From left, Kaitlyn Colberg of West Sixth Brewing, Leah Dienes of Apocalypse Brew Works, and Katie Molck of the Kentucky Guild of Brewers.
Frazier History Museum, the official starting point for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, throws its third annual Beer Fest later this month. It’s a great place to sample local craft brews and meet trailblazing women behind some of the labels.
Written by Rocko Jerome | Photographed by Kylene White
Coming up on the 29th of this month, Frazier Kentucky History Museum will present its third annual Summer Beer Fest, closing down Main Street for a splendid summer evening. There will be delicious food from a variety of vendors, a Fun Zone sponsored by Phocus with games for adults like pop a shot and corn hole, and over 200 beers to try – a handful of those made by women.
“Just as we’ve seen in the world of bourbon, women are emerging as fantastic leaders of creating beer,” says Haley Hicky, Product and Program Manager at Frazier. “We have such an excellent craft beer scene, and for this big day, these ladies get to come out and share what they have made with people who are really excited to taste greatness. This event is curated towards engaging with people interested in learning all about the processes involved, and it’s a ton of fun and a big deal for everyone.”
A sampling of beer from West Sixth Brewing and Apocalypse Brew Works.
“I’ve been in the beer industry for ten years, and when I began, women were very few,” says Kaitlyn Colberg of Lexington’s West Sixth Brewing. “Coming in, I felt a bit nervous. But, here, a decade later, I feel very comfortable and empowered.” She admires Leah Dienes, a luminary of the craft beer scene and frequent judge of area beer competitions. Not only is she a founding partner of Apocalypse Brew Works, but she’s the first female brewery owner in the state and is proudly also the head brewer. “I’m very passionate about beer, mead, and cider,” Leah says. “I’m so happy to see the growing number of women in the industry. Instead of just a rare unicorn, we’re now a strong force.”
Katie Molck, who handles marketing for the Kentucky Guild of Brewers, is also encouraged by the increasing interest in this event. “The Frazier Summer Beer Fest has grown so much over these last three years,” she says. “Main Street Louisville is so historically bourbon, so it’s very cool to see another Kentucky proud tradition on the rise with beer as well.”
“It will all take place right in front of The Frazier,” says Haley.” We’re happy also to have the Slugger Museum involved, as well as sponsorship from Republic Bank. Money raised goes towards the museum, especially for field trips supporting Title 1 schools and outreach projects where we bring the museum to nursing facilities, so we can go to people who can’t come to us. The community involvement is so awesome. We encourage everyone to come out and have a great time, get a little information, and a lot of beer!”
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If you go:
Summer Beer Fest at Frazier History Museum is a rain-or-shine event. General admission and VIP admission is available via fraziermuseum.org.
