July music festivals are likely to be hot and steamy places, where attendees need to hydrate and get in the spirit, so to speak, of the fun around them. The organizers of Forecastle have kept the bibulous needs of music fans in mind,offering just about anything fans’ tastes desire. Here are some of the drink options at Forecastle.
The Kentucky Distillers’ Association Bourbon Lodge is back for the fourth year, with 11 distilleries presenting their wares. Various distillers will be mingling with the guests, who can nosh on bourbon-themes dishes from Feast BBQ and Bourbon Line desserts.
All ages can enter the tent, but only those 21 and older can purchase a beverage. To circumvent the lines, you can buy a $25 membership, which comes with 15 drink and food tickets, commemorative tchotchkes and a brunch Sunday at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience.
The Gonzo Bar will be as crazily decorated as you would expect an homage to Hunter Thompson to be. White Clay Consulting sponsors the bar, offering a variety of bourbons and spirits.
The shaded Kentucky Landing will have five local food trucks and five regional breweries, including Against the Grain, Goodwood Brewing Co. and Falls City Beer, to show off local grub and brews to all those out of towners drawn by the music scene.
Six “activation spaces,” three serving beer and three liquor, will be scattered throughout the festival grounds. Look for places such as a trading post by Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer and an Airstream trailer serving Bloody Marys made with Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
Other featured beverages include moonshine from Sugarland Distilling Co., tequila from Louisville-based Derby City Spirits, Heineken beer and Forecastle’s “official craft beer” Sierra Nevada.
Speaking of which, Sierra Nevada will stage a “Tap Takeover” at Doc Crow’s, 127 W. Main St., with Sierra Nevada beers rotating throughout the weekend, starting Thursday. Available beers include Kellerweis (a Bavarian-style wheat), Hopnite Double IPA, Pale Ale, Torpedo Extra IPA, Hop Hunter IPA, Nooner Pilsner, Summerfest Crisp Lager, Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop IPA and Barrel Aged Bigfoot (a barleywine).
There will be three water stations as well, sponsored by Kynect, where festival goers can bring empty water bottles and Camelbaks into the festival grounds to fill.
