Bourbon & Beyond a Festival

Many years ago I took my first trip to Louisville, like many, for the Kentucky Derby. Given I had an amazing time when, in 2014, Louder Than Life (LTL) was first announced it was a no-brainer to head back. Fast forward a few years and the success of LTL lead to the birth of Bourbon & Beyond and since these births I’ve never hesitated to book an annual trip to Louisville.

Last year there was a bit of a monkey wrench (no Foo pun intended) thrown in by the  weather gods canceling Bourbon & Beyond after just one day (as well as LTL the following weekend) but this year not only did Bourbon & Beyond as well as Louder Than Life (this coming weekend) return with a vengeance, to a new/better site, but a 3rd festival Hometown Rising was added creating the DWP, Louisville, “Trifesta.”  Unfortunately I missed Hometown this year but given 70,000 people attended over the two days I’m sure we’ll all have a chance in 2020. 

The new site for all the DWP festivals is the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo Center and this year had one hell of a lineup with 91,000 people in attendance. 

For those heading to Louisville, any time of year, I want to mention what an amazing city it is. Not only are the people friendly which they’ve apparently received accolades for (see below) but outside of them being welcoming, there is a lot of history, museums, food and of course BOURBON!! It would be a challenge to not have fun in Louisville but there are a few places my group and I would highly recommend if you’re unsure of where to go.

First and foremost no trip for us would be complete without at least one visit to Against The Grain Brewery and Smokehouse. I’ve been to many breweries in my travels and they brew a good mix of beer styles, good eats to go with it and if you catch it on the right day/night you can see a baseball game (it’s attached to Louisville Slugger Field) or, like we did, some live music right in front on their little outdoor stage. Not looking to drive far then Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar is always on our list; bonus they’re open late.  If you have a car or are willing to UBER then don’t miss out on Momma’s Mustard Pickles & BBQ; FYI they make a hell of a bloody mary; mustard/rub rimmed glass topped with one of the best wings you’ll ever have. There are tons of places to choose from and if you can’t decide just head to 4th Street Live and you’ll find something. 

If you’re staying downtown and wake up ready from coffee then skip Starbucks, and head over to Please & Thank You (now three locations) or if staying at The Omni go right downstairs to one of the numerous Heine’s brothers locations.

Getting into Louisville early or staying a couple extra days, if so, then after coffee it’s time to hit one of the many distillery tours in the area. The process of making bourbon doesn’t really change from place to place but each distillery offer something special as well as bourbon tastings. Personally I really enjoyed the Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience but if you’re staying downtown then I’d suggest hitting the new kid on the block Rabbit Hole Distillery or one of my favorites, Angel’s Envy, who sponsored the speak easy at all three festivals this year.

Speaking of the festival, there’s so much to do in Louisville and the surroundings, I almost forgot about Bourbon & Beyond and how great it was. 

This year brought some big names to town with a mind-blowing musical lineup of over 35 bands on three stages, with performances from John Fogerty,  Grace Potter, Robert Plant, Squeeze, Hall & Oats, ZZ Top, Zac Brown Band, and many many more.  Personally I thought Friday was the best of the days starting with the early bands like Blackberry Smoke, Live and the Flaming Lips who are always entertaining and even busted out a giant “Fuck Yeah Louisville” balloon. Those bands are far from slackers but there’s no question the highlight of the day and weekend, in my opinion, was, The Foo Fighters. The Foos are rarely disappointing and with thousands ready to rock they played a hit filled set that lasted over two hours to close out night number one ,

Day two wasn’t exactly lacking in regards to star power. I think fans and fellow musicians were all awaiting the return of Robert Plant who didn’t get a chance to play last year. Throughout the day I didn’t run into anyone that wasn’t interested in seeing the Plant set which, we unfortunately, couldn’t shoot. Given Dave Grohl is a fellow rock fan, with a day off, even he hung out and joined Squeeze, taking over drums on “Black Coffee In Bed.” The day also included great sets from Grace Potter,  The Trey Anastasio Band, Allison Krauss and Daryl Hall & John Oats. 

Recovering from days one and two it seems many got a late start on the third which still had plenty of music. Another jam packed day of music including artists like Caroline Jones, Little Steven And The Disciples of Soul, Kurt Vile and The Violators, and Leon Bridges. The day closed out with back to back sets from a ZZ Top followed by The Zac Brown Band.

At every festival my friends and I always try and pick our highlights, and one stand out band that isn’t an obvious headliner.  This year my pick was, without question, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (below). I had never seen this band and from the opening toke of his joint, lead singer, Alex Ebert and the band brought everyone along for a ride. Alex spent a good part of the show in the crowd singing, dancing, high fiving people and when not in the crowd he was still handing over his mic for people to sing; even told a woman to just make up words. This band was thoroughly entertaining and although not my typical style of music I totally appreciated them and wouldn’t hesitate to put them on my list of acts to see again; I’d suggest you do the same. 

Many folks that attend a DWP festival come for the music but it’s really not just about the bands playing. Sure there are some cool vendors and great local food, you can even head over The Music Experience, and play/buy instruments but, in the case of this particular festival, there’s so much more.. There’s BOURBON!! 

Lots and lots of bourbon.. There are little hidden speakeasies like Angel’s Envy, and all kinds of local bourbon booths as well as a HUGE bourbon tent that this year even included a dance floor. If that wasn’t enough you can head over and get educated by author and bourbon enthusiast Fred Minnick as well as many others; shhhhs don’t tell anyone, there’s bourbon samples too!! Sometimes you even get a special guest like Adam Carolla.

If music and bourbon aren’t enough you know what the trifecta is at the trifesta?? FOOD!! This isn’t just plain old festival food. I mean sure you can get some typical food like a burger, although it won’t be typical, or maybe some killer BBQ but how about world re-known chefs, master chefs and cook book authors, like Edward Lee, Amanda Freitag, and Tiffani Thiessen, cooking, allowing tastings, talking about recipes, and signing books. 

Did I mention none of what I’ve written about had anything to do with being a VIP. You want to be a VIP? If so you have additional opportunities like being right up front for all the Bourbon & Beyond artists, having separate bars, bathrooms, entrances and then there’s some super VIP. I’m not even sure what this is because I couldn’t get in there. I’m sure you can find out more if you like (comment below as I imagine I can get you connected); my understanding is it was catered by one of the high end Louisville restaurants. Additionally, on top of all of this, there are some pre-festival dinners with these chefs and other events surrounding the festival for those that want to do even more.    

With all the shows and festivals I attend yearly there’s no question the Danny Wimmer Presents are some of the best. They aren’t just great for the fans but their chosen cities and businesses as well. I’d be remiss in not mentioning some of the great partners since none of this can happen without all these folks:

291 Colorado Whiskey, 1792, Angel’s Envy, Angry Orchard Hard Cider, Balcones Distilling, Barrell Bourbon, Blade and Bow, Boone County Distilling, Bourbon Women Association, Bulleit, Catoctin Creek, Cooper and Thief, Coopers’ Craft, Eagle Nest Outfitters, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Four Roses Bourbon, Fxck Cancer, GE Appliances, High West Distillery, Jack Daniel’s, Jefferson’s, Jeptha Creed Distilling, Jim Beam, Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, Kentucky Distillers Association, Kentucky Peerless, Kentucky Tourism, Knob Creek, Kroger, Lagunitas, Larceny, Louisville Tourism, Maker’s Mark, Metro by T-Mobile, Michter’s, Old Forester, Rebel Yell, Red Bull, Republic Bank, Robert Mondavi Private Select, Smooth Ambler, Southern Comfort, Stonehammer, Take Me Home, The Music Experience, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Uncle Nearest Whiskey, US Marine Corps, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve, Z. Alexander Brown Wine and Zyn.

There are great pictures below and  if you need more information visit:

Website: https://bourbonandbeyond.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bourbonandbeyond/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BourbonNBeyond

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bourbonandbeyond/

And now that you have some information to start planning for next year hopefully we will see you at Angel’s Envy or somewhere along the way in Louisville. However, if you can’t make it to Kentucky then check out the other DWP Festivals 

And more…Don’t forget to follow me on instagram and come back to https://escapinglife3hrs.com regularly as I’m about to go WAY beyond Kentucky.