy Beer Cheese was born!
By the mid-1940s, Allman’s restaurant moved a short distance across the road to the mouth of Howard’s Creek that flows into the Kentucky River. Today, it is the site of Hall’s on the River Restaurant.
Several years later, Allman moved the restaurant again between the site of the two previous restaurants. It was known as Johnnie Allman’s and was popular with diners from Lexington and the college crowd from the University of Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond. Folks in the area knew where you were headed if you said you were “going to have dinner at the river.” Johnnie eventually sold the restaurant after dealing with river flooding and fires. After the third fire, the restaurant was not rebuilt.
The tradition of beer cheese continues to be carried on today by Hall’s on the River, a popular eating spot that serves its own version of beer cheese.
The original Snappy Beer Cheese recipe is a closely held secret that is produced commercially as Howard’s Creek Authentic Beer Cheese. There are numerous beer cheese products on the market in Kentucky, including one from Hall’s Restaurant. However, you can make your own version of beer cheese to suit your taste and spice level.
It is important to always use a good quality cheddar cheese. Some recipes use a mixture of cheeses such as gruyere and cheddar, but the purists stick with sharp cheddar cheese. Also note that the flavor of the beer cheese can be changed by the type of beer you use as well as the type and amount of spices. Some beer cheese aficionados use a beer with a strong hops flavor. Dark beer can also be used but it will darken the color of the cheese and will amplify certain flavor notes of the spices. Most recipes use a lager which will add less bitterness to the dish.
Spread with homemade beer cheese. Credit: Vickie Yates Brown Glisson.
Summer Beer Fest at Frazier is the ideal occasion to sample different beers and determine which type of beer works best for your palate when you make beer cheese at home.
Below is my basic beer cheese recipe. I change the amounts of the spice based on the tastes of my family or guests. I have also substituted gruyere or swiss cheese for 1/2 the amount of the cheddar cheese. However, I prefer just using cheddar cheese.
Beer Cheese
Ingredients:
2 lb. good quality sharp cheddar cheese
Appx. 1 cup stale beer
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
Cayenne or red pepper to taste or a little finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
Instructions:
Grate the cheese and mix in the remaining ingredients. Mix in enough beer until the mixture can be blended well and is spreadable. Taste the mixture and adjust the spices to suit your taste. I serve it at room temperature with soft pretzel bites, mixed vegetable crudites, crackers and/or crusty bread. It makes about 1 quart.
Vickie Yates Brown Glisson
Board Member, Frazier History Museum
Guest Contributor
