Beer Cheese Festival

Last updated
Kentucky Beer Cheese Festival
Beer Cheese Festival in Winchester, Kentucky.jpg
Genre festival
Location(s) Winchester, Kentucky, United States [1]
Years active2009–2019, 2022–
SponsorsShop Local Kentucky, Clark Regional Medical Center, Ale-8-One, Clark County Farm Bureau, and others [1]
Website Winchester Beer Cheese Festival

The Kentucky Beer Cheese Festival is a celebration of beer cheese, an original and unique Kentucky delicacy. [2] This festival's a one-day summertime event [3] held in downtown Winchester, Kentucky, [4] [5] birthplace of beer cheese.

Contents

Overview

The first Beer Cheese Festival took place in June 2009 and was attended by more than 8,000 people. [6] In 2016, nearly 20,000 people attended. [7]

The only casualty of the event was since 2020: officials cited the COVID-19 pandemic as grounds for scrapping it.

The event features a competition among amateur and commercial beer cheese makers, as well as live music, art and craft displays, a beer "garden" and traditional festival foods. [8] Festival attendees can also sample and vote for their favorite beer cheese to win a People's Choice Award. [9]

The Beer Cheese Festival is the only event celebrating beer cheese in the world. [10] People travel hundreds of miles across many states/countries to sample different varieties of the Kentucky creation. [11]

Mental Floss included the Beer Cheese Festival in their list of "12 Highly Specific (and Extremely Delicious) Food Festivals." [12] Mashable included the Beer Cheese Festival in their list of "14 food festivals that show how serious America is about food." [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winchester, Kentucky</span> City in Kentucky, United States

Winchester is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 19,134 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winchester is located roughly halfway between Lexington and Mt. Sterling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer garden</span> Outdoor area in which beer, other drinks, and local food are served

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">American cheese</span> Type of processed cheese

American cheese is a type of processed cheese made from cheddar, Colby, or similar cheeses, in conjunction with sodium citrate, which permits the cheese to be pasteurized without its components separating. It is mild with a creamy and salty flavor, has a medium-firm consistency, and has a low melting point. It is typically yellow or white in color; yellow American cheese is seasoned and colored with annatto.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beer cheese (spread)</span> Cheese spread containing beer

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References

  1. 1 2 "Home - Beer Cheese Festival". beercheesefestival.com. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  2. "Beer Cheese for the Win". The Wall Street Journal. January 30, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Rizzo, Cailey (20 May 2016). "14 food festivals that show how serious America is about food". mashable.com. Mashable, Inc. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  4. "The Ultimate Southern Adventure: Kentucky". National Geographic. September 12, 2016. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016.
  5. "Beer Cheese Love: Discovering a Kentucky Tradition". Paste Magazine. February 26, 2015.
  6. "First Beer Cheese Festival draws 8,000 visitors". Central Kentucky News. June 18, 2009.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. "Thousands attend 8th annual Beer Cheese Festival in Winchester". WKYT TV. June 11, 2016.
  8. "Beer cheese: A central Kentucky staple you'd love". Gaylord Herald Times. December 13, 2016.
  9. "Winchester Beer Cheese Festival". Kentucky Monthly Magazine. June 11, 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. "A One-of-a-Kind Beer Cheese Spectacular at the Beer Cheese Festival". Resort sand Lodges. June 1, 2016.
  11. "On The Road With RL Reeves Jr: Jean Bell Is The Queen Of Kentucky Beer Cheese". Chowpapi. July 1, 2016.
  12. "12 Highly Specific (and Extremely Delicious) Food Festivals". Mental Floss Magazine. February 9, 2017.